 In the first year he attempted to establish a newspaper in Southern California; but then was offered the job as the San Bernardino County Surveyor.In that capacity he surveyed the largest county (in terms of land area) of the United States, which included much of the Mojave Desert, part of Death Valley, and all the San Bernardino Mountains.He laid out sites for reservoirs and laid the foundations for the water system that now supplies the Inland Empire.