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Welcome to the Wheeler County Surveyor’s website.  It is my pleasure to serve the people of Wheeler County as your county surveyor.  The County Surveyor’s records are located in the courthouse in the vault of the County Clerk’s office in Fossil.

 

One of my goals while in office is to make the survey records more easily accessible to the public.  These records have been scanned to digital format and made available for online research,  but keep in mind that the originals located in the Courthouse are the official records. Contact me if you have any questions, or if you need further assistance.

 

Wheeler County was created on February 17, 1899 from parts of Grant, Gilliam and Crook Counties. Several early surveys dating back to 1876 were performed in what is now Wheeler County prior to its creation, and were recorded in Gilliam County. These surveys were acquired from Gilliam County and are now filed in the Wheeler County Surveyor’s records.

 

Wheeler County Surveyor’s Records include the following:

 

Maps of Surveys: Maps are numbered progressively, and are indexed both by survey number and by township and range.

 

Land Partitions: Original plats are filed in the Clerk’s records.  True and exact mylar copies are filed in the county surveyor’s office, and are indexed both by partition plat number and by township and range.

 

Surveyor Record Books: Prior to survey recording laws, early surveys were recorded by the county surveyor in bound books.  There are three such books containing survey notes and plats dating back to 1888.  These are indexed by survey number and by township and range in the Map of Survey index, and cross-referenced by Book and Page.

• Surveyor Record Book 1: Contains surveys performed between 1900 and 1903 by County Surveyor W.W. Kennedy, and surveys performed between 1904 and 1914 by County Surveyor H.F.C. Heidtmann.

• Surveyor Record Book 2: Contains surveys performed by various county surveyors between 1916 and 1928.

• Surveyor Record Book 3: Contains surveys performed between 1888 and 1899 prior to the creation of Wheeler County on February 17, 1899.  These records were transcribed in 1911 from Gilliam County Survey Record Book “A”.

 

Road Record Books: Contain early records of county road establishment proceedings, including Road Viewers’ reports and field notes and plats of road surveys.

• Road Record Book 1: (1899-1927)

• Road Record Book 1A: (1919-1932)

• Road Record Book 2: (1876-1897) transcribed from Gilliam County records in 1903.

 

Corner Restoration Records: Contains corner reports which provide detailed information in the establishment or reestablishment of PLSS (Public Land Survey System) corners.

 

The Duties of the County Surveyor include but are not limited to:

1. Keep a fair and correct record of surveys made by the county surveyor or deputies thereof and by the county road official, all surveys received pursuant to ORS 209.250 and all surveys under ORS 368.106 or 368.206.

2. Number progressively all surveys received and state by whom and, if provided, for whom made.

3. Provide a copy of any survey to any person or court requiring the same, on payment of the fee allowed by law.

4. Establish or reestablish and maintain all public land survey corners, and keep a separate record of such.

5. Perform court-ordered surveys.

6. Check survey maps, land partitions and subdivisions for compliance with state statutes and local ordinances prior to recording.