31 The writer checked Major Stell's field notes of the full route of the
National Road by trigonometric calculations. Beginning at the point just
east of Dallas County where this road crossed the East Fork of the
Trinity River, and progressing northeastwardly, the results of these cal-
culations are as follows: From this beginning place to the crossing on
the west branch of the Caddo Forks of the Sabine is 20.30 miles north
and 13.74 miles east; from this stream to the southeast corner of the John
Yeary survey is 2.66 miles north and 3.56 miles east; from here to the
Cowleach Fork of the Sabine is 3.02 miles north and 2.80 miles east; from
here to the south fork of Sulphur River is 6.85 miles north and 3.72 miles
east; from here to Sulphur River is 9.64 miles north and 12.52 miles east;
from here to the 100th mile post of the road on Bonham street in Paris
is 13.42 miles north, and 17.20 miles east; from here to the 121st mile
post of the road (where it made the first contact with Red River) is
13.96 miles north and 15.21 miles east, and from here to the point on Red
River opposite the mouth of the Kiamichi is 5.89 miles north and 3.56
miles east. These calculations have reduced Major Stell's field notes from
varas to miles (rounded off to the nearest hundredth) and have changed
and combined the distances and angle data from point to point given in
the surveyors' notes into simple statements of the distances north and
east from each point to the next. Thus the writer has been able to check
total distances across the map against the route of the National Road as
he has platted it directly from field notes. No important errors have been
discovered, and the line representing the route of the old road made on
the maps with drawing instruments has been rather closely confirmed.
