More than 100 years ago, David William Brunton took the initiative to change his world. Hauling heavy surveying equipment into the field day after day, the young engineer sweated through his jobs in the grimy boom towns of Leadville and Aspen, Colorado. The Canadian-born mine manager recognized the need for something simpler and smaller, an item that would be able to fit in his vest pocket, but would also be as rugged as the country that surrounded him. Brunton's dream materialized in the form of the pocket transit--a hand held surveying compass that could also measure horizontal angles. After making a half-dozen prototypes, Brunton sketched a design and contracted with William Ainsworth, a respected watchmaker, to build it. Now, decades later, Brunton products remain faithful to the quality and pride that started it all.