How to figure out property line over hills/woods

[dave1949]

Originally Posted by dodge man

BTW Dave1949, you are a responsible land owner. You paid good money for a survey and are doing a good job maintaining your boundries. I am suprised at how often I do a survey and a few years latter they are calling us again because they didn't maintain the corners and they no longer know where they are.

Thank you. I look at it as something I spent money on and need to maintain, just like changing the oil in the tractor.

Some survey lore. In NW Ohio where I am from, there are county and township roads every mile, sometimes a half mile. They run North-South, East-West unless there is a river. (That's part of the reason I've been disoriented since I left there 24 years ago ).

At some road intersections, there are jogs, anywhere from 50 to 150 feet. I was told those jogs represent the errors accumulated by survey crews working towards each other from opposite directions from miles apart. I suppose they started from some geologic bench-mark stone back when.
Dave.

[Steve C]

Originally Posted by dave1949

Thank you. I look at it as something I spent money on and need to maintain, just like changing the oil in the tractor.

Some survey lore. In NW Ohio where I am from, there are county and township roads every mile, sometimes a half mile. They run North-South, East-West unless there is a river. (That's part of the reason I've been disoriented since I left there 24 years ago ).

At some road intersections, there are jogs, anywhere from 50 to 150 feet. I was told those jogs represent the errors accumulated by survey crews working towards each other from opposite directions from miles apart. I suppose they started from some geologic bench-mark stone back when.
Dave.

we have the same jogs, I think they are caused because the world is round and your townships are not.... they have to be corrected every 6 miles or so at the township corners. The top of the suqare has to be shorter, or it can't match up....

I hope a surveyor jumps in here and tells us.

[dodge man]

The jogs are actually due to the fact that you are laying out square sections on the round earth. In most states, being most of the ones west of the Mississippi, these corrections occured every fourth township. In Illinois and Iowa, and I think also Missouri, and Indiana, this corrections occured every township. I know Ohio was the one of the first states where they started laying out the Public Land System so I suspect that this what you are talking about. This is also where all the error got thrown was along the west and north side of the township. This error and the jogs can be fairly large. I have seen one township where the last half mile (2640') was only about 700', and I have seen jogs of the line of over 100' at township lines. All of this applies only to states that use the Public Land System (square sections of ground), the eastern states use what is called a metes and bounds system.

Yeah Steve, you beat me to it but you are pretty much on track. I forgot about Michagan being surveyed early also, and I bet the corrections occur at every townhip there also.

[bp fick]

Dave,

Well, the earth is round and as you proceed north, "squares" have to adjust. Think about it. The longitudinal lines get closer together, the further north you go toward the pole, in the northern hemisphere.

Townships in Michigan have "jogs" that accommodate that reality.

edit: Geeeez already been said by others. You guys type fast.

[Steve C]

Originally Posted by bp fick

Dave,

Well, the earth is round and as you proceed north, "squares" have to adjust. Think about it. The longitudinal lines get closer together, the further north you go toward the pole, in the northern hemisphere.

Townships in Michigan have "jogs" that accommodate that reality.

edit: Geeeez already been said by others. You guys type fast.

hey, no fair you have a son in the survey business......the rest of us are just winging it

[bp fick]

Originally Posted by Steve C

hey, no fair you have a son in the survey business......the rest of us are just winging it

Steve, we learned that in 5th grade geography!!

[Steve C]

Originally Posted by bp fick

Steve, we learned that in 5th grade geography!!

I must have been sleeping then.....

I learned it driving "cross lots" from northern Michigan to a job in Jackson. Leaving the house at 4 in the morning I noticed that I had to wake up every six miles or risk running into a corn field!!! Then I applied the process of deduction to figure out why our tax dollars were spent to put in roads in such a stupid manner. It was the only thing I could come up with.

[Steve C]

Originally Posted by bp fick

Steve, we learned that in 5th grade geography!!

Oh now I rember. I didn't learn anything in the fifth grade. I was in love with my teacher, Miss Leaper at Heintzen Elementary in Southgate Michigan.

She actually took 3 of us to the the Detroit Institure of arts in her Volkswagon on a field trip. I was sure that we would be married and live happily ever after......

I was crushed when I learned that she had "an older man"

[dave1949]

Well, I guess I was told wrong info. First time too.

I will have to check it out in detail next time I am back there. What you say makes sense. Memory is a bit hazy, but there may be more jogs (don't have a better word) than the size of the earth would account for.

No straight lines roads around here

Steve C. - Sorry to hear Miss Leaper got away
Dave.

[ultrarunner]

Interesting read...

I had been trying for over a year to get the surveyor that did tons of work in the area to come out and mark boundaries primarily for a fence...

He called and said he had an opening day after next and could meet me at 10 am... and I was elated... I told him I had possible jury duty for that day but would not know for sure until I called in the night before...

Well, I called and was told to report... let the surveyor know and he was not too happy... anyway, he has NO time to come back. To top it off, I was released from Jury Duty at 9:45... but it was too late.