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Township, Range, and Section
In 1812, the U.S. Government formed the General Land Office (renamed the Bureau of Land Management in 1946) to create a standardized system to more accurately define a given U.S. location. This system was initiated in response to the aquisition of large tracts of land, like the Lousiana Purchase, during the early 1800s.
The system developed by the General Land Office is called the Government Land Office Grid System and is used in states west of Ohio. This system divides land into 36 square mile units called townships.
Each township has a township and range designation to define its 36 square mile area. Township is numbered north or south from a selected parallel of latitude called a base line and range, is numbered west or east of a selected meridian of longitude called a principle meridian.
Townships are sub-divided into 36 1 by 1 mile parcels called sections. Sections are numbered from 1 to 36 for identification. Sections are broken into quarters, which are further quartered to describe a property location.
The office grid system is used for legal land descriptions.