Geog 211, Land Survey Systems

Front 1

A coordinate system

Back 1

A means of giving location
Usually includes an X,Y of some kind
Latitude and longitude is an example

Front 2

A survey system

Back 2

A systematic means of partitioning, subdividing, and legally describing land holdings (property)
Township and range is an example

Front 3

Relationship b/w coordinate system and survey system

Back 3

Frequently, a coordinate system is used to describe the location of property lines that are part of the survey system.

Front 4

Map types

Back 4

Thematic map
Topographic map
Cadastral map

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Cadastral map

Back 5

A map of property boundaries, used for purposes of ownership and taxation.
Very prevalent in local government.

Front 6

What is a cadastral map?

Back 6

A map listing the value, extent, and ownership of land in a given district for the purposes of taxation.

Front 7

Is lat/lon a coordinate system, a survey system, or both?

Back 7

Coordinate system

Front 8

U.S. Land Survey Systems

Back 8

Metes and bounds
French longlot
Spanish concessions (British too)
Public Land Survey System (Township and Range)

Within these historical systems, urbanized areas are generally surveyed in “lot and block.”

Front 9

Metes and Bounds

Back 9

An ad-hoc survey system used in Europe and other nations of the world.
Used to survey agricultural land in original 13 colonies.
-everything going every which way

Front 10

European Metes and Bounds

Back 10

Frequently centered on churches, castles, and Arby’s restaurants.

Concentric roads follow location of concentric walls used for defense.

Front 11

Metes and Bounds

Back 11

A system of land survey that defines land parcels according to visible natural landscape features and distance.

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Metes

Back 12

straight lines in the description

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Bounds

Back 13

the descriptors like “along the creek” or “to the edge of the lake shore”

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What problems do you think exist with such a system of surveying?

Back 14

These landscapes could change; can be confusing

Front 15

How can we alleviate these issues?

Back 15

by plotting coordinates in these areas (GPS)

Front 16

Lot and Block

Back 16

A survey system used in urban areas* to survey blocks and subdevelopment into lots.
It is a formalized, regularized system with some character of metes and bounds.
It can be imposed on another survey system.
Countryside is PLSS
City is lot and block
-several lots make up one block

*sometimes show only landmark buildings, and not all houses because it's GENERALIZED

Front 17

Can be a mixture

Back 17

Original was metes and bounds.

Lot and block as subdivision was done

Front 18

French Long lot

Back 18

Located in the US in areas where the French originally settled. It is generally located along large river courses.

The idea was to give everybody a piece of the river, which was the major transportation route.

*Colorado has this, but French didn't settle there..prob. did it for irrigation

Front 19

Spanish Concessions

Back 19

Usually large blocks or tracts, not necessarily oriented NSEW.

Tracts of land given to Spanish settlers by the crown.

**TX, NM, Arizona, California: where there was a lot of Spanish settlement

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PLSS, Public Land Survey System (Township and Range)

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Designed as a mean to parcel land ceded to US after Revolutionary War
Land Ordinance of 1785
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
The PLSS dominates the US landscape**
1.5 billion acres surveyed
It was designed to parcel large plots of farmland. It was never intended to be a survey system for cities and towns.

*nice and square like, NSEW block-like pattern

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Survey corners

Back 21

A kind of benchmark used to locate corners of the squares in Township and Range

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Texas

Back 22

has a colored history. Spain, Mexico, Independence, United State, etc.
Be aware that you will find its own peculiar mix of patterns.
Some other places do not fit the pigeon-holes of survey systems I have described here.

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How PLSS works:

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1) Principle baselines and meridians are surveyed in the territories or states.
2) 6 x 6 mile townships are surveyed out. These are given a township and range number, as well as a location N, S, E, W from the starting point.
3) Each township is divided into 36 square miles.

Note the funky numbering system.
4) You subdivide the section into half and quarter sections.

**Townships: N,S
Ranges: E, W

Front 24

Deciphering a PLSS reference

Back 24

You decipher it by starting at the back (you read it backwards).

NW ¼ SW ¼ Sec. 12 T3S R2W SLB&M

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Genealogy

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Of all records, land records are the most complete. It was a matter of ownership and avoiding land piracy.

Finding the location of your ancestor in PLSS may be the key to locating the courthouse that has other family records of interest.