Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1882-07-21
EDUCATIONAL DEPARTMENT.
Conducted BY J. II. Terry, Principal of Mineral
Point Public shoots.
How Land is Divided.

ced III congress a bill providing for
a survey OF the public lands belong
ing To the United States. In accor-
dance with this idea instructions
We're formulated, and the wild lands
OF the north and west were laid out
IN such way that the smallest par
Gel can be at once accurately locat-
ed and described.
There were first established, astro-
nomlcally, certain north and south
lines called principal meridiaus.
These are numbered or else named
from some important point near
which they pass. One principal
meridian passes through Indiana,
sixteen miles west of Indianapolis.
Parallel with these meridians, and
SIX miles from them and from each
other, are other north and south
lines called range lines. The strips of
land thus formed are called ranges.
The first one east ofthe principal me-
rldlan Is range ], east; the second one
range two, east, etc.; while the first
one west OF the principal meridian
IS known Us range one, west. Run
ming truly east and west across the
country are certain lines called base
lines. Every six miles north and
south of these base lines are other
east and west lines called township
lines. By means of these lines
running north and south and east
and west, the country is divided
into portions six miles square. call
ed congressional townships. The
townships in each range are num-
bered north and south from the base
line. By giving the number Of a
township and the range in which it
Is situated, its location is definitely
fixed. Thus by township 4, north,
range 3, east, is meant the fourth
township north Of the base line, in
the third range east of the principal
meridian.
Again each township is divided
into thirty-six smaller squares by
section lines running north and
south and east and west. Each di-
vision thus formed, called a section,
is as nearly as may be one mile
square, and contains GAO acres. The
! sections ia each township are num-
bered as follows: Beginning in the
northeast corner of the township
and counting west along the northern
tier of sections from one to six, then
counting back on the next tier south
from seven to twelve, thence west on
the next tier from thirteen to eigh-
teen, and so on to section thirty six,
which will be in the southeast cor
ner of the township. The sections
are subdivided into quarter sections,
containing 160 acres, and are desig-
mated as the northeast, northwest,
southwest, and southeast quarters.
These quarter sections are often
divided into two equal parts known
as the east or the west half, or
into four equal parts, which are des-
ignated in the same manner as the
quarter sections.
Since the range lines are run
strictly north and south, they con-
verge as they approach the poles,
hence each township is about fifty
feet wider on the south than on the
north. The law provides that lands
shall be SO laid out that all excuses
or deficiencies shall fall in the north
and west tiers of sections in each
township. This explains why
quarter section adjacent to the
north or west boundary of a town
ship frequently contains more or
less than 100 acres. To provide for
or counteract the error caused by the
conyergeney of the range lines, at
stated distances every twenty-four
or thirty miles, north Of the base
line are established east and west
lines, known as correction lines.
Here the north and south lines are
again started six miles apart, max
ing the township just north of a
correction line wider than those
Immediately south. On these cor
rection lines we therefore find double
corners; one set where the townships
and sections on the south close, and
the other where those on the north
begin.
The congressional townships de-
scribed must not be COMPOUNDED with
the civil townships ! which
county is frequently dl lded. Con-
gressional townships are uniform in
size and shape, and may be situated
part in one county and part in an
other, while civil townships are
irregular divisions of a county or
ganized for civil and political pur-
poses, as to carry on schools, establish
justice, open and maintain highways,
etc.
The civil townships are not num-
bered as are the congressional, hut
are named from their location, sur
roundings, or some distinguished