DEVELOPMENT OF PUBLIC LAND SURVEYS

Introduction After the Revolutionary War, the states transferred their western lands to the new federal government. Additional areas of land were acquired, and problems developed over the management of this public domain. The principal acquisitions are listed below.

TERRITORY DATE AREA (SQ.MILES(

Louisiana 1803 825,000 Florida 1819 72,000 Texas 1845 390,000

Oregon 1846 286,000 Alaska 1867 586,000

California was not a territory, but was acquired from Mexico in 1846 with an area of 529,000 Square miles. In order to administer these tremendous areas of land properly, Congress recognized the necessity for some logical surveying system. A method was sought for dividing the lands into tracts that would be an appropriate size for families of colonists to settle on and to grow crops they needed for their existence. On May 20, 1785, Thomas Jefferson and several associates presented a plan for a rectangular system of land division, which was adopted into law. It is interesting to note that the manuscript was in Jefferson's own handwriting. It is believed that he was, in fact, the author of the ordinance. The first survey was made under the new 1785 ordinance in Ohio, a part of what then was called to Northwest Territory. A survey of Indiana was begun in 1804, and work was continued to the Pacific. Public lands were surveyed using a Gunter's chain, 66 feet ling, made of 100 links. Early surveys were made with a chain 33 feet long, but the measurement was still in Gunter's chains. The new practice of "survey before settlement" allowed an orderly settlement of the new lands. The surveys employed a uniform mathematical plan for land division, which was a significant departure from original usage in the pre-Revolutionary colonies, where locations were irregular and without plan. Public land surveys have included all of the states except the original thirteen colonies and seven other states - Maine, Vermont, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas, and Hawaii. Public Domain At the time of the establishment of the United States, the thirteen original states retained title to all unappropriated lands within their respective boundaries and retained control of surveys of these lands. Later, such title was also retained by the states of Maine, Vermont, West Virginia,

Kentucky, Tennessee, and Texas. As successive territories on the North American continent were purchased by or ceded to the Federal Union, title to vacant lands in such territories was vested in the United States Government. These regions became the public domain. To provide for the division of these public lands and their subsequent settlement, the Congress passed legislation to establish a rectangular system of surveys in these areas and to set up procedures for the transfer of land to private ownership. The original legislation, together with revisions enacted by Congress in later years, forms the basis for the system of surveys used to divide the public lands. Public Land System The legislation provides that the public lands shall be divided by true meridional lines and by parallels of latitude to form townships approximately six miles square. The corners of the townships are marked with progressive numbers from the point of beginning. Each township is further subdivided into sections of approximately 640 acres each by lines running generally North-South and East-West. The sections are numbered 1 to 36 inclusive. Lands within an Indian reservation and lands previously transferred to private ownership are not included in the subdivision survey. Figure 1 shows the Public Land System.

Figure 1 Public Land System

Responsiblility

Surveys of the public domain come under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, formerly the General Land Office. The director of this bureau (within the Department of the Interior) exercises general supervision of surveys in the public domain and of the disposal of such lands. Several field regions have been established, each under the supervision of a regional cadastral surveyor. All remaining original surveys of the lands in the public domain and resurveys of certain types are made by cadastral surveyors in the service of the Bureau of Land Management. System of Surveying The system of surveys used is described in detail in the Manual of Instructions for the Survey of the Public Lands of the United States, published by the Bureau of Land Management, and is available from the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D.C. The major features of the system and current field practices are described in subsequent lessons. A great deal of public land in the Western United States and Alaska still remains to be surveyed. When a new survey is made in the field, the District Cadastral Surveyor is responsible for preparing maps and providing available data to the survey party. A classification for the survey is established, such as "Group 38, Nevada." The chief of party is given a set of instructions based on the Manual of Instructions for the Survey of the Public Lands of the United States, and its supplements, as well as special orders specifically pertaining to the job at hand. The required field monuments are set with permanent materials, and every effort is made to provide a clear, accurate picture of the work by means of descriptive records and maps. The responsibility of the public land surveys extends to dividing townships into sections of approximately one square mile. At this stage, the private surveyor assumes the task of further subdivision by relocating the U.S. land surveyor's original marks and then dividing the sections into smaller units as desired by their owners. Initial Points The area embraced by the public domain has been divided into some 37 regions for survey purposes. In each region, an initial point has been established and monumented, this initial point serving as the origin for all public land surveys to be extended throughout that region. The geographic positions of these initial points have been determined by ties to geodetic stations. The various initial points, base lines, and principal meridians of the United States are designated by a name assigned to the principal meridian. ( Refer to Figure 2 for the 37 regions).

Figure 2 Baselines and Principal Meridians

Principal Lines The surveys are run on cardinal lines; that is, all lines run north-south and east-west. All principal lines in the system are therefore meridians of longitude (north-south) and parallels of latitude (east-west). The meridians are straight lines but they are not parallel, since they converge to meet at the

poles. The parallels of latitude are at right angles to the meridian at any point. They are, therefore, curved lines. Base Lines The base line of a region is the parallel of latitude that is extended from the initial point true east and west. Principal Meridian The principal meridian of a region is the meridian of longitude that is extended from the initial point either true north or south, or in both directions, as required by the position of the initial point within the region concerned. Distance Along Cardinal Lines The unit of distance measurement in the public domain surveys is the surveyor's (or Gunter's) chain of 66 feet. Steel tapes and EDMs are used today rather than the old-type chains. Distances are measured along both the base line and the principal meridian, and monuments are placed at intervals of 40 chains (1/2 mile) to mark quarter-sections or section corners. Township corners are placed every six miles along these lines. Distance shall be measured twice and remeasurements made if the discrepancy of the two measurements exceeds the specified limit.