This explanation delves into the meaning of the term "Tulare County Corner," its most common character, its history, and the reasons why the County Surveyor’s Office is working to phase out use of the term.
For those who have extensively surveyed within the County, you've probably encountered one of the following terms, referencing a monument's characteristics:
Although there's no existing documentation detailing the origin or definition of this semi-standard monument, monument records and the recovery of these monuments suggest their inception dates back to at least the 1930s.
There are two primary versions of monuments which are deemed fitting of the "TC Corner" description. Occasionally, monuments of varying sizes and characters are described as a TC Corner. However, these instances are infrequent enough to indicate misinterpretation or mislabeling of the term.
The two acceptable variants have as the same base character, an iron pipe with an inner diameter of 2 inches and an outer diameter of 2 1/2 inches, the length could vary but was often 30 inches. The variation is in how the pipe is topped.
This features the mentioned 2-inch pipe, topped with a standard iron cap typically used in plumbing. This cap has an approximate outer diameter of 3 inches. It may optionally be stamped around its circumference with “TULARE COUNTY,” and occasionally might have additional sectional stamping. Rarely, some private surveyors have set this type and stamped their license information on these caps.
Monuments of this type were mainly set between the 1930s and 1980s. Their usage saw a significant drop in the 1990s, and it's uncertain whether any were placed after the year 2000.
This version also uses the 2-inch pipe but is topped with a custom-made cast iron disk, 4 inches in diameter. This disk features raised text that reads “TULARE COUNTY” around its edge, with a raised triangle at its center. The material of this disk, unfortunately, makes it susceptible to severe corrosion, which can result in the raised text eroding entirely.
This type of corner was exclusively set by the County and believed to be first been set in the 1970s and continued to be set in the 1980s.
There are four primary reasons why the term "TC Corner" is being phased out from county usage and as shorthand by surveyors:
When documenting, it's imperative to provide a detailed description regarding the material, size, stamping, and setting of a monument. Relying solely on shorthand terms like TC Corner or other standardized monument descriptors is inadequate.