SIY6.TXT       Township and Range                                           32

                                   Chapter 6

                              Township and Range

Those of you who have land described by the Township and Range (Checkerboard
Square) System are surely wondering what all the foregoing has to do with
surveying land. The Township and Range System was established to prevent the
chaos of land claims such as happened in the Eastern States.  An imaginary grid
has been drawn upon the land.  Land is described by its location on this grid.

A topographic map is the best way to understand the T&R system. Section lines
are laid out and labeled on these maps, as well as roads, fences, buildings.
wells, streams, and much more.

Often the topo map and a stroll around the property is plenty survey enuf.
Where it isn't, you must survey in the same way as we do here in the original
Colonies [you do know that Kentucky was part of the Commonwealth of Virginia].
Find a section corner or other good starting point on both the topo map and the
ground.  Pick your next station.  Measure the direction and distance. Continue
around the line in question, or to the corner in question.

Set the declination on your compass so that your section lines run North-south
and east-west with those of your neighbors.  The grid may be wrong, but you
can't change it.

A section is one mile (5280 feet) on a side and contains 640 acres.  When a
section is quartered, each quarter has sides of a half mile long and contains
160 acres.  The four quarters are named for their locations: Northeast, SE, SW,
NW.  These quarters can be quartered again into four 40 acre quarter quarters.
And again as necessary.

There are occasional irregularities in the section lines.  This is usually
where two survey crews met.  Again, the topo map is the best way to deal with
the problem.

If you have questions or comments, contact me.


Dave Beiter
CAVE Inc
1/2 Fast Road
Ritner KY  42639


606/376-3137