Surveying & W.S. Stratton The surveyors employed in the Cripple Creek Mining District were recognizable by their ever-present transit, stadia rod, and measuring tapes - their tools of the trade. A number of these are currently on exhibit in WMMI's Stratton exhibit. The Winfield Scott Stratton Archival Collection at the Western Museum of Mining & Industry provides interesting insight into the use of surveying in the Cripple Creek Mining District during the 1890's. Mr. Stratton developed a theory regarding the deposition of gold ore in the district known as his "wineglass stem" theory. Stratton postulated that the veins of gold ore in the district radiated out from a central stem of fabulously rich ore he believed was located in the Gold or Globe Hills area. Before actively pursuing his theory, W.S. Stratton spent over $7 million purchasing mining claims in the district. Stratton wanted to avoid costly and time-consuming lawsuits therefore, one of his first acts was to have all of his holdings re-surveyed. Exhibit: Mr. Stratton's Business: His Life & Mines

In the early 1600's, surveyors measured distance with the Gunter chain and direction with a surveyor's compass. The Gunter chain is made up of 100, metal links, totaling 66 feet

In England, William J. Young is credited with inventing the first transit in 1831. It quickly became the most important surveying instrument in the United States. The transit was efficient, rugged, and economical; throughout the 19th century a good transit cost no more than $150. The earliest models measured horizontal angles only, but later models were fitted with levels and vertical arcs. These improved models are often referred to as transit theodites.

David Roberts donated the transit in the photograph and on exhibit (1978.12.3). It belonged to Mr. Robert's father, a Colorado School of Mines graduate (1915), who worked as a mining engineer in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and Canada.

The C. L. Berger & Sons Company of Boston, Massachusetts manufactured it. German-born Christian Louis Berger (1842-1922), who apprenticed with a maker of surveying instruments and analytical scales, founded C. L. Berger & Sons. He worked in German and English instruments shops before coming to Boston in 1866. Prior to 1898 the company was known as the Buff & Berger. The serial number, 6566, indicates that this transit was probably made between 1906-1909, although the company's transits were not always sold sequentially. In the latter half of the 20th century, the company did not adjust to the electronic revolution or inexpensive imports. The Chicago Steel Tape Company purchased the remains of the company in 1995.

Terry Girouard,
Previous Curator of Collections