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The Kansas-Nebraska Act of May 30, 1854 defined the
boundaries of the Territories of Kansas and Nebraska and caused the Commissioner
of the General Land Office to appoint a Surveyor General for the two
territories. The Surveyors General Office consisted of a Chief Clerk, Chief
Draftsman, Draftsmen, copyists, clerks, accountants and messengers.
Deputy Surveyors (the surveyors who conducted the actual surveying) were paid by
the mile of surveying at the rate of $12.00 for standard lines (Standard
Parallels and Guide Meridians); $7.00 for exterior lines of Townships and $5.00
for interior of subdivisions.
All surveys
must have a reference point or Point of Beginning. For Kansas, this point is
known as the Initial Point for the Sixth Principal Meridian. This point was
established by U. S. Surveyor Charles A. Manners on June 11, 1856 and is near
the present town of Mahaska, Kansas.
Manners had been ordered by John Calhoun, Surveyor General for the Kansas and
Nebraska Territories (appointed August 26, 1854), to proceed west on the 40th
parallel of latitude north (now the Kansas-Nebraska border) for 108 miles, from
the point of beginning on the west bank of the Missouri River, to reach this
point. Why 108 miles? a surveyor can survey a line for nine miles before having
to resort to using spherical geometry and trigonometry to correct for the
earth's curvature. After nine miles, the surveyors could stop and make
corrections from astronomical observations, then continue on. The number 108 is
divisible by nine, thence the number was chosen.
It was from this point that the survey of the public lands in Kansas and
Nebraska, most of Colorado and Wyoming and a part of South Dakota began. The
selection of this particular point has determined the shape of much of the
American West as we know it today.
The surveyors in Kansas generally used an instrument called a circumferature
or compass. Also available in the late 1800's was an instrument called a
transit. These devices, along with an instrument known as a Solar Compass, were
used for alignment and determining the astronomical bearing of a surveyed line.
The distances were measured with a measuring device called a chain. The chain
prescribed for surveying Kansas for the most part was a 4 pole or 66 foot chain
with 100 links.
This means the survey party had to measure 80 chains to obtain a measurement
of one mile. Considering that surveyors still think the world is flat and
measure everything on a horizontal plane, that means that the chain had to be
held taught and not allowed to follow the natural contour of the terrain. If the
terrain was too steep, a 2-pole or 33 foot chain was used so it could be
stretched tight.
From the Initial Point, the Sixth Principal Meridian running true north and
south, was established and the Standard Parallels and Guide Meridians were
surveyed. As the Standard Parallels were completed, the contracts for the
exterior lines of the Townships were let.
Township lines were set six miles apart from each other going South from the
40th parallel North (for Kansas) and Range lines were set six miles apart both
East and West of the Sixth Principal Meridian. The Townships were numbered,
starting with One for the first six mile increment, Two for the second and so
forth, giving each Township in Kansas the subscript of South. The first Township
is called Township One South, the second Township Two South, etc. The Range
lines were numbered from the Sixth Principal Meridian going East and West, again
in six mile increments. The first Range East of the 6th P. M. is called Range
One East, the second Range Two East and so forth. The same applied for the
western side of the 6th P. M. Every fifth Township line or every 30 miles, a
correction for the curvature of the earth was applied in order to keep things
"squared" up.
Once the Township and Range lines were in place, then the surveyors started
subdividing these areas into one mile rectangular parcels known as Sections.
They would start at the Southeast corner of the Township, go West one mile, then
North six miles, marking each "half-mile" and "mile" corner in the manner
prescribed by the Manual of Instructions. At each mile or Section corner, they
would survey to the East and connect to the Section corner already in place,
making any corrections for alignment, then survey back to the West and place the
"half-mile" marker one-half way in between. I am referencing these corners as
"mile" and "half-mile" so that you can visualize the placement of these
monuments. The "mile" markers are called Section Corners and the "half-mile"
markers are called Quarter Corners. Each Section has four section corners and
four quarter corners, all of them being common to the respective adjacent
sections.
What happened when the surveyor connected to the Section Corners on the
Township line along the North of the Township or the Range line bordering the
west side of the Township and did not quite measure the exact distance when he
checked in? It was impractical to go back and re-survey the previous work and
make any corrections so all error (either short or long) was thrown in to the
last one-half mile along the northern and western tiers of the Township.
Even though the sections were surveyed from the South to the North, the
numbering system for Sections begins with One at the northeast corner, then
continues going West until Section Six is reached, then the first section to the
South of Section Six is numbered Section Seven and the numbering goes back to
the East and continues in this zig-zag fashion until Section Thirty-Six is
reached in the Southeast corner of the Township. See the diagram below if I have
confused you.
What is a section? A section is a parcel of land which was intended to be one
mile square and contain 640 acres. A section can be divided into halves,
quarters, quarter-quarters, etc. See the illustration below for some of the
configurations.
Mortgage Title Inspections
The sole purpose of this inspection is to obtain mortgage title insurance.
This is the minimum service that your lender requires for closing your loan. It
is a location of improvements and a cursory check for violations or
encroachments onto or from the subject property based on existing but not
confirmed evidence. This does not constitute a boundary survey and is subject to
any inaccuracies that a subsequent boundary survey may disclose. No property
corners will be set and it should not be used or relied upon for the
establishment of any fence, structure or other improvement. No warranty of any
kind is extended therein to the present or future owner or occupant.
Boundary Survey
A boundary survey of the subject property will be made and the property
corners will be located and verified or reset. This survey is normally performed
on vacant property. A check for violations or encroachments onto or from the
subject property will be made. This of survey can be used, by the property
owner, for the construction of a fence, structure, or other improvements.
Boundary and Improvement Survey
A boundary survey of the subject property will be made and the property
corners will be located and verified or reset. The improvements on the property
will be located and a check for violations or encroachments onto or from the
subject property will be made. This survey can be used, by the property owner,
for the construction of a fence structure or other improvements.
Tract Survey
A tract survey is similar to a boundary survey in that a boundary survey of
the subject property will be made and the property corners will be located and
verified or reset. This survey is normally performed on large parcels of land,
which have improvements that do not require location. A check for violations or
encroachments onto or from the subject property will be made, with the primary
emphasis being concentrated along the property lines for to establish any
conflicts between the surveyed line and any apparent lines of possession. This
survey can be used by the property owner, for the construction of a fence,
structure, or other improvements.
ALTA/ACSM Land Title Survey
This is the most comprehensive type of survey and improvement location. It
covers all aspects of the boundary survey and improvement location and
identification of any additional evidence of possession or use, which could be
adverse to the interests of the purchaser. This type of survey is normally only
performed on commercial property because of the expense involved.
Source:
http://www.ksls.com/about_surveys.htm
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