For a complete glossary, please see the General Land Office Website.
Brief Glossary
Base Line
The true east-west
line (on a parallel of latitude) extending from an initial point in both
directions. From this line are initiated other lines for the Cadastral Survey
of the public lands, within the area covered by the principal meridian that
runs through the same initial point.
Issue Date
The month, day, and year that the President
signed the land document. On this document
you will also find signatures of officers or employees of the GLO. Beginning
June 17, 1948, the authority was delegated to the Secretary of the Interior to
issue patents on public lands.
.
Principal Meridian
The true north and
south line extending from an initial point in both directions. Principal
meridians are the first north-south lines (meridians) surveyed for an area and
form the basis for measuring ranges east and west. Principal meridians used
within each state can have numeric names such as "Fifth Principal
Meridian" or common names such as "Chocktaw
Meridian." Some states have more than one principal meridian, for example,
Range
A row or tier of townships
lying east or west of the principal meridian and
numbered successively to the east and to the west from the principal meridian.
Range Direction
The Range Direction
indicates which side of the principal
meridian the township is
on. In the example "Township 5 North, Range 12 West," West indicates
the direction of the township from the (vertical) meridian. Range directions
can be either east or west.
Range Number
A Range Number
identifies a township's
East or West relation to its principal meridian. In
the example "Township 5 North, Range 12 West," the number 12
represents the Range Number used to identify the township that is 12 tiers to
the left of the principal meridian.
Section
A section is a
regular tract of land, 1-mile square, containing 640 acres, within a township. It
is approximately 1/36 of a township.
Section Number
Identifies a section
within a township. Sections are
usually numbered 1 to 36 but can be higher in some states. Alphabetic
characters may be included in the section number. In some instances there are
surveys with duplicate section numbers that are identified by a numeric-alpha
(e.g., 12 or 12U).
Township
A township is a
major subdivision of the public lands under the rectangular system of surveys.
It is a tract of land contained within the boundaries of the north-south range lines.
Most townships are 4-sided, measuring approximately 6 miles on each side and
containing approximately 36 square miles, or 23,040 acres.
Township Direction
The Township
Direction indicates which side (north or south) of the baseline the township is
on. In the example, Township 5 North, Range 12 West," North indicates the
Township Direction from the (horizontal) baseline.
Township Number
A township number
is identified by its relation to a base line and a principal meridian.
For example, "Township 5 North, Range 12 West" identifies a
particular township
that is 5 tiers up from the base line. In this example, the number 5 represents
the Township Number. Some townships may be fractional.