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These data contain point locations and attribution of field notes taken around Washington State. Site location points have relationships with additional tables that provide information concerning notebook summary, scanned documents, and geologic tags.
The Division uses a modified version of a coded township-range section location system that was developed by Harold Culver--thus the name. The system was originally used as follows:
1.) Each county was assigned a one- or two-letter code. This code is the first segment of a Culver-system location.
2.) Within each county townships were numbered in a manner similar to the sections in a township. Notice that not every partial township got a number. Instead, some were labeled E, W, N, or S, and would be listed under the number of the neighboring township with the E, W, N, or S suffix. The township number is the second segment of a Culver-system location. Most counties require only two digits, but Okanogan and Yakima Counties require three.
3.) The two-digit section number is the third segment of a Culver-system location.
4.) The final segment, preceded by a decimal point, gave the location within a section as follows. The section is divided into ten equal parts east-west and ten equal parts north-south. Starting at the southwest corner of the section these parts are numbered zero through nine. Location within the section is given by first listing the distance (0 through 9) east from the west line of the section and then the distance (O through 9) north from• the south line of the section.
The system can be used to specify locations within sections even more precisely by dividing the section into 100 equal parts instead of 10. Then the first two digits following the decimal point represent the distance (00 through 99) east from the west line of the section, and the second two digits the distance (00 through 99) north from the south line.
The Culver system conveyed lots of information in a compact code, but it proved difficult to use because the code could not be translated back into a conventional section-township-range location without the appropriate county township index map. The original Culver system is no longer used except to read old field notes in the Division library.
Later, the Division used what is informally called the "modified Culver system". The modifications are as follows:
1.) Omit the one or two letter county code.
2.) Instead of a two or three digit township code, use the actual township and range numbers. List the two-digit "township North" number (1 through 41) first (no N is written because all townships in Washington are north of the Willamette base line). Next list the two-digit range number and specify either E or W for east or west (16W through 47E).
Today neither system is in use.