The Louisiana Purchase was completed under President Thomas Jefferson in 1803, nearly doubling the size of the country. It wasn’t until 1815 however, that President James Monroe ordered that the territory be surveyed Two teams led by Prospect K. Robbins and Joseph C. Brown began surveying the north/south and the east/west lines. At the place where the lines intersected, they established the Fifth Principal Meridian, which served as a base for surveying the rest of the territory. The spot was inhospitable and located in the middle of a swamp. In…
