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Putting California On The Map: Von Schmidt’S Lines, David Carle

Eastern Sierra History Journal

When Allexey Waldemar von Schmidt lived in California, from 1849 through 1906, the young state developed a reputation as a society of innovators and energetic problem-solvers. Von Schmidt was a surveyor and civil engineer, an involved citizen of San Francisco, a father and husband, and a pioneer whose triumphs and tragedies enlarged the California Dream. Historian David Carle argues here that this pioneering surveyor literally took California’s measure and documented every step of the way.