The Beginning, Public lands and government land survey system.
Collection: Book 1, Rose Hill History Scrapbooks
Title
The Beginning, Public lands and government land survey system.
Subject
Land surveys, public and government - History
Principal meridian
Base line
Description
Instructions on surveying public and government land.
Creator
U. S. General Land Office
Source
Rose Hill Public Library, Rose Hill, Kansas
Publisher
Rose Hill Public Library, Rose Hill, Kansas
Format
application/pdf
Language
English
Type
Scrapbooks
Citation
U. S. General Land Office, “The Beginning, Public lands and government land survey system.,” Rose Hill Digital Collections, accessed April 26, 2024, https://rosehill.digitalsckls.info/item/9.
Text
♦
l nited States.—Public Lands and Land*
Survey System.
§ 1. When the English colonies upon the Atlantic Slope were granted charters by the government of the mother country, several of them were given all the territory lying west of them on pa rallel lines clear across the continent, so far as that gov- rnment had authority and power to give it. But Spain having become possessed of sovereignty to the land lying west of the Mississippi, the English colonies, at the time >f the Revolution, claimed their western land only as far as that river.
Prior to the adoption of the Constitution, the States which laid claim to the territory lying north of the Ohio River and west of Pennsylvania united in ceding it to the General Government, though Connecticut and Virginia reserved portions of what is now Ohio. Georgia gave up, at a later date, part of what is now Alabama and Mississippi. Since then all of this vast area has been conveyed to settlers.
Subsequently and at different times, the National Government acquired by purchase, treaty, and < ccupation all the rest of the territory now forming this Country. Much of this has also been conveyed to settle
§ 2. Very soon after the establishment of the nation, and before it had acquired any new territory, a system for a uniform survey of all ] blic lands was devised.
Under this system, all land which is owned and offered for sale, or donated, by the General Government is laid out in townships, each ? i x miles square, as nearly as the spherical form of the ear in's surface will admit. All the lands ceded to the General Government by other nations have been, or will be, surveyed under the land-office system, except Texas. (See p. 78, §11.)
Indian and military reservations are not surveyed, because they are not offered for sale.
N.
i i i ! » i • ! ! I ! • ! { !
j Correction; • j 1 ! Line j Township J 4 North j
: l 1 i J z i j < ! 0 .! ; ! range Township | 1 i 4 EAST 3 North J ! j township I 3 NORTH
i i \ MER Township i 2 North J ! J —
i wj i i j | i ; ! j BASE J 1 j J J i Township! i J f ortt j j 1 j line : ; £•
i IV j III j II * 1 i 1 > l j I - j j 1 1 i ii | m j iv Township i 1 South t J 1 ! I
1 < • i i i i i 1 i ■ J < CL Township | 2 South ! 1 i i i i i
RANGE i 1 S WEST J J TOWNSHIP! ( a SOUTH 1 z E a n—!——1 Township | 3 South ! j
! j i i ! • ! 1 ! J j Township | ! ! i • i 4 South J •
1 !■ . | | • 1 Correction! • i Township! 5 South ! - i . LikE j , !
I h ! hi M ! * » ; • V ! • M ! 9 C £ 1 £ £ 1 ? * ! West ! 0 j U k ! k ! k ! 1 s i J s : a ? i | s ; « u> ! 5 uj 1 jjui1 5 uj ! '
§5. As a basis from which to b- gm a survey, a line in a north-south direction is selected, which is called the principal meridian. Many such meridians have been designated in different parts of the public domain, each Having'its. special name or number. In surveying a tract of country the? Government first establishes this principal meridian, and then a line crossing it at right angles parallel to the equator; this is called the base li^^and thus the two lines essential to location are established. (Seep.10andp.ll.) .
§ 4. Having the merJ lian and base line confirmed, other lines are run parallc to the base line, both north and south of it, just six mi es apart. (See solid lines in
diacrram.l
These strips, six miles wide, are then divided by lines running north south, just six miles apart on the base line. (See dotted lines in diagram.) The establishment of these lines divides the area into squares like those of a checkerboard. They are theoretically six miles square, and are called townships. Each strip of townships extending no nth-south is called a range. The strip adjoining the principal meridian is called range 1; the second, range 2, and so on. Those on the east are spoken of as range — tfist, and on the west as range—west. As . the townships lie from the base line they are numbered thus: Township 1 of range—; township 2 of range —, etc., and as they lie north or south of it they are spoken of as township north, or township south, of range —. The numbers in some cases run as high as 100.
§ 5. The U0>rth and south sides of a township are exactly parallel to each other, but the east and west sides converge slightly toward the north, making the length of the north side shorter than that of the south. The reason for this is that all north-south direction lines come together at the poles, thus two lines starting from a base line, six miles apart, J)oth due north, will meet at the North Pole, inclosing a figu m resembling a long, slender triangle, six miles wide at thg, base, tapering to a point at the top.
This convergence ^mounts to about three rods to a township, so that each township is about three rods shorter upon the northern than upon the southern side. The townships of a range* if not corrected, are narrower the farther they lie north of the base line and wider the farther they lie south of. it. (See diagram.)
To correct this, each fourth or fifth base line is made a correction line, and a new system of north-south lines is made, six miles apart, upon it.
§ 6. Townships ape further divided, each one into sections a mile square, “as near as may be,’* containing about 640 acres. The sections are numbered from 1 to 36, beginning at the northeast corner, as shown in the diagram.
Ench section is again divided into four parts by lines running north-south and west-east, these subdivisions being about half a mile square, and containing about 160 acres. They are called quarter sections.
S*>ce 1850 sections 16 and 36 ?in each township have been set apart as “school seotkms,” to be leased or sold for the
A TOWNSHIP
divided into Sections,
A SECTION.
N.W. j- or . N.W. T or N.W. J- SO A. N. E.i 160 Acres.
8. W. £ or ♦ N.W. f 40 A.
s-l 320 Acres.
v > benefit of public schools. Prior to that time only section
16 was given.
# It has been the policy of the Government to develop its vast
possessions by encouraging their settlement. For this reason the homestead law was passed.
Original Format
photocopy
Title
The Beginning, Public lands and government land survey system.
Subject
Land surveys, public and government - History
Principal meridian
Base line
Description
Instructions on surveying public and government land.
Creator
U. S. General Land Office
Source
Rose Hill Public Library, Rose Hill, Kansas
Publisher
Rose Hill Public Library, Rose Hill, Kansas
Format
application/pdf
Language
English
Type
Scrapbooks
Citation
U. S. General Land Office, “The Beginning, Public lands and government land survey system.,” Rose Hill Digital Collections, accessed April 26, 2024, https://rosehill.digitalsckls.info/item/9.Text
♦
l nited States.—Public Lands and Land*
Survey System.
§ 1. When the English colonies upon the Atlantic Slope were granted charters by the government of the mother country, several of them were given all the territory lying west of them on pa rallel lines clear across the continent, so far as that gov- rnment had authority and power to give it. But Spain having become possessed of sovereignty to the land lying west of the Mississippi, the English colonies, at the time >f the Revolution, claimed their western land only as far as that river.
Prior to the adoption of the Constitution, the States which laid claim to the territory lying north of the Ohio River and west of Pennsylvania united in ceding it to the General Government, though Connecticut and Virginia reserved portions of what is now Ohio. Georgia gave up, at a later date, part of what is now Alabama and Mississippi. Since then all of this vast area has been conveyed to settlers.
Subsequently and at different times, the National Government acquired by purchase, treaty, and < ccupation all the rest of the territory now forming this Country. Much of this has also been conveyed to settle
§ 2. Very soon after the establishment of the nation, and before it had acquired any new territory, a system for a uniform survey of all ] blic lands was devised.
Under this system, all land which is owned and offered for sale, or donated, by the General Government is laid out in townships, each ? i x miles square, as nearly as the spherical form of the ear in's surface will admit. All the lands ceded to the General Government by other nations have been, or will be, surveyed under the land-office system, except Texas. (See p. 78, §11.)
Indian and military reservations are not surveyed, because they are not offered for sale.
N.
i i i ! » i • ! ! I ! • ! { !
j Correction; • j 1 ! Line j Township J 4 North j
: l 1 i J z i j < ! 0 .! ; ! range Township | 1 i 4 EAST 3 North J ! j township I 3 NORTH
i i \ MER Township i 2 North J ! J —
i wj i i j | i ; ! j BASE J 1 j J J i Township! i J f ortt j j 1 j line : ; £•
i IV j III j II * 1 i 1 > l j I - j j 1 1 i ii | m j iv Township i 1 South t J 1 ! I
1 < • i i i i i 1 i ■ J < CL Township | 2 South ! 1 i i i i i
RANGE i 1 S WEST J J TOWNSHIP! ( a SOUTH 1 z E a n—!——1 Township | 3 South ! j
! j i i ! • ! 1 ! J j Township | ! ! i • i 4 South J •
1 !■ . | | • 1 Correction! • i Township! 5 South ! - i . LikE j , !
I h ! hi M ! * » ; • V ! • M ! 9 C £ 1 £ £ 1 ? * ! West ! 0 j U k ! k ! k ! 1 s i J s : a ? i | s ; « u> ! 5 uj 1 jjui1 5 uj ! '
§5. As a basis from which to b- gm a survey, a line in a north-south direction is selected, which is called the principal meridian. Many such meridians have been designated in different parts of the public domain, each Having'its. special name or number. In surveying a tract of country the? Government first establishes this principal meridian, and then a line crossing it at right angles parallel to the equator; this is called the base li^^and thus the two lines essential to location are established. (Seep.10andp.ll.) .
§ 4. Having the merJ lian and base line confirmed, other lines are run parallc to the base line, both north and south of it, just six mi es apart. (See solid lines in
diacrram.l
These strips, six miles wide, are then divided by lines running north south, just six miles apart on the base line. (See dotted lines in diagram.) The establishment of these lines divides the area into squares like those of a checkerboard. They are theoretically six miles square, and are called townships. Each strip of townships extending no nth-south is called a range. The strip adjoining the principal meridian is called range 1; the second, range 2, and so on. Those on the east are spoken of as range — tfist, and on the west as range—west. As . the townships lie from the base line they are numbered thus: Township 1 of range—; township 2 of range —, etc., and as they lie north or south of it they are spoken of as township north, or township south, of range —. The numbers in some cases run as high as 100.
§ 5. The U0>rth and south sides of a township are exactly parallel to each other, but the east and west sides converge slightly toward the north, making the length of the north side shorter than that of the south. The reason for this is that all north-south direction lines come together at the poles, thus two lines starting from a base line, six miles apart, J)oth due north, will meet at the North Pole, inclosing a figu m resembling a long, slender triangle, six miles wide at thg, base, tapering to a point at the top.
This convergence ^mounts to about three rods to a township, so that each township is about three rods shorter upon the northern than upon the southern side. The townships of a range* if not corrected, are narrower the farther they lie north of the base line and wider the farther they lie south of. it. (See diagram.)
To correct this, each fourth or fifth base line is made a correction line, and a new system of north-south lines is made, six miles apart, upon it.
§ 6. Townships ape further divided, each one into sections a mile square, “as near as may be,’* containing about 640 acres. The sections are numbered from 1 to 36, beginning at the northeast corner, as shown in the diagram.
Ench section is again divided into four parts by lines running north-south and west-east, these subdivisions being about half a mile square, and containing about 160 acres. They are called quarter sections.
S*>ce 1850 sections 16 and 36 ?in each township have been set apart as “school seotkms,” to be leased or sold for the
A TOWNSHIP
divided into Sections,
A SECTION.
N.W. j- or . N.W. T or N.W. J- SO A. N. E.i 160 Acres.
8. W. £ or ♦ N.W. f 40 A.
s-l 320 Acres.
v > benefit of public schools. Prior to that time only section
16 was given.
# It has been the policy of the Government to develop its vast
possessions by encouraging their settlement. For this reason the homestead law was passed.
Original Format
photocopy
Do you have more information about this item?