200th Anniversary of the Sibley Survey

Guest Speaker Steve Schmidt will present a morning and afternoon session on the Sibley Survey. He will focus on the reasons for the survey and how it came about in 1825. Steve will begin his program by detailing what led up to the survey, why it was authorized, who was on the expedition, and the goals they desired to accomplish for the US government. The end of the program will be getting the survey underway from Ft Osage. He will close with a brief overview summary of what the survey accomplished.

Steve Schmidt holds a BS and MS in Civil Engineering from Oklahoma State University. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in Colorado and Kansas. Steve and wife Glenda received the Heritage Preservation Award from SFTA and received Site Certification from the National Park Service for preserving remnants of the Santa Fe Trail on their land in Marion County, Kansas. Steve considers it fortunate indeed that he had little prior knowledge about the Santa Fe Trail, thus eliminating any preconceptions about the route of the Sibley Survey that might influence his orientation of the maps. His unbiased interpretation of the Sibley Maps, enthusiasm for the project, and skills in computers and mapping are very much admired and appreciated.