Surveyor's Diary, Lyon County, Kentucky, (ca.1890)

Octavo. 98 unnumbered pages. Extensive surveying notes and hand drawn maps of areas at edge of the area under Lake Barkley from Kuttawa and edge of Eddyville, Kentucky. Laid in is folded notes of measurements on letterhead of W.H. Green, Rigg Hotel, Kuttawa, KY.(ca.1890). Stamped on black leather cover in gilt: Receiving/Str. Tyrone. The first clues besides the inlay is the map that says road to Eddyville. Names and history at various points in the survey: e.g., McPhail's company, J.M. Boyd's Corner, Atkinson's Garden, back of blacksmith's shop, Dixes' House, Cinder Road, Rollins' Cabin, Marshall's line fence, Chandler's, Iron Mountain (I think a hill of less than 2000 feet which we climbed in 1847 when I was boy of 10). Notes the high water of April 24, 1874 at one section of map. I bought this in a small collection of early surveying diaries dating back from Virginia in the 1790's and concluding with this item in McCracken County at or near Kuttawa and Eddyville ca. 1890. It would have been nice to say it came from my great-grandfather William McCollum who was a legendary figure in Western Kentucky both in work in capturing criminals but only because I recognized some of the names did some of the mysteries in this fascinating surveyor's diary reveal itself. Bound in black leather lettered in gilt.