The surveyors for the GLO were given very explicit instructions
     and had to sign an oath attesting to the truth of their findings.  The chain
     bearers signed as well.  All natural and cultural landmarks were to be noted
     and no names could be changed by the surveyor.  This explains why it is
     noted on the GLO surveys that Coulee Isle des Cannes (East to Southwest)
     were one in the same.  This also explained why the boundary line followed
     the sinuosity of the Coulee des Noix further south than the Bernard Map.
     I was still in a quandry about the location of Granger's Coulee, but I had
     noted on the Aerial View provided by LCG, that there was a Coulee which
     intersected Coulee des Noix or Isle des Cannes in Section 9 of Township
     11 South, Range 3 East.  I would now have to establish that Coulee des
     Noix (aka Isle des Cannes) was the dividing line between Lafayette and
     Vermilion, and that Granger's Coulee was the intersecting coulee in Section
     9 of Township 11 South, Range 3 East.  But how was this to be done?
          First I began to locate tracts of land in the area of the Coulees and their
     intersections and determine who were the current owners and run the title
     back as far back in time as possible to hopefully find property descriptions
     which would reference the Natural Landmarks used in 1844.  This is no
     small undertaking so I pinpointed areas of specific interest and activity..
          I would have to cross reference with the Police Jury Minutes in both 
     Lafayette Parish and Vermilion Parish.  Lafayette Parish's Minutes date
     back to 1823 and are quite detailed, albeit hand written.  The Vermilion
     Parish Minutes date only to 1885.
          The conveyance records of Lafayette Parish would be the best chance
     of success for landmark descriptions, again because the Vermilion Parish
     Courthouse burned in April of 1885, destroying all the records.  However
     I resolved to research both to qualify changes over time.
          In addition I researched land grants from the General Land Office and
     records from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).  I contacted the
     BLM in Virginia and requested survey notes on the townships in question
     including survey notes by John Campbell, Deputy Surveyor for the GLO.
     The survey notes were particularly helpful in understanding how the
     territories were surveyed, and gave me insights as to how the boundary
     of Lafayette Parish was determined in 1844 using natural landmarks.  I
     would have to conclude after reading his notes, John Campbell was more
     likely than not, the surveyor who determined which natural landmarks
     were to be used.
          For the past three years, without knowledge of exactly what the
     southwestern boundary looked like, I researched antique maps from
     a multitude of sources.  The National Archives was one of the best
     sources of maps with detailed large maps that I could access online.  I
     was able in many cases to download maps and blowup the Louisiana
     portion of the map in order to see just what the boundaries looked like
     in shape.  This may seem unscientific but I felt there might be a common
     denominator in maps of the period.
          Maps and mapmakers vary and in some cases as much as writers and
     book publishers.  This meant I would have to look at many maps.  All
     the while I paid particular attention to the subject of the map and the
     attention to detail in particular of county and parish boundaries. 
          After locating the Confederate Map I was able to see similarities in
     the southern boundaries in the Antique Maps.  Comparing both of these
     maps with the GLO Maps I came to believe the boundary according to
     the 1844 Legislative Act could be proved.  There were  dramatic
     differences in the location of the boundary on the antique maps and the
     conclusion by Merrill Bernard shown in his survey map presented to
     Vermilion Parish.
          G.W. Colton and J. H. Colton maps were some that I found and came
     to rely upon.  They are found in several locations, including the National
     Library of Congress (Online),, and Colton relied on General Land Office
     information for the preparation of these detailed maps.

         
    
1
" In 1999, representatives of the Lafayette and Vermilion Parish Governments met with State Land Office Personnel to discuss the possibility of
   the State Land Office performing independant research and field surveys to re-establish two segments of the Lafayette-Vermilion Parish
   boundary as defined by Legislative Act No. 81 of 1844....."
 Page 2, Introduction, State Land Office Report to Lafayette Consolidated Government & Vermilion Parish Government  (Click Here for Report)
The Final Word ?
Continued.5
Back to Conclusion Index
Next Page 6
              Once I had the Confederate Map I realized from it's appearance, the direct relationship it had with the General
     Land Office Maps.  It was a simple but detailed map showing  Sections, Townships, Ranges and the "Natural Landmarks"
     of Lafayette Parish.  Only the General Land Office Maps could have been the source of this sophisticated data.  When
     compared with the GLO Maps, it is obvious that the data on the confederate map was taken directly from the GLO Maps.
    
       (It should be noted again that John Campbell was the Deputy Surveyor for the General Land Office, Surveyor for the Parish
      of Lafayette, and the town of Vermilionville.  It should also be noted that his son William accompanied John Campbell as a
      Chain Bearer on many of his surveys and William also served as an Officer for the Confederate Army.)  
              
Click on the Map to Enlarge and compare to the General Land Office Maps
(Above) Portrait of John Campbell, Deputy Surveyor for
  the General Land Office, Parish of Lafayette, Town of
  Vermilionville. (Below) William C. Campbell, Sr., son of  
  John Campbell The portraits hang in the home of his
  great-great grandaughter, Mrs. Doucet Coussan of
  Lafayette, Louisiana.. (Click on the Pictures for more
  information on John Campbell)
(Above) Aerial view of intersection of Granger's Coulee
  at Coulee Isle des Cannes.
Granger's Coulee
Coulee des Noix or Isle des Cannes
  (Below) This 1861 J.H. Colton Map of the Southern States shows the boundary of
   LaFayette Parish to be as depicted in the Confederate Map beside it.  Note that the
   Coulee des Noix (aka Coulee Isle desCannes in in Township11 South Range 3 East
   as is the GLO survey depicts.  This the GLO Survey conducted by John Campbell
   Deputy Surveyor for the GLO, Surveyor for the Parish of Lafayette and the Town of
   Vermilionville.
Click on this picture to view more
maps evidence from 1856, 1861,1862. 1863,1879.