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Reports of the Surveyors-General
On September 9, 1850, the date of California's admission to the Union, the new State inherited (by means of generous and valuable grants from the Federal Government) what would eventually total more than 8,000,000 acres of land. As outlined in the California Constitution of 1849, the duties of the office of Surveyor General included:
He shall make an accurate and complete survey by astronomical observations and linear surveys, of the boundaries of the State;
He shall make an accurate map of the State;
He shall survey and, when necessary, designate by plainly visible marks, or monuments, and shall describe on the map of the State, the boundary lines of the several Counties;
The Surveyor General shall be chief engineer and commissioner of internal improvements;
He shall deliver to the Governor annually his report.
In 1938, all responsibilities of the Surveyor General were transferred to The California State Lands Commission. The following reports document some of the activities and observations of the Surveyors General, and record the early geographical development of the new state.