The Public Land Survey System (PLSS) in the United States was developed in the late eighteenth century (Land Ordinance of 1785) as a method of identifying potential land parcels and systematizing their holdings. This applied especially to unsettled, economically unused land in rural areas. Beginning in 1851, the General Land Office (GLO) oversaw the selling of public land, organized its acquisition, and decided how the land was to be used. Above all, the allocation of land for railroad construction proved to be a major facilitator in the settlement of the American West. The Burlington Route and its railroad tracks alone were allocated 3.5 million morgens in Federal Land Grants.
Themes:
Regions:
Further Readings:
- White, C. Albert. A History of the Rectangular Survey System. Washington: US Government Printing Office, 1991.
Day:
0
Month:
0
Year:
1851