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Land Survey Plats & Field Notes

By , About.com Guide

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Record Type:

Land

Location:

United States

Time Period:

1785 to the present

What Are Survey Plats & Field Notes?:

Dating back to the 18th century, survey records are government records generated by survey of new public lands. Survey plats are drawings of boundaries, prepared by draftsmen, based on data in the sketches and field notes. Survey field notes are records that describe the survey performed and are completed by the surveyor. The field notes may contain descriptions of land formations, climate, soil, plant and animal life.

What Can I Learn From Them?:

Survey records, including log books, field notes, and plats, describe the surveys performed, which might include names of settlers, descriptions of waterways, land formations, climate, soil, and even plant or animal life encountered. Other information include land descriptions; township, range, section, and survey numbers; donation land claim owners; and a history of previous surveys made for the area. Sketches are occasionally included.

Where Can I Get Them?:

Survey notes and plats are in the custody of the appropriate BLM office:

BLM Eastern States Division has field notes and survey plats for the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, and Wisconsin.

Bureau of Land Management
Eastern States
Attn: Cadastral Survey
7450 Boston Boulevard
Springfield, VA 22153-3121
(703) 440-1643

For plats and field notes for Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, and Ohio, contact:

Cartographic and Architectural Branch (NNSC)
National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, Maryland 20740-6001
(301) 713-7040

Survey plats and field notes for the Western public land states (AK, AR, CA, CO, ID, KS, MO, NV, NE, NM, ND, OK, OR, SD, UT, WA, and WY) are held by the the individual BLM State Office For more information, visit the state's Web site and click on the link to Cadastral Survey.

When writing to request survey plats and field notes, please include your complete name, telephone number, and address with each request. Remember to specify the entire legal description, including subdivision (such as S½, and NE¼ NE¼), section, township, range, survey meridian, State, county, and any other pertinent information.

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