North to south lines which mark township boundariesĮast to west lines which mark township boundaries Sections are numbered beginning with the northeast-most section, proceeding west to 6, then south along the west edge of the township and to the east.Īssigned to a township by measuring east or west of a Principal Meridian Terms used in the Township and Range System:īasic unit of the system, a square tract of line one mile by one mile containing 640 acres.ģ6 sections ar ranged in a 6 by 6 array, measuring 6 miles by 6 miles. The Township-Range System is also described in most of the recent Plat Books of the counties in the Public Domain states, as well as many basic geology text books, such as Laboratory Manual for Physical Geology (1983) Sixth Edition, by Zumberge and Rutford, W.H. The metes and bounds survey system uses natural land features, such as trees and streams, as well as neighboring land owners, along with distances to describe plots of land.įor further discussion of Land Records in the United States, see Land and Tax Records by William Thorndale in The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy (1984) edited by Arlene Eakle and Johni Cerny, Ancestry, Inc., Salt Lake City, UT. In the Southern United States in the State-Land states, land is surveyed in the indescriminate metes and bounds system, not the federal township-range system. Legal Land Descriptions in Federal Township and Range System Search by Name, Township/Range, or Accession Number. Sample apprearance copy of original patent image Select resolution before clicking positon.īureau of Land Management Index of Patentees Callaway County, Missouri <- Please note that the land patents indexed in the left sidebar do not include lands purchased before April 28, 1820. Callaway County, Missouri View Pages for Township & Range

Who used the township and range system