Print this page Basic Public Lands
Jan Van Sickle, P.L.S.
Course Outline
One of the most
fundamental rules in land surveying is the concept of following in the footsteps
of the original surveyor. In fact, this principle underlines the fact that land
boundary surveying is not even primarily measurement. Measurement is just one
of many methods of gathering evidence about the location of legal land boundaries
The whole idea is to use measurement, and a whole lot of other information to
follow the footsteps of the original surveyor. This rule has even been codified
in law with regard to the Public Land Surveying System. It is an important principle
of the Public Land Survey System and is mentioned, among other places, in a
section of a federal statute originally enacted in 1925, 43 Stat.1144, it says:
" All the corners marked in the surveys returned by the Secretary of the
Interior or such agency as he may designate, shall be established as the proper
corners of the sections or subdivision of sections they were intended to designate.
. .The boundary lines, actually run and marked in the surveys returned by the
Secretary of the Interior or such agency as he may designate, shall be established
as the proper boundary lines of the sections, or subdivisions, for which they
were intended."
The sections of the PLSS are certainly distorted with respect to the concept
of perfect one-mile squares. The design was, of course that the sides of the
section would be cardinal, meet at right angles and all be one mile long. I
daresay there is not a single section anywhere in the US that is square, one-mile
on a side, oriented to cardinal directions and etc. Obviously that is impossible
on the surface of the Earth. However, the people who actually laid out the sections
on the ground, and the land had to be surveyed before it was sold, were practical
people. They found ways to accommodate the inevitable convergence. This course
is about how they did it and some of the principles and techniques that arose
from all that work.
This course includes
a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding
of the course materials.
Learning Objective
At the conclusion of this course, the student will:
- Know why the Public Land Survey System was begun;
- Be aware of some of the adaptations of the PLSS over the years;
- Recognize the significance of initial points in the Rectangular System;
- Understand the function of the baselines and the principal meridians in the PLSS;
- Be aware of the inviolability of original corners and lines in the Public Land Survey and the foundations of the principle;
- Be acquainted quadrangles as they are used in the Rectangular System;
- Know the underlying fundamentals of guide meridians and standard parallels in the PLSS;
- See the effects of convergence and understand how it is ameliorated in the Public Land Survey System;
- Learn the functions served by and the qualities of closing corners in the Rectangular System;
- Be familiar with townships as they are defined in the PLSS;
- Understand falling as it is used in the Public Land Survey System;
- Learn the affect of excess and deficiency in the subdivision of townships;
- Have knowledge of some of the principles used in the subdivision of sections;
- Be versed in the creation of fractional sections;
- Understand some of the history of the PLSS; and
- Recognize the
roles played by the GLO and BLM in the administration of the Rectangular System.
Intended Audience
This course is intended for land surveyors, GIS professionals and engineers.
Benefit
to Attendees
Attendee of this
course will have an understanding of the creation and administration of the
Public Land Surveying System and its method of land description. The attendee
will be able to handle the fundamentals of PLSS correctly and with confidence.
Course
Introduction
The Rectangular
System has been for more than 200 years, and continues to be, a system to divide
land and describe property across most of the United States. Originally established
by the Land Ordinance Act of May 20, 1781, the system has been incrementally
improved through practical innovation and government regulation since. The Department
of the Treasury had jurisdiction over the Public Land Survey System from its
beginnings until 1812. It was a sensible arrangement since the government was
poor in cash and rich in the land. The land came to be known as the public domain,
meaning land that was once, or is even now, owned by the Federal Government
of the United States. What was required was a practical, reliable and unambiguous
method of disposal. The fledgling Federal Government needed to do several things.
It needed to pay soldiers, often with land instead of cash. It needed to disperse
the population on the land to realize its potential. Put simply, it needed to
raise money.
Course Content
The link to the course content is as follows:Basic Public Lands (MS Word file 543 KB)
Basic
Public Lands (PDF
file 648 KB)
You need to open or download the above document to study this course.
Course
Summary
From the beginning the PLSS has been adaptable. It had to be. It needed to be
able to apply to a variety of conditions on the land and be capable of changing
with the times. It also needed to be as unambiguous as possible to prevent misunderstandings
and boundary disputes. It has achieved these goals remarkably well. This course
is intended to give the attendee a basic understanding of the challenges that
have arisen during the evolution of the system and some of the solutions as
well. Even though many of these solutions were the result of trial and error,
the ensuing innovations became techniques, procedures and, in some cases, laws
that are now stipulated in the proper performance of work in the PLSS. This
course endeavors to explain some of those principles and their genesis.
Quiz
Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.
DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.
