Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Chapter 3 - The System of Rectangular Surveys


3-1. The extension of the rectangular system of public land surveys over the public domain in the United States has been in progress since 1785. Although few of the original surveys now being made cover extensive areas, all facets of the rectangular system occasionally come into use. For this reason, and to make clear the procedures which have been followed in surveying public lands, a complete discussion of the system is included in this manual. It will be seen that the underlying principle is to provide a simple and certain form of land identification and legal description of the public lands.

GENERAL SCHEME

3-2. The law provides that (1) the public lands of the United States shall be divided by lines intersecting true north and south lines at right angles so as to form townships six miles square; (2) the townships shall be marked with progressive numbers from the beginning; (3) the townships shall be subdivided into 36 sections, each one mile square and containing 640 acres as nearly as may be; and (4) the sections shall be numbered, respectively, beginning with the number 1 in the northeast sections, and proceeding west and east alternately through the township with progressive numbers to and including 36 (R.S. 2395; 43 U.S.C. 751).

3-3. In accordance with the foregoing legal requirements, the public lands are surveyed under the method called the system of rectangular surveys, which embraces the following procedure:

(1) The establishment of independent initial points, each to serve as an origin for surveys to be extended in separated localities.

(2) The survey of principal meridians and base lines, originating at the initial points.

(3) The establishment of guide meridians initiated at base lines, and of standard parallels initiated at principal meridians, at intervals short enough to maintain a workable adherence to the legal definition of the primary unit, the township six miles square.

(4) The survey of township exteriors within the framework so established. Townships are numbered to the north or south commencing with number 1 at the base line, and with range numbers to the east or west beginning with number 1 at the principal meridian.

(5) The subdivision of the townships into 36 sections by running parallel lines through the township from south to north and from east to west at distances of one mile. The sections are numbered commencing with number 1 in the northeast section of the township, proceeding thence west to section 6, thence south to section 7, thence east to section 12, and so on, alternately, to number 36 in the southeast section.

3-4. By law, (1) the corners marked in public land surveys shall be established as the proper corners of sections, or of the subdivisions of the sections, which they were intended to designate, and (2) the boundary lines actually run and marked shall be and remain the proper boundary lines of the sections or subdivisions for which they were intended, and the lengths of these lines as returned shall be held as the true length thereof (R.S. 2396; 43 U.S.C. 752). The original corners must stand as the true corners they were intended to represent, even though not exactly where professional care might have placed them in the first instance. Missing corners must be reestablished in the identical positions they originally occupied. When the positions cannot be determined by existing monuments or other verifying evidence, resort must be had to the field notes of the original survey. The law provides that the lengths of the lines, as returned in the field notes, shall be held as the true lengths, and the distances between identified corner positions given in the field notes constitute proper data from which to determine the position of a lost corner; hence the rule that lost corners are restored at distances proportionate to the original measurements between identified positions. (chapter V, Restoration of Lost Corners.)

3-5. In the sections that follow, the first explanations are with respect to ideal procedure in the rectangular plan. The plan must be modified in various ways in order to begin new work where the initial and closing lines already established by prior survey do not qualify under the current specifications for rectangularity and closure but cannot now be changed because of the passing of titles based on them. The purpose is to avoid the incorporation of the discrepancies of the older lines in the running of new original surveys.

INITIAL POINTS

3-6. During the period since the organization of the system of rectangular surveys, numbered and locally named principal meridians and base lines have been established as listed in the accompanying table. These bases and meridians are shown on the large wall map of the United States published by the Bureau of Land Management, on a special map entitled "Principal Meridians and Base Lines Governing the United States Public Land Surveys" published by the Bureau, and on the various State maps and topographic maps published by the United States Geological Survey.

Meridians and Base Lines of the United States Rectangular Surveys

Initial Points
Meridian Adopted Governing surveys (wholly or in part) in States of Latitude
° ' "
Longitude
° ' "
Black Hills 1878 South Dakota 43 59 44 104 03 16
Boise 1867 Idaho 43 22 21 116 23 35
Chickasaw 1833 Mississippi 35 01 58 89 14 47
Choctaw 1821 --do-- 31 52 32 90 14 41
Cimarron 1881 Oklahoma 36 30 05 103 00 07
Copper River 1905 Alaska 61 49 04 145 18 37
Fairbanks 1910 --do-- 64 51 50.048 147 38 25.949
Fifth Principal 1815 Arkansas, Iowa
Minnesota,
Missouri,
North Dakota,
and
South Dakota
34 38 45 91 03 07
First Principal 1819 Ohio & Indiana 40 59 22 84 48 11
Fourth Principal 1815 Illinois 40 00 50 90 27 11
--do-- 1831 Minnesota, &
Wisconsin
42 30 27 90 25 37
Gila and Salt River 1865 Arizona 33 22 38 112 18 19
Humboldt 1853 California 40 35 02 124 07 10
Huntsville 1807 Alabama &
Mississippi
34 59 27 86 34 16
Indian 1870 Oklahoma 34 29 32 97 14 49
Kateel River 1956 Alaska 65 26 16.374 158 45 31.014
Louisiana 1807 Louisiana 31 00 31 92 24 55
Michigan 1815 Michigan & Ohio 42 25 28 84 21 53
Mount Diablo 1851 California & Nevada 37 52 54 121 54 47
Navajo 1869 Arizona 35 44 56 108 31 59
New Mexico
Principal
1855 Colorado &
New Mexico
34 15 35 106 53 12
Principal 1867 Montana 45 47 13 111 39 33
Salt Lake 1855 Utah 40 46 11 111 53 27
San Bernardino 1852 California 34 07 13 116 55 48
Second Principal 1805 Illinois & Indiana 38 28 14 86 27 21
Seward 1911 Alaska 60 07 37 149 21 26
Sixth
Principal
1855 Colorado,
Kansas,
Nebraska,S. Dakota,
Wyoming
40 00 07 97 22 08
St. Helena 1819 Louisiana 30 59 56 91 09 36
St. Stephens 1805 Alabama &
Mississippi
30 59 51 88 01 20
Tallahassee 1824 Florida &
Alabama
30 26 03 84 16 38
Third Principal 1805 Illinois 38 28 27 89 08 54
Unitah 1875 Utah 40 25 59 109 56 06
Umiat 1956 Alaska 69 23 29.654 152 00 04.551
Ute 1880 Colorado 39 06 23 108 31 59
Washington 1803 Mississippi 30 59 56 91 09 36
Willamette 1851 Oregon & Washington 45 31 11 122 44 34
Wind River 1875 Wyoming 43 00 41 108 48 49

3-7. The rectangular system was initiated in the State of Ohio in 1785 from a point on the west boundary of Pennsylvania, on the north shore of the Ohio River, in longitude 80°32'20". The State boundary served as the first reference meridian. A number of other reference meridians and bases were employed in Ohio to govern particular areas for purposes of disposal. In its early stages the system was somewhat experimental, and Ohio may well be referred to as the proving ground for the present rectangular system of surveys. The rectangular surveys that have no initial point as an origin of township identification are listed in the following table.


Public Land Surveys Having No Initial Point as an Origin for Both Township and Range Numbers
Survey (and year commenced)
Townships numbered
Ranges numbered
Ohio River Survey 1785
(Ohio)
North from Ohio River West from west
boundary of Pennsylvania
U.S. Military Survey 1797
(Ohio)
North from south boundary of military grant West from west boundary of the Seven Ranges
West of the Great 1798
Miami (Ohio)
North from Great Miami River East from Ohio- Indiana boundary
Ohio River Base 1799
(Indiana)
North from Ohio River From Ohio-Indiana boundary and its projection south
Scioto River Base 1799 (Ohio) North from Scioto River West from west boundary of Pennsylvania
Muskingrum River 1800 Survey(Ohio) 1 and 2 10
Between the Miamis 1802 , North of Symmes Purchase (Ohio) East from Great
Miami River
North from Ohio River (continuing numbers from
Symmes Purchase)
Twelve-Mile-Square 1805
Reserve (Ohio)
1, 2, 3, and 4 None


PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN

3-8. A principal meridian is intended to conform to the true meridian, extending north or south, or in both directions, from the initial point as conditions require. Regular quarter-section and section corners are established alternately at intervals of 40 chains, and regular township corners at intervals of 480 chains. Corners designated as meander corners are established at the intersection of the line with meanderable bodies of water.

3-9. In the survey of the principal meridian and other standard lines (base lines, standard parallels, and guide meridians), two independent sets of measurements are made, but only the mean of the two measurements is shown in the final field notes. Double measurement may be omitted if subdivisional closings are provided in the same assignment with the standard line, in which case the closings furnish a verification of the length.

Should the difference between the two sets of measurements of a standard line exceed 7 links per 80 chains, the line is remeasured to reduce the difference. Should independent tests of the alinement of a standard line indicate that the line has deflected more than 3 minutes from the true cardinal course, the line must be rerun. These are the maximum discrepancies allowable in new surveys.

BASE LINE

3-10. The base line is extended east and west from the initial point on a true parallel of latitude. Standard quarter-section and section corners are established alternately at intervals of 40 chains and standard township corners at intervals of 480 chains. Meander corners are established where the line intersects meanderable bodies of water.

3-11. The manner of making the measurement of the base line and the accuracy of alinement and measurement are the same as required in the survey of the principal meridian. The determination of the alinement of the true latitude curve may be made by the solar method, the tangent method, or the secant method as conditions require. The detailed process is described in the field notes.

STANDARD PARALLELS

3-12. Standard parallels, which are also called correction lines, are extended east and west from the principal meridian, at intervals of 24 miles north and south of the base line, in the manner prescribed for the survey of the base line.

3-13. Where standard parallels previously have been placed at intervals of 30 or 36 miles, and present conditions require additional standard lines, an intermediate correction line is established to which a local name may be given, such as "Fifth Auxiliary Standard Parallel North," or "Cedar Creek Correction Line," run, in all respects, like a regular standard parallel.