While I was traveling through the Deep South, we drove over the Gulf of Mexico to arrive at Dauphin Island, the site of an old French fort (now called Fort Gaines) protecting Mobile Bay. While there, I was reminded of the geodetic survey markers that the United States Geological Survey has installed throughout the country. These are designed as fixed data points for all manner of uses. For our purposes, though, it is a game of hide-n-seek writ large.
Survey Markers
The USGS has a data map where you can see what is around you and provides all manner of data. We’re more interested in the GPS coordinates and then look on foot.
Basic Find-and-Catalog Game
Objective: Participants simply find and log US survey markers in a basic online or mobile catalog. They can take a photo and record basic details (location, date, any noticeable features).
How It Works:
• Find a marker.
• Take a picture.
• Log it (a journal or Google My Maps).
This gives people a fun excuse to get outdoors and notice things they’d usually walk past.
Personal Challenge or Goal
Make it a personal challenge—how many markers can you find in a month, or on a walk? You could challenge friends or yourself without leaderboards or complicated point systems.
How It Works:
Set a goal (find 5 markers this week or locate 3 markers in new places you’ve never visited). Share progress with a friend or a group. It adds a bit of gamification without being overwhelming or requiring major infrastructure.
Local Exploration
Focus on finding survey markers only in your local area. It doesn’t need to be a nationwide or competitive project—just a way for people to explore their immediate surroundings.
Historical Markers
The same can be done for those Historical Markers that we all whiz by at top speed and ignore. Find a few in your area with a web search and then make it a point to visit on your own time as opposed to whizzing by again. Read the history, absorb it and find a new appreciation for those surroundings. For example, I knew that Ponce de Leon had first explored Florida’s east coast but not the western section, and not too far from me either!
