Need Map help

[CallMeGrey]

I've struggled with this issue before and despite using all my google skills I can't find any help online, But I'm sure someone here knows!

My issue is that doing research to find old sites I often run into references like this "Section 27, t10n r4e Franklin township". Is there anyway to translate that into something that I can use online - like Google maps? What does it even mean? I can figure out it's section 27 of the township but I have no idea what the "t10n, r4e" stands for. Any one know? I really figured by this point about 99% of human knowledge was accessible online - but I've found nothing to teach me how to use this.

 

[EmuDetector]

I haven't looked at it since highschool, but it should be section, township, range. If that helps you. I'm assuming "t10n" is township 10n on your map

 

[dickyoung]

Emu has pointed you in the right direction. Township 10 North,Range 4 East, Section 27. I forget the exact layout of Townships and Ranges. If I recall correctly each state has a Baseline from which those are laid out. Search under surveying practices for Townships and Ranges and maybe you'll find some help.

 

[CallMeGrey]

Thanks! That is really helpful! Now where would I find a map with those designations?

 

[BobOso]

There is also a plugin for google earth that will show, section,range and township.

 

[Rock Jock]

Thanks! That is really helpful! Now where would I find a map with those designations?

This is the Public Land Survey System (PLSS) established by the US Department of the Interior for the land grant states of the union. Here is a description: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Land_Survey_System

Every state thus treated has a "central" 0,0 point in what is essentially a Cartesian coordinate system. The "t" and "r" designations are north-south and east-west references, respectively. The "s" designation refers to individual sections, generally a mile square area. There are generally 36 sections in a given township-range block. Within each township-range block there are between 1 and 4 designated "school" sections (owned by the state, not the federal government), for funding the public schools in the state. Utah, for instance, is the only state in the union with 4, to my knowledge, a "sweetener" for entering the union amicably (Johnston's War) and eschewing polygamy. In the land grant states you find several types of land ownership. These are federal, state, municipal and private, and it behooves a person to know who owns the land prior to entering for purposes of metal detecting and other activities.

If you go to the US Geological Survey(USGS), the Bureau of Land Management(BLM), the US Forest Service(USFS), the US Park Service(USPS), etc., offices and websites, you will characteristically find that the topo maps offered are providing a section/township/range grid, particularly on the hard copy maps that are for sale. They also have Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) tick marks (another coordinate system) along the sides of the maps. You can view these for free online in many places, including at the agency websites. Some state Departments of Natural Resources also provide these.

 

[CallMeGrey]

Thank you Rock Jock! I always like to have more information than I "need". Learning about the history was also an awesome read. I have a source that uses these designations for the location of 1800's settlements. Now to continue my annual winter activity of researching potential sites for MDing when warmer weather arrives.