The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1904-06-24

INTERESTING REFORMATION
I85,iiil.al os the Il 4sulsn and Base tine
Used O. Surveying
MinaeaTolis journal:
TO the Editor of the Journal: l de.
sire Information in regard to the
terms used In describing lands in this
country; or more particularly in this
state and.North Dakota. The usual
form is something like this: Section
No. !, n township. No. /, north; range
No. I, vest, from the fifth principal
meridian. I should hike to know where
this fifth principal meridian is To-
Gated, and by whom 1T was established
and how far apart are these ssmerid-
fan lines Also the township num-
bers in this state run from south to
north. Iwouldlike to know what and
where is the base line that the town
ships are numbered from, and is it a
straight line, running east and west,
andacross all the different states Of
the west? By looking at a map Of
thisistate / should think that the
base line from which the townships
are numbered from is not a straight
and regular one; for the townships In
Hennepin county are numbered from
28iupwards, while in the western part
u of the state, and straight west OF us
they are numberedll7 and upward.
Viii you kindly assist me-:
3 Ignorant.
Minneapolis, April IA.
The Journal is indebted to Mr..
cooley, county surveyor, for the fol-
lowing satisfactory explanatory:
The system Of rectangular surveying
which governs the division of govern
ment Jands was authorized by congress
Nay 20, 1855. at that time lands in
the state OF Ohio were occupied by
the early settlers and asurvey was
made necessary. In order to estab-
lish the systems OF townships. and
sections an initial point was establish
ed At the junction OF the Ohio. and
Biz Miami rivers. From this initial
@pointia line was run due north and
south called the firstprincipal merid-
Ian: and q line also run due east and.
VEST called the base line. From the
initial point townships six miles
Z square were laid off on the meridian
the base line and the system
thus built up and extended inditinite-
10 meet the requirements Of the
settlers. The FIRST row of townships
sniOrthsof the base line was designated
town. north, and the first row south.
Idestgnated town 1 south, each
mcceedinR row being numbered pro-
ggIessiYely.
The frst tier, east or west Of the
principal meridian was. designated
range least OF range 1 west, and each
succeeding tier vas numbered pro-
e gressiyely.
As the country developed these sur.
veys we're extended to meet the de-
N Mandssoft the settlery, but when a de-
sSIland wasScrcated too far away to be
embraced BIZ the surveys already made
Atondtsystem we necessary and the
initial point established for the Sec
ondgprincipalsm meridian near the con-
huence Of the Little Blue and Ohio.
snyers. Whenever the settlement Of
the country progresses beyond the
h reach Of any existing survey a new
EsSnler1dfansa and base line must be estab.
s1atsfed, and there are now twenty-sev-
Me%nsprincipal meridians In the United
States. Hennepin county lands are
,epyeredFpartly BY the fourth meridian
Surveys, but mostly By the fifth. The
THE fourth meridian surveys carried
mp from the south and east were
sssoriginally intended tos stop at the
mississippi river, while the fifth meri-
dian was intended to cover all OF the
hnds swestof the river, but the de-
ss91aaapds for land eutries on the land
snOwcoyered by the citY.of Minneapo-
ssaiSSand the necessity for establishing
stflieshnnndaries Of the old Fort Smell
llnRssIeseryation made Unnecessary to
sAaaaffya<Att1hie fourth meridian surveys
cfossstheriver,oWing othe fact that
ssguchSsuryey could#be made sooner than
byacarrying up those made from the
Nth principal meridian. Township
sS227,g2e and % Of u range west were the
sOnessthus, carried across in advance in
sslS53.Insthe following year the surveys
wereextended from the south on the
9tifth meridian system, which governs
nearly all the lands in Minnesota west
0tst 4 le mississippi river and a large