SOUTH BEND — Portions of the Indiana and Michigan state line are missing. The line was originally surveyed more than 100 years ago. Now, the search is on to find hundreds of miles of posts identifying the state's original border.

For surveyors, searching for the posts is a difficult job, and expensive too. Volunteers are helping to find many of the original posts that mark the states' natural borders, but the project is still estimated to reach the million dollar mark for work that is expected to last five years in all sorts of terrain.

Some people told WSBT News they think they'd be able to find the Michigan-Indiana border while driving on Route 31 or Interstate 94, but they would have a difficult time finding the border on farmland or in the forest.

Surveyors from the two neighboring states face a similar problem. They hope to find 105 miles of border set back in 1827.

"We have done a lot of research to find where the corner was originally set," said John Kamer, a Berrien County surveyor.

Surveyors from both states are working together. Over the years, they have found dozens of the original posts which were staked into the ground. Some were found in a variety of places in and around rivers, lakes, forests and farms.

St. Joseph County Surveyor John McNamara believes the location of the missing line benefits the public especially regarding property taxes, state jurisdictions and crimes that happen along the border. He said, "If you prosecute in the wrong state, you can't then correct it in the future. It would be double jeopardy."

During the Berrien County commissioners meeting Thursday morning, a resolution was supported by the board calling for state legislatures to move closer to having licensed surveyors from both states to replace lost posts along the border.