Browse Items (232 total)

This Parallel Line Rule is a heavy-weighted object, suitable for life on flat surfaces. All of its part are made of brass, which is a sturdy and relatively inexpensive material. The rule is slightly tarnished but has no discernible damage. This…

Brass parallel rule, used to draw parallel lines to scale. It is slightly longer and heavier than average. It has degree notches as well as compass directions marked on it. The fleur de lis symbol replaces the "N" for north.

Estcourt sketched a surveying party at work in the Stanstead Plains, Maine during the joint boundary commission. The surveyors are using long poles to measure and compare their positions. At the bottom he wrote, "Now Maxime, I'll go over there and…

Estcourt kept a sketchbook and journal during the joint boundary commission. Here he shows a man writing by candlelight in his tent, with survey equipment at his side. It took several weeks for mail to cross the Atlantic by ship, and Estcourt always…

This watercolour is of a survey party in the woods, with a surveyor visible in the tent. Estcourt wrote in a letter that "when once the tent is tried it will always be preferred." Although he did not enjoy the ever-present mosquitoes, he enjoyed his…

This is a surveying level produced by James Foster, an instrument maker based in Toronto, Canada. The apparatus also includes a wooden tripod, upon which the level was placed when taking measurements. This artifact was in the possession of John…

This is an iron post planted in 1873 by John McLatchie, retrieved by R. W. Clark in 1953, and acquired by the Canada Science and Technology Musum in 1973. The marker's history and significance is immersed in a background of surveying expansion,…

This is a letter written by John McLatchie in Winnipeg, dated February 1st, 1881. In it, he addresses two individuals about surveys of mining claims that he had completed for them. This letter is significant because its references to First Nations…

This transit was a key instrument for surveyors, as it was used for measuring horizontal angles (and later vertical angles as well). Transits were invented in 1831 in the United States and were popular for their versatility, durability, and cheap…