The Early Survey of the Public Lands in Michigan, 1815-1845

Abstract

My central purpose will be to give a descriptive and accurate account of the early survey of the public lands in Michigan. However. no description of early survey in any state would be complete without an explanation of the Land Ordinance responsible for the survey. Therefore, the introduction shall acquaint the reader with the Land Ordinance of 1185 and how it was put into practice. The importance of the Ordinance is illustrated by Willis Dunbar.who claims the Ordinance was "One of the most important policy measures in American History. From a discussion of the Land Ordinance. the project progresses to its discussion of the initial surveys in Michigan following the War of 1812. Included will be a look at some of the problems confronting surveyors in the early 1800s as well as their methods and accomplishments. The project will close with the .completion of the survey in 1845. By the end of the project I hope to have not only shown the reader the profound importance of the Land Ordinance to Michigan. but also its importance to the survey of all states west of the Alleghanies. I also hope to have acquainted the reader with the genuine need for an awareness of the accomplishments of our pioneering surveyors, and just why it is of any interest to us at all in knowing why our state has a checkerboard appearance from the air.