NEVADA CITY

The Nevada County Historical Landmarks Commission announced that the site and remains of the 1870s Mount Lola Geodetic Survey was designated on Aug. 12 as Nevada County Historical Landmark NEV 25-07 by the County Board of Supervisors at its Truckee meeting.

The landmark will commemorate work done in the 1870s by Prof. George Davidson and his team from the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey. They developed quadrilateral base line measurements, which served as the primary triangulation method for surveying and mapping the West Coast of the United States until the advent of GPS satellite navigation in the 1980s. Davidson worked from atop Mount Lola, where evidence of his work remains.

Mount Lola – named for the legendary Lola Montez, who lived in Nevada County in the 1850s – is located in the Tahoe National Forest, yet the Forest Service does not intend to place a marker on the site.

Anyone wishing to visit the site should remember that it is a long and arduous hike up to the 9,143 elevation. The site will be featured in the next edition of the Commission’s interactive map and e-guide, which can be accessed from nevadacountylandmarks.com or the county website.

~ Nevada County Historical Landmarks Commission press release