Timeline of GLO survey and related events. Sources for
each event are listed at the end of the timeline.
| 1626 |
 Edmund
Gunter, an English surveyor, died. He
invented and promoted "Gunter's Chain," a 66-foot surveying
chain of 100 links. |
Stilgoe 1982, p. 100 |
|
|
|
| 1656 |
Settlers of Groton petitioned the Massachusetts
General Court that "they be not strictly tied to a square form in the
line laying out" their town |
Stilgoe 1982, p. 99-100 |
|
|
|
| 1673 |
 Marquette and
Jolliet paddled down the
Mississippi River |
Sage 1974, p. 28 |
|
|
|
| 1682 |
 Rene Robert
Cavelier, sieur
de La Salle claims the land in the Mississippi River valley for the King
of France |
Wessel 1995, Timeline |
|
|
|
| 1717 |
Sir Robert Montgomery's plan
for Azilia (never built) featured districts subdivided into units of one
square mile, each containing 640 acres |
Stewart 1935, p. 4 |
|
|
|
| 1735 |
Sauk and Fox Indians, of the Algonquian
language division, became federated |
Sage 1974, p. 24 |
|
|
|
| 1736 |
Two townships were surveyed
in Maine and five in Massachusetts. Each township was six miles
square. |
Stewart 1935, p. 4 |
|
|
|
| 1762 |
France secretly transferred their lands west of
the Mississippi River to Spain |
Sage 1974, p. 34 |
|
|
|
| 1764 |
Colonel Henry Bouquet
(assisted by Thomas Hutchins) proposes a plan for frontier settlement,
featuring one-mile squares, each containing 640 acres, allowing 40 acres
for streets and public uses, 50 acres for 100 houses, and 100 lots of 5.5
acres each |
Stewart 1935, p. 5 |
|
|
|
| 1767 |
 Mason &
Dixon surveyed the
Pennsylvania-Maryland state line |
Johnson 1976, p. 36 |
|
|
|
| 1779 |
Thomas Jefferson suggested that every Virginia
county be divided for school-support purposes into townships five or six
miles square |
Stilgoe 1982, p. 102 |
|
|
|
| 1784 |
 Thomas Jefferson proposed surveying of public
lands of the west in geographic units called "hundreds," areas ten miles square
based on the decimal system (later replaced by townships six miles square) |
Stilgoe 1982, p. 103 |
|
|
|
| 1781 |
 Thomas Hutchins was appointed Geographer of the
United States |
Cazier 1977, p. 15 |
|
|
|
| 1785 |
 Ordinance establishing the Land Office and
rectangular survey of public domain lands in the "backlands of the U.S."
in townships six miles square (May 20) |
Johnson 1976, Preface i; Stilgoe 1982, p.
99 |
|
The Ordinance provided that the proceeds from
the sale of section 16 in each township would be set aside for maintenance
of public schools |
Cazier 1977, p. 15 |
|
|
|
| 1788 |
 Julien Dubuque began operating lead mines (Mines of Spain) |
Johnson 1976, p. 87 |
|
|
|
| 1796 |
Ordinance directing surveyors to measure lines
at 2-mile intervals and posts at one-mile intervals and changed the
numbering system of sections within each township |
Johnson 1976, p. 56; Cazier 1977, p. 25 |
|
The new Ordinance set the Surveyor General's
salary at $2,000 per year and raised the pay of deputy surveyors from
$2.00 to $3.00 per mile of section line surveyed |
Cazier 1977, p. 35 |
|
 Rufus Putnam was appointed first Surveyor General
(October 1). Putnam instituted the contract system of surveying, which
specified each surveying assignment for deputy surveyors, responsibility
for their expenses, performance standards, and accountability. |
Johnson 1976, p. 55; Cazier 1977, p. 36 |
|
Julien Dubuque secured a land grant from Spain,
estimated to include approximately 100,000 acres |
Sage 1974, p. 34-35; Wall 1987, p. 28 |
|
|
|
| 1799 |
Louis Honore Tesson received
a land grant from the Spanish government for a tract of land in what is
now Lee County |
Wessel 1995, Timeline |
|
|
|
| 1800 |
Napoleon reclaimed the Mississippi Valley from
Spain |
Sage 1974, p. 35 |
|
Basil Giard received a land
grant from the Spanish government for a tract of land in what is now
Marquette |
Wessel 1995, Timeline |
|
Act of March 1 specified that section corners
set by deputy surveyors are true corners, even if later surveys indicate
that they were placed incorrectly |
Cazier 1977, p. 36 |
|
 Act
of May 10 specified that township would be divided into half sections of
320 acres each and that any excess or deficiency in measurement be placed
in the north mile and west half mile in each township |
Cazier 1977, p. 37 |
|
|
|
| 1802 |
 In Indiana, deputy surveyor
Thomas Freeman
regularly used "peace trees" to mark the treaty line he surveyed |
Cazier 1977, p. 40 |
|
|
|
| 1803 |
 Louisiana Purchase by
Thomas Jefferson through
the Treaty of Paris (April 30) |
Sage 1974, p. 41 |
|
France was paid $15 million
for the Louisiana Purchase, an area of 827,987 square miles ($0.028 per
acre) |
Fulton 1870, p. 7; Schwieder 1996, p. 11 |
|
Jared Mansfield was appointed second Surveyor
General, replacing Rufus Putnam (November 3) |
Johnson 1976, p. 57, 73; Cazier 1977, p. 47;
White 1983, p. 209 |
|
Isaac Briggs was appointed surveyor of the
lands south of Tennessee |
Cazier 1977, p. 47 |
|
|
|
| 1804 |
Act directing subdivision of lands into quarter
sections |
Johnson 1976, p. 60 |
|
District of Louisiana created from lands of the
Louisiana Purchase (March 26). This District included land that was
to become the State of Iowa. The district was administered by the
Territory of Indiana. |
Sage 1974, p. 39 |
|
Land office opened in Vincennes, Indiana |
Johnson 1976, p. 61 |
|
Treaty council in St. Louis involving
Black
Hawk, Appanoose, Pashepaho, Keokuk, Poweshiek, Taimah, and Wapello |
Sage 1974, p. 25 |
|
|
|
| 1804-6 |
 Lewis and
Clark Expedition |
Sage 1974, p. 36 |
|
On August 20, Sergeant
Charles Floyd died near what is now Sioux City while a member of the Lewis
and Clark Expedition |
Schwieder 1996, p. 25 |
|
|
|
| 1805 |
Act decreeing that each section shall be
considered to be the size measured by the GLO surveyors; monuments
installed have precedence over measurements in field notes |
Johnson 1976, p. 61 |
|
 Lieutenant
Zebulon Pike explored the
Mississippi River north of St. Louis, including the De Moine Rapids, near
Keokuk |
Sage 1974, p. 37 |
|
District of Louisiana became the Territory of
Louisiana (March 3). This District included land that was to become
the State of Iowa. |
Sage 1974, p. 40 |
|
|
|
| 1807 |
Land office opened in Jeffersonville, Indiana |
Johnson 1976, p. 61 |
|
Congress passed legislation to prohibit
squatters on public lands before surveys were complete and the land was
open for settlement (March 3). |
Sage 1974, p. 40-41 |
|
|
|
| 1808 |
 Fort Madison (originally
called Fort Bellevue) was established to protect trading
houses who did business with the Indians |
Sage 1974, p. 41; Wessel 1995, Timeline |
|
|
|
| 1810 |
Congress revised the land law to try to stymie
land speculation |
Stilgoe 1982, p. 103 |
|
Julien Dubuque died |
Sage 1974, p. 45 |
|
|
|
| 1811 |
Lead mining was a major
activity around Galena |
Johnson 1976, p. 87 |
|
|
|
| 1812 |
 Josiah Meigs was appointed Surveyor
General, replacing Jared Mansfield |
Cazier 1977, p. 49; White 1983, p. 209 |
|
General Land Office was established in the
Department of the Treasury |
Johnson 1976, p. 61 |
|
 Edward Tiffin was appointed as the first
Commissioner of the General Land Office (May 7) |
Cazier 1977, p. 49; White 1983, p. 194 |
|
Land office opened in Shawneetown, Illinois |
Johnson 1976, p. 61 |
|
Territory of Louisiana was divided into the
State of Louisiana and the Territory of Missouri, including land that was
to become the State of Iowa |
Sage 1974, p. 42 |
|
|
|
| 1813 |
Fort Madison was abandoned |
Wessel 1995, Timeline |
|
|
|
| 1814 |
William Rector was Surveyor General for
Illinois, Missouri, and Arkansas |
Cazier 1977, p. 42 |
|
Records of the General Land Office in
Washington, D.C. were destroyed by fires set by British troops near the
end of the War of 1812 |
Cazier 1977, p. 50 |
|
Josiah Meigs was appointed as the second
Commissioner of the General Land Office at the same time as Edward Tiffin
was appointed Surveyor General (October 11) |
Cazier 1977, p. 50; White 1983, p. 194 |
|
|
|
| 1815 |
Manual of Instructions to Regulate Field
Operations of Deputy Surveyors was based on instructions issued in
1804 by Jared Mansfield |
Johnson 1976, p. 57; Cazier 1977, p. 111-112 |
|
Surveyor General Tiffin reemphasized that
distance measurements were to be made horizontally, not along the slope |
Johnson 1976, p. 76 |
|
 Surveyor General
Tiffin
required deputy surveyors to use "a good compass of Rittenhouse
construction" and "a two pole chain of 50 links" |
Cazier 1977, p. 13 |
|
Surveying began in central Arkansas for the 5th Principal Meridian,
used later in Iowa GLO surveys |
Johnson 1976, p. 74; Stewart 1935, p. 44 |
|
On October 27, deputy
surveyor Joseph C. Brown began the survey of the baseline for the Fifth
Principal Meridian at the confluence of the Mississippi and St. Francis
Rivers and ran it due west. On the same day, Prospect C. Robbins
began the survey of the Meridian at the confluence of the Arkansas and
Mississippi Rivers and ran it due north. On November 10, Robbins
intersected the baseline in the 58th mile of the Meridian, approximately
26 miles west of the Mississippi River. This initial point for the
Fifth Principal Meridian controlled surveys in all of Arkansas, Missouri,
Iowa, North Dakota, and most of Minnesota and South Dakota. |
White 1983, p. 67 |
|
Commissioner of the General Land Office said
that it was "indeed a more difficult task than imagined to survey
with the correctness which the laws of the United States
contemplated" |
Johnson 1976, p. 74 |
|
|
|
| 1816 |
Land office opened in Edwardsville, Illinois |
Johnson 1976, p. 61 |
|
John C. Sullivan surveyed the northern limits
of the Osage cession. This nearly east-west Sullivan line later
became the state border between Iowa and Missouri. |
Sage 1974, p. 64-65 |
|
|
|
| 1817 |
Josiah Meigs, Commissioner of the General Land
Office, directed registers of local land offices to make regular
weather observations |
Cazier 1977, p. 50 |
|
|
|
| 1818 |
Speculation in public lands peaked |
Johnson 1976, p. 19 |
|
|
|
| 1819 |
Land offices opened in Terra Haute and
Brookville, Indiana |
Johnson 1976, p. 61 |
|
 Army officer
Stephen Harriman Long stopped at
Council Bluffs on his trip to the Rocky Mountains |
Sage 1974, p. 43 |
|
First steamboat on the
Missouri River reaches Iowa |
Wessel 1995, Timeline |
|
|
|
| 1820 |
Act offering land for public auction at no less
than $1.25 per acre in tracts of 80 acres |
Johnson 1976, p. 61 |
|
Territory of Missouri was divided into the
State of Missouri and the remaining unnamed territory |
Sage 1974, p. 43 |
|
 Expedition of Lieutenant
Stephen W. Kearney
from Council Bluffs to Wabasha on the Upper Mississippi |
Sage 1974, p. 43 |
|
 First steamboat on the
Mississippi River reaches Iowa |
Wessel 1995, Timeline |
|
|
|
| 1821 |
Captain Hervey Parke walked over 500 miles from
Camden, New York to Michigan to become a deputy surveyor. Parke
surveyed townships in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Iowa. |
Cazier 1977, p. 53-54 |
|
|
|
| 1822 |
 John McLean was appointed
Commissioner of the General Land Office (September 11) |
White 1983, p. 194 |
|
|
|
| 1823 |
An error was discovered in
the surveying of the 5th Principal Meridian |
Stewart 1935, p. 45-46 |
|
George Graham was appointed
Commissioner of the General Land Office (June 26) |
White 1983, p. 194 |
|
|
|
| 1824 |
General William Clark was
appointed interim Surveyor General of Illinois and Missouri at St. Louis
from October until May 17, 1825 |
White 1983, p. 82 |
|
 Half-Breed Tract (119,000 acres) was ceded by the Sioux and Fox
Indians and purchased by the Federal government for the half-breeds of the two tribes |
Johnson 1976, p. 122; Sage 1974, p. 44-45;
Petersen 1952, p. 293 |
|
 Chief
Mahaska (White Cloud)
visited Washington, D.C. |
Fulton 1870, p. 10 |
|
|
|
| 1825 |
Erie Canal opened |
Johnson 1976, p. 6 |
|
|
|
| 1827 |
After the Florence fire,
Surveyors General were instructed to rent buildings for their offices
separate from any others. Offices were not allowed in buildings
where people lived. Several plans were devised for constructing
fireproof buildings and metal-encased vaults, but none were ever
funded. Annual rent payments were typically about $500. |
White 1983, p. 118 |
|
|
|
| 1829 |
William Lytle was appointed Surveyor
General in Ohio (July 3). The office was moved from Chillicothe to
Cincinnati. Lytle died March 18, 1831. |
White 1983, p. 209 |
|
 Deputy
surveyor William A. Burt received the first U.S. patent for the typewriter
(typographer, as he called it) |
Cazier 1977, p. 63 |
|
|
|
| 1830 |
Report of the Committee on Public Lands |
Johnson 1976, p. 59 |
|
Elijah Hayward was appointed
Commissioner of the General Land Office (September 30) |
White 1983, p. 194 |
|
 The first school on record in Iowa was
established by Dr. Isaac Galland near Keokuk |
Sage 1974, p. 46 |
|
Lucius Langworthy tried to take from the
Indians the Mines of Spain at Dubuque that Julien Dubuque established in
1788. Major Stephen W. Kearney's troops forced Langworthy and his
men back to Illinois. |
Sage 1974, p. 45-46 |
|
 A 40-mile wide Neutral Ground in northeast Iowa
was established to separate the Sioux from the Sauk and Fox |
Sage 1974, p. 47 |
|
Act of May 29 made it illegal to obstruct
surveys of public lands and called for protection of government surveyors
in the discharge of their official duties |
Cazier 1977, p. 59 |
|
|
|
| 1831 |
Elijah Hayward, Commissioner of the General
Land Office, issued detailed instructions to the Surveyors General |
Cazier 1977, p. 112 |
|
Micajah T. Williams was appointed Surveyor
General in Ohio (April 13) |
White 1983, p. 209 |
|
|
|
| 1832 |
Act allowing quarter-quarter tracts (40 acres)
to be sold |
Johnson 1976, p. 61 |
|
 End of Black Hawk War and government purchase
of Black Hawk's land following the treaty of September 21 |
Johnson 1976, p. 64 |
|
Survey of Half-Breed Tract began, but was
interrupted by the Black Hawk War |
Johnson 1976, p. 122 |
|
Contract for the survey of the Half-Breed Tract
was between deputy surveyor Jenifer T. Sprigg and William
Clark,
Superintendent of Indian Affairs |
Wall 1987, p. 26 |
|
 Indian
Agent Henry Rowe Schoolcraft explored and mapped the Iowa Territory and
the upper Mississippi River to its source at Lake Itaska in Minnesota |
Johnson 1976, p. 80 |
|
 Dubuque was a "straggling, unkempt
village" |
Johnson 1976, p. 87 |
|
|
|
| 1833 |
George W. Harrison, engineer from Galena,
Illinois, made the first survey of the city limits of Dubuque. Benjamin
Tucker and William R. Ross surveyed the front line of two blocks at
Burlington. |
Petersen 1952, p. 299 |
|
Indian Agent Joseph M. Street
traveled in the
vicinity of the Wapsipinicon and Turkey Rivers and found that the
"country was so full of game" |
Petersen 1952, p. 353 |
|
 The average rate paid to
deputy surveyors was $3.00 per mile surveyed; the rate for township lines
was $3.50 per mile and for section lines $2.75 per mile |
Stewart 1935, p. 62 |
|
Deputy surveyor Hervey
Parke,
who later surveyed in Iowa, was asked to resurvey T1S R7E in the Territory
of Michigan. The controversial resurvey was not actually done until
1845. |
White 1983, p. 95, 103 |
|
|
|
| 1834 |
General Instructions to Deputy Surveyors
required random lines and retracing them when surveying townships.
Later, in western Iowa, "fallings" were allowed (lines obtained
by following the compass without rechecking the random lines). |
Johnson 1976, p. 74; Stewart 1935, p. 159 |
|
 The Surveyor General in St.
Louis required 4 bearing trees for section corners and 2 bearing trees for
quarter corners, each "of the kind and size which experience teaches
will be the most permanent and lasting." Where there were no trees
within 10 chains, mounds of earth covered with sod were to be erected. |
Stewart 1935, p. 122 |
|
Deputy surveyors were
required to blaze each bearing tree with the number of the tier, range,
and section in which it stood |
Stewart 1935, p. 122 |
|
 McCormick's reaper was patented |
Johnson 1976, p. 153 |
|
The unnamed territory that included what is now
the State of Iowa became part of the Territory of Michigan. The
portion west of the Mississippi was divided into two counties: Du Buque
and De Moine. |
Sage 1974, p. 43, 53; Garver 1909, p. 441 |
|
Abraham Lincoln began a series of contract
surveys for private individuals and town developers based on earlier
surveys completed by GLO deputy surveyors in 1822 |
Cazier 1977, p. 59 |
|
 The autobiography of Sac Chief
Black Hawk was
translated by Antoine LeClaire, published in Rock Island, and printed in
Boston |
Petersen 1952, p. 283 |
|
Chief Mahaska was killed
about 60 miles from his home on the Nodaway |
Fulton 1870, p. 10 |
|
Fort Des Moines #1 was
established along the Mississippi River near the Des Moines rapids |
Wessel 1995, Timeline |
|
|
|
| 1835 |
Ethan A. Brown was appointed
Commissioner of the General Land Office (July 24) |
White 1983, p. 194 |
|
Robert T. Lytle was appointed Surveyor
General in Ohio (April 23) |
White 1983, p. 209 |
|
While surveying in northwest Indiana in
January, deputy surveyor Uriah Biggs reported that in T33N R6W had only a
small part that could be cultivated and swamp that could be approached
only when it was frozen |
Cazier 1977, p. 43 |
|
 Lieutenant
Albert Miller Lea and the First
United States Dragoons accompanied Stephen Kearney on an 1,100 mile trip
up the Des Moines River valley |
Petersen 1952, p. 273 |
|
Adolphus Allen first surveyed the town of Fort
Madison |
Petersen 1952, p. 299 |
|
|
|
| 1836 |
The Territory of Michigan was divided into the
State of Michigan and the Territory of Wisconsin, including the District
of Iowa (April 20) |
Johnson 1976, p. 8; Sage 1974, p. 57 |
|
In the U.S., public land
sales were at a peak. Total revenues exceeded $25 million in 1836. |
White 1983, p. 96 |
|
 Burlington was selected as the second temporary
capital of the Wisconsin Territory |
Sage 1974, p. 57 |
|
Population of the District of Iowa was counted
by sheriffs and reckoned to be 10,531 |
Sage 1974, p. 59 |
|
Speculation in public lands peaked again |
Johnson 1976, p. 19 |
|
More than 10,000 squatters occupied lands in
eastern Iowa |
Johnson 1976, p. 64-65 |
|
More than 100 claim clubs protected squatters
against claim jumpers. Other estimates put the number at 26 claim
clubs. |
Johnson 1976, p. 65; Sage 1974, p. 68 |
|
 Keokuk's Reserve (400 square miles along the lower Iowa River) was
purchased by the Federal Government |
Johnson 1976, p. 122; Sage 1974, p. 58 |
|
GLO surveys of Iowa began in what is now Scott
County in the fall by A. Bent [Burt] and Son. At this time, the
Surveyor General's office was in Cincinnati, Ohio. Prior surveys of
the Half-Breed Tract were not GLO surveys, but were special surveys for
the Bureau of Indian Affairs. |
Petersen 1952, p. 298-300 |
|
 George
Wallace Jones was elected delegate to Congress by a vote of 3,522 to 669
over Moses Meeker |
Petersen 1952, p. 304-307 |
|
Albert Lea published his Notes on Wisconsin
Territory, Particularly with Reference to the Iowa District, or Black Hawk
Purchase describing his 1,100 mile trip up the Des Moines River valley |
Petersen 1952, p. 273 |
|
Act of July 2 authorized post roads to
Burlington, Mount Pleasant, Bellevue, Keokuk, Fort Des Moines No. 1,
Gibson's Ferry, Clark's Ferry, Davenport, Parkhurst, Dubuque, Peru,
Durango, and Weyman's Ferry. |
Petersen 1952, p. 308 |
|
De Moine County was subdivided into Des Moines,
Lee, Van Buren, Henry, Louisa, Cook, and Muscatine Counties |
Garver 1909, p. 441; Petersen 1952, p. 306 |
|
Joseph C. Brown resurveyed the northern border
of Missouri, resulting a line about 13 miles north of the Sullivan line
(surveyed in 1816). |
Sage 1974, p. 65 |
|
The Act of July 4 reorganized the General Land
Office and placed the responsibility for surveying the public lands in the
hands of the Commissioner of the GLO, ending the continuing conflict with
the various Surveyors General. |
Cazier 1977, p. 112 |
|
James Whitcomb was appointed
Commissioner of the General Land Office (October 21) |
White 1983, p. 194 |
|
Robert T. Lytle was Surveyor
General in Cincinnati from October 6, 1836 to November 30, 1837. Sam'l Williams was Chief Clerk. |
Dodds 1943, p. 352 |
|
Deputy surveyor Hervy Parke
arrived to survey 6 townships in Iowa. After subdividing 12 more townships
in 1837, he surveyed islands in the Mississippi River. |
Stewart 1935, p. 77 |
|
 Deputy surveyor
William A. Burt
was instructed to extend with care one of the range lines of the Missouri
survey to create a meridian from which to survey |
Stewart 1935, p. 77 |
|
 Deputy surveyor
William A. Burt
extended the Fifth Principal Meridian into Iowa via offsets |
White 1983, p. 97 |
|
 Deputy
surveyor William A. Burt received a patent on his solar compass, used
especially in
areas with iron ore deposits. For this accomplishment, he was
awarded a premium of $20 and a Scots Legacy Medal by the scientific
committee of the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia. |
Cazier 1977, p. 63; White 1983, p. 96 |
|
|
|
| 1837 |
 John Deere
established his factory in Moline,
Illinois to manufacture self-scouring plows |
Johnson 1976, p. 154 |
|
Arrowhead shaped tract of land was purchased by
the Federal Government |
Johnson 1976, p. 122 |
|
George W. Jones was a delegate to a District of
Iowa conference on September 6 in Burlington. Jones later became
Surveyor General in Dubuque. |
Sage 1974, p. 59 |
|
National economic recession
slows the flow of settlers into Iowa |
Wessel 1995, Timeline |
|
On November 21,
Surveyor General Robert T. Lytle wrote deputy surveyor Willard Barrows of
Davenport, Iowa Territory, that on July 29, he had inadvertently switched
contracts sent to him and to John T. Haight of Oak Creek, Wisconsin
Territory. "As there has been so much delay, by the
circumstances above mentioned, in commencing the survey of your district,
you will please lose no time in executing the work." |
Dodds 1943, p. 369 |
|
 Thomas
Cox surveyed eight townships in Iowa, all in what is now Jackson
County. Cox went on to serve in the territorial legislative assembly
and then survey the area around Iowa City for the new state capitol. |
Lucke 2002, p. 183 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Territorial period
|
|
| 1838 |
 Iowa Territory was organized separately from
the Territory of Wisconsin (July 4). Robert Lucas of Ohio was
appointed Territorial governor. |
Johnson 1976, p. 8; Sage 1974, p. 60-61 |
|
Population of the Territory of Iowa was
reported to be 22,859 |
Sage 1974, p. 70 |
|
Iowa News (August 18) described the
squatters' motives as "the kind and generous spirit for which the
squatters are characteristic" |
Johnson 1976, p. 66 |
|
Dubuque County was subdivided into Dubuque,
Clayton, Jackson, Benton, Linn, Jones, Clinton, Johnson, Scott, Delaware,
Buchanan, Cedar, Fayette, and Keokuk Counties |
Garver 1909, p. 441; Petersen 1952, p. 306 |
|
Surveyor General's Office opened in Dubuque |
Johnson 1976, p. 122 |
|
E.S. Haines was Surveyor
General at the Surveyor General's office in Cincinnati |
Dodds 1943, p. 262 |
|
 Albert G. Ellis was appointed
Surveyor General at the Surveyor General's office in Dubuque (June 28) |
White 1983, p. 205 |
|
Land Office was opened in Dubuque (September
24) |
Johnson 1976, p. 128, 131 |
|
Land Office was opened in Burlington (October
1) |
Johnson 1976, p. 131 |
|
Land in Iowa surveyed by GLO surveyors was
first offered for sale to settlers |
Petersen 1952, p. 298 |
|
Major Albert M. Lea was appointed by Congress
to head a boundary commission to resolve the border dispute between Iowa
and Missouri involving the Sullivan line and Brown line. The
commission favored the Sullivan line. |
Sage 1974, p. 65-66 |
|
The Territorial legislature required each
organized county to elect a county surveyor. This continued to be a
required, elected, two-year position until 1911 |
Wall 1987, p. 44-45 |
|
Chief Black Hawk died in
October, on the Des Moines River, near the scene of his conquest over the
Iowas |
Fulton 1870, p. 11 |
|
|
|
| 1839 |
Claim club in Johnson County had its own laws,
6-page constitution, and plat map |
Johnson 1976, p. 65 |
|
 Legislative assembly of the Territory of Iowa
enacted a temporary statute to suspend the interdiction of squatters
rights, originally approved by Congress in the Act of March 3, 1807 |
Johnson 1976, p. 129-131 |
|
The Honey War, a one day militia skirmish was
fought over the collection of taxes in the Farmington area of Van Buren
County. The disagreement was prompted by the border dispute between
Iowa and Missouri, involving the Sullivan line and Brown line. |
Sage 1974, p. 66-67 |
|
Dillon's Furrow road was
established from Dubuque to the Missouri border |
Wessel 1995, Timeline |
|
Act of March 3 established the eastern boundary
of the Iowa Territory as the middle of the main channel of the Mississippi
River |
Wall 1987, p. 16 |
|
Louisa-Slaughter county boundaries were
altered. Henry County was reduced in size. Jefferson County
was created. Lee-Des Moines county boundaries were altered.
Slaughter County was renamed Washington and enlarged. |
Garver 1909, p. 441 |
|
Surveyor General's office in
Dubuque opened (February) |
White 1983, p. 205 |
|
Elisha Dwelle was Chief Clerk
at the Surveyor General's office in Dubuque, working for Surveyor General
A.G. Ellis |
Dodds 1943, p. 263 |
|
 The Appropriations Act of
March 3 authorized payment per mile to exceed the traditional limit of $3
to $4. It provided that up to $8 per mile could be paid to deputy
surveyors in Louisiana, because the Surveyor General could not find
qualified surveyors to work for less. |
White 1983, p. 98 |
|
|
|
| 1840 |
Population of the Territory of Iowa was
reported to be 43,116 |
Sage 1974, p. 70 |
|
Population density was 0.8 persons per square
mile (based on an area of 55,475 square miles) |
Sage 1974, p. 92 |
|
Act of July 20 granted up to two townships of
land for a university after Iowa statehood |
Wall 1987, p. 16 |
|
 Joseph N. Nicollet completed his report to
Congress on his survey of the hydrographical basin of the Upper
Mississippi |
Petersen 1952, p. 275 |
|
The Commissioner of the General Land
Office was concerned that long contracts with deputy surveyors delayed the
sale of land to settlers. Therefore, contracts with deputy surveyors
were limited to the number of townships that could be surveyed in three
months (or four, if distant from the Surveyor General's office in
Dubuque). |
Stewart 1935, p. 51 |
|
Field examination of surveys
became standard for all townships. The Surveyor General paid Inspectors
(examiners) by reserving 3% to 5% from each surveying contract. Wm.
A. Burt, Wm. I. Anderson, and Wm. J. Neely were among the examiners that
worked in Iowa. Problems found included no corner markings, stake
without pit or mound, bad measures, bad courses, fraud, and forgery. |
Stewart 1935, p. 51-52 |
|
The average pay for chainmen,
flagmen, axemen, and markers was $15 per month. Deputy surveyors also paid
for food, equipment, and transportation costs out of the amount of their
contracts with the Surveyor General. |
Stewart 1935, p. 62 |
|
A.G. Ellis was Surveyor
General in Dubuque |
Stewart 1935, p. 159 |
|
George W. Jones was appointed
Surveyor General at the Surveyor General's office in Dubuque (February 4) |
White 1983, p. 205 |
|
 George W. Jones
was Surveyor
General October 16, 1840 to July 27, 1841 |
Dodds 1943, p. 353 |
|
The Surveyor General was paid
$2,000 per year, the Chief Clerk $1,500 per year, draftsmen $400 to $1,300
per year, clerks price per word copied, registers $500 per year plus 1% of
land sales, receivers $500 plus 1.5% of land sales (some were as high as
$5,000 total). |
Stewart 1935, p. 62 |
|
|
|
| 1841 |
Pre-emption Act allowed squatters who preceded
the survey to gain the right to make "improvements" and purchase
up to 160 acres at a minimum price of $1.25 per acre |
Johnson 1976, p. 39, 64 |
|
 The territorial capital was moved from
Burlington to Iowa City, even though the new Stone Capitol wasn't ready
until December 1842 |
Sage 1974, p. 63-64 |
|
Territorial Governor Robert Lucas
was replaced
by John Chambers |
Sage 1974, p. 81 |
|
Elisha Dwelle was Chief Clerk
at the Surveyor General's office in Dubuque, working for Surveyor General
George W. Jones |
Dodds 1943, p. 264 |
|
Fort Atkinson was built on
the Neutral Ground in what is now Winneshiek County |
Wessel 1995, Timeline |
|
Settler Lyman Dillon was employed to break a
new trail from Dubuque to Iowa City using a team of oxen to plow a furrow
as straight as the topography would allow |
Sage 1974, p. 64 |
|
Act of September 4 provided for 500,000 acre
grant to each state for "internal improvements" |
Wall 1987, p. 16 |
|
Act of September 4 also provided
that states would receive 10 percent of the net proceeds of public land
sales. This generosity was because public land sales brought large
sums of money into the Federal Treasury, producing a surplus and bringing
the Federal government out of debt. |
White 1983, p. 100 |
|
Deputy surveyor William Burt
surveyed 1,100 miles of section lines in Michigan's Upper Peninsula,
recording special topographic, geological, and weather observations.
These special records represented the forerunner of the US Geological
Survey. |
White 1983, p. 100 |
|
Elisha M. Huntington was appointed
Commissioner of the General Land Office (July 3) |
White 1983, p. 194 |
|
Commissioner Elisha M. Huntington sent a letter on July 7 to all Surveyors
General recommending that Burt's Solar Compass be put to use in all
surveys (it wasn't) |
White 1983, p. 99 |
|
James Wilson of Keene, New
Hampshire, was appointed
Surveyor General at the Surveyor General's office in Dubuque (April 24) |
White 1983, p. 99, 205 |
|
|
|
| 1842 |
Dubuque Land Office was temporarily moved to
Marion, upon personal petition by a local resident |
Johnson 1976, p. 131 |
|
Land Office was opened in Fairfield |
Sage 1974, p. 69 |
|
James Wilson was Surveyor
General May 26, 1842 to July 14, 1845 |
Dodds 1943, p. 354 |
|
GLO policy became firmly
established that the subdivision lines and surrounding township lines were
to be surveyed by different deputy surveyors. The intent was that
the subdivision survey would act as a check on the prior township line
survey, but this idea didn't work--deputies typically didn't blow the
whistle on each other. |
White 1983, p. 100 |
|
 Treaty council in St. Louis involving
Keokuk,
Appanoose, Pashepaho, Poweshiek, and Territorial Governor John Chambers
(October 11). Under the provisions of the treaty, the Sauk and Fox
could stay in the area east of the Red Rocks until May 3, 1843. |
Sage 1974, p. 71-72 |
|
Act of August 16 provided for pre-emption
rights for the Dubuque claim |
Wall 1987, p. 16 |
|
Act of August 23 provided for the selection of
school lands for Lee County in lieu of those granted to the half-breeds of
the Sauk and Fox |
Wall 1987, p. 16 |
|
Thomas H. Blake was appointed
Commissioner of the General Land Office (May 19) |
White 1983, p. 194 |
|
|
|
| 1843 |
Dubuque Land Office was moved back from Marion
to Dubuque, upon orders from President Tyler |
Johnson 1976, p. 131 |
|
Approximately 25% of Iowa's
townships had been surveyed |
Stewart 1935, p. 73 |
|
Land Office was opened in Iowa City |
Sage 1974, p. 69 |
|
 Where
mounds were used as corner monuments, deputy surveyors were instructed to
deposit beneath the posts one of the following: rock(s) weighing at least 10 pounds, a cylinder of charcoal at
least 6" by 2", or at least a half pint of glass or cinder from
a blacksmith's shop |
Stewart 1935, p. 122-123 |
|
Act of March 3 provided for the survey of the
northern boundary of the Half-Breed Tract in Lee County |
Wall 1987, p. 16 |
|
Act of June 15 repealed the Act of March 3 and
declared that the line surveyed and marked by deputy surveyor Jenifer T.
Sprigg in 1832 and 1833 under contract with William Clark, Superintendent
of Indian Affairs, is the correct north boundary of the Half-Breed
Reservation in Lee County |
Wall 1987, p. 17 |
|
Elisha Dwelle was Chief Clerk
at the Surveyor General's office in Dubuque, working for Surveyor General
James Wilson |
Dodds 1943, p. 272 |
|
Nine new counties were established. Two
existing counties were reduced in size. |
Garver 1909, p. 441 |
|
Fort Des Moines #2 was
established in Des Moines at the Raccoon Fork |
Wessel 1995, Timeline |
|
|
|
| 1844 |
Population of the Territory of Iowa was
reported to be 75,150 |
Sage 1974, p. 70 |
|
Territorial Assembly voted to organize a
convention to consider the question of statehood status (October 7).
The committee on boundaries studied alternatives for the northern boundary
of the state, including the Lucas Boundary (based on river confluences)
and the Nicollet Boundary (based on the 94° 30' meridian and 44° 10'
parallel) |
Sage 1974, p. 82-87 |
|
Boundaries of Davis County were redefined.
Madison County was proposed. |
Garver 1909, p. 441 |
|
|
|
| 1845 |
Sauk and Fox sold remaining land in Iowa to the
Federal Government |
Johnson 1976, p. 122 |
|
 Augustus
C. Dodge, Iowa's territorial delegate to Congress, supported the Nicollet
Boundary, for fear that a larger state area would not be supported by
Congress |
Sage 1974, p. 87-88 |
|
A draft constitution for
Iowa, approved by Congress and signed by President Tyler, is twice
rejected by popular vote of the people of Iowa |
Wessel 1995, Timeline |
|
James Shields was appointed
Commissioner of the General Land Office (April 16) |
White 1983, p. 194 |
|
George W. Jones was appointed
Surveyor General at the Surveyor General's office in Dubuque (May 9) |
White 1983, p. 205 |
|
George W. Jones was Surveyor
General in Dubuque July 14, 1845 to December 11, 1848 |
Dodds 1943, p. 356 |
|
Act of March 3 granted two townships for a
public university, five sections for public buildings, use of salt
springs, and 5 percent of net proceeds from land sales for public roads |
Wall 1987, p. 17 |
|
Johnson-Washington county boundaries were
altered. Marion County was created. |
Garver 1909, p. 441 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Statehood period
|
|
| 1846 |
 Stephen A. Douglas
of Illinois, chair of the
House Committee on Territories, proposed that the northern boundary of
Iowa be the 43° 30' parallel and the western boundary the Missouri and
Big Sioux Rivers. This line was supported by Augustus C. Dodge,
Iowa's territorial delegate to Congress, and was approved by Congress. |
Sage 1974, p. 89-90 |
|
 Iowa statehood legislation signed by President
James K. Polk (December 28) |
Johnson 1976, p. 122; Sage 1974, p. 90-91 |
|
Population of the State of Iowa was reported to
be 96,088 |
Sage 1974, p. 70 |
|
Twelve new counties were created.
Boundaries of Marion, Jasper, Polk, and Dallas counties were
altered. Kishkekosh County was renamed Monroe. |
Garver 1909, p. 441 |
|
44 counties had been established by statehood |
Sage 1974, p. 96 |
|
 Founding of the State University of Iowa in
Iowa City |
Sage 1974, p. 103 |
|
Land Office was opened in Iowa City (August 14) |
Johnson 1976, p. 131 |
|
Elisha Dwelle was Chief Clerk
at the Surveyor General's office in Dubuque. Later that year,
Surveyor General George W. Jones described "the ill health, inability
and misconduct of my late Chief Clerk Elisha Dwelle, during my absence
last winter" as the reason for tardiness in sending completed work to
Washington, D.C. |
Dodds 1943, p. 282-283 |
|
On April 23, Surveyor General
George W.
Jones acknowledged that "two sets of chain carriers will not and
cannot report the same measurement exactly; and that deputies frequently
differ slightly in arriving at the variation of the needle" |
Dodds 1943, p. 376 |
|
On December 22, Surveyor General
George W.
Jones reprimanded deputy surveyor Paul C. Jeffries by writing,
"consider it deserved in the highest degree" because of
"delay without assignable cause or even apology" and
"returns deficient in the most important point and complete disregard
of your instructions." |
Dodds 1943, p. 289-290 |
|
Deputy Surveyor Uriah Biggs completed township
lines for 32 townships in the La Crosse River region in Wisconsin |
Johnson 1976, p. 99 |
|
Treaty with the Potawatomi involving land in
the western part of the state |
Sage 1974, p. 72 |
|
 Mormon emigrations began across southern Iowa,
beginning at Nauvoo, Illinois (Sugar Creek on the Iowa side of the
Mississippi River) and continuing to Council Bluffs |
Sage 1974, p. 74-75 |
|
James Shields was
Commissioner of the General Land Office |
Dodds 1943, p. 283 |
|
Lucius Lyon was appointed Surveyor
General for Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan |
Cazier 1977, p. 58 |
|
Act of August 8 granted alternate sections of
unsold land within 5 miles of the Des Moines River for navigation
improvements downstream from the Raccoon Fork |
Wall 1987, p. 17 |
|
 Captain James Allen published his report on his
1844 march of the Dragoons in the Des Moines Valley |
Petersen 1952, p. 275 |
|
|
|
| 1847 |
Richard M. Young was appointed
Commissioner of the General Land Office (January 6) |
White 1983, p. 194 |
|
 Congress authorized a geological survey of the
Chippewa land in Wisconsin and Iowa by David Dale Owens |
Johnson 1976, p. 97 |
|
An additional 7 counties were established since
statehood |
Sage 1974, p. 96 |
|
Boundaries of Polk, Clayton, and Fayette
counties were altered. Allamakee, Winneshiek, Ringgold, Taylor,
Page, Fremont, and Pottawattamie Counties were created. |
Garver 1909, p. 441 |
|
 Great Seal of the State of
Iowa was adopted by the first General Assembly |
Wessel 1995, Timeline |
|
In September, Surveyors
General were asked to submit estimates of the total area of swamp lands
that had been surveyed. This eventually led to the Swamp Lands Acts
of 1849 and 1850. |
White 1983, p. 111 |
|
During the latter half of the
1840s, more and more examinations in the field were made by deputy
surveyors under instructions from the Surveyor General. Those
examinations would prove to be largely fiction. Just as a
subdividing deputy seldom squealed on a fellow surveyor who did township
lines, an examining deputy would seldom squeal on a subdividing deputy
because that same person might be hired to examine his own work. |
White 1983, p. 110 |
|
|
|
| 1848 |
End of the War with Mexico |
Sage 1974, p. 117 |
|
Iowa
Senators George Wallace Jones of Dubuque and Augustus Caesar Dodge of
Burlington seated in Congress (December 7) |
Sage 1974, p. 117 |
|
The state legislature established general
requirements for the conveyance of state lands |
Wall 1987, p. 68-69 |
|
Boundaries of Lucas and Clark counties were
altered. |
Garver 1909, p. 442 |
|
Approximately 50% of Iowa's
townships had been surveyed |
Stewart 1935, p. 73 |
|
Henry A. Wiltse was Chief
Clerk at the Surveyor General's office in Dubuque December 15, 1848 to
January 24, 1849 |
Dodds 1943, p. 357 |
|
|
|
| 1849 |
General Land Office was transferred from the
Department of the Treasury to the Department of the Interior because
public land sales ceased to be a major source of revenue for the Federal
Treasury. The discovery of gold in California was of more immediate
importance to the government. |
Johnson 1976, p. 61; White 1983, p. 112 |
|
The Swamp Lands Act of 1849
granted to the State of Louisiana all the "swamp lands and overflow
lands unfit for cultivation." The purpose was to aid the state
in the diking, drainage, and reclamation of those lands. The state
was to pay for surveys and other expenses in determining which lands fit
the criteria. Because "unfit for cultivation" was not well
defined in the Act, the vague criteria were the source of much contention
and litigation in later years. |
White 1983, p. 112 |
|
Justin Butterfield was appointed
Commissioner of the General Land Office (July 1) |
White 1983, p. 194 |
|
Caleb H. Booth was appointed
Surveyor General at the Surveyor General's office in Dubuque (January 12) |
White 1983, p. 205 |
|
C.H. Booth was Surveyor
General in Dubuque February 9, 1849 to May 30, 1850 |
Dodds 1943, p. 358 |
|
Captain Lee of the U.S. Topographical Engineers
established the starting point of the Iowa-Minnesota border in New Albin,
Iowa |
Johnson 1976, p. 123 |
|
 Fort Atkinson, built on
the Neutral Ground, was abandoned |
Wessel 1995, Timeline |
|
The border dispute between Iowa and Missouri,
involving the Sullivan line and Brown line, was finally resolved by the
U.S. Supreme Court in favor of Iowa--the state boundary would follow the
line surveyed by John C. Sullivan in 1816. |
Sage 1974, p. 67 |
|
Deputy surveyor James M.
Marsh and the seven members of his survey party were robbed of their food,
equipment, and nine horses by a band of eleven Sioux Indians in Range 30
along the 2nd correction line (now western Webster County) |
Dodds 1943, p. 564-565 |
|
 Deputy
surveyor Ira Cook bought half interest in Colonel John Evans'
contracts to
survey 10 townships in Iowa |
Cazier 1977, p. 60-61 |
|
|
|
| 1850 |
The first large railroad land grant to the
Illinois Central Railroad. The standard price to settlers became
$2.50 per acre. |
Johnson 1976, p. 144 |
|
Swamp Land Act granted the states the acreage
of "swamp and overflowed" land on the condition that the income
from the sales would be used for reclamation. This Act extended to
Iowa and other states the same grants that Louisiana had received in the
Swamp Land Act of 1849. |
Johnson 1976, p. 192; Cazier 1977, p. 56-57 |
|
 The GLO considered the
"geodetic method" of surveying, using an alidade and plane
table, to make a topographic map as the township subdivisions were being
surveyed. The method was used only along the Willamette Meridian in
Oregon. |
White 1983, p. 114 |
|
C.H. Booth, Surveyor General
at Dubuque described difficulties in marking section corners in prairie
areas, especially when trying to build pits and mounds in the winter |
Stewart 1935, p. 50 |
|
On orders from the U.S. Supreme Court, the
Sullivan line was extended west by surveyors to the Missouri River to
complete the border between Iowa and Missouri |
Sage 1974, p. 67 |
|
Population of the State of Iowa was reported to
be 192,214 |
Sage 1974, p. 92 |
|
Number of farms was reported to be 14,805 |
Sage 1974, p. 92 |
|
Act of September 28 granted bounty lands for
military service in the War of 1812 War with Mexico, and Indian Wars |
Wall 1987, p. 18 |
|
Very little snow fell in 1850
(7.9 inches) or the year before (9.4 inches) |
Fulton 1870, p. 85 |
|
|
|
| 1851 |
An additional 45 counties were established
since 1847 |
Sage 1974, p. 96 |
|
49 new counties were created. Boundaries
of Guthrie County were redefined. |
Garver 1909, p. 442 |
|
Approximately 75% of Iowa's
townships had been surveyed |
Stewart 1935, p. 73 |
|
George B. Sargent was appointed
Surveyor General at the Surveyor General's office in Dubuque (March 24) |
White 1983, p. 205 |
|
George B. Sargent was
Surveyor General in Dubuque May 8, 1851 to April 1, 1853 |
Dodds 1943, p. 360 |
|
On May 13,
Surveyor General George B. Sargent instructed Alexander Anderson to
carefully determine the ordinary water line of the Missouri River as he
surveyed township lines and meanders |
Dodds 1943, p. 320 |
|
On May 24,
Surveyor General George B. Sargent appointed Henry A. Wiltse as special
examiner of surveys in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota at a salary of
$1,600 per year plus $3 per diem for expenses. |
Dodds 1943, p. 321 |
|
On August 13,
Surveyor General George B. Sargent appointed Thomas J. McKean of Marion,
Iowa, as Examining Assistant at a salary of $1,200 per year plus expenses. |
Dodds 1943, p. 323 |
|
John M. Moore, the Principal Clerk of Surveys
in the GLO, prepared Instructions to the Surveyor General of Oregon;
Being a Manual for Field Operations |
Cazier 1977, p. 112 |
|
On April 23, copies of
Moore's Manual were sent to George B. Sargent, Surveyor General at
Dubuque. Sargent was instructed to use procedures described in the Manual
to establish corners and run range lines north to correction lines. |
White 1983, p. 115 |
|
On October 5, George B.
Sargent, Surveyor General at Dubuque, was instructed to resurvey T90N R3W
(now the northeast corner of Delaware County), originally surveyed in November
1837 by A. Porter. The resurvey was ordered because many of the corners
were missing and mounds were used in places where "timber
abounds." Most of the township had been sold, but the residents
petitioned for a resurvey. As part of the resurvey, all found
corners were to be honored and held and all missing corners restored by
"double proportion." Sargent was to tie in all
improvements and lines of occupancy as a basis for "an exchange of
deeds" by the settlers, if they desired, where the resurvey found
improvements on someone else's land. |
White 1983, p. 115 |
|
GLO resurveys were classified
as either First Class (incomplete survey, now called a completion or
dependent survey) or Second Class (fraudulent survey, now called
independent resurvey). A Surveyor General could hire an examiner of
surveys on a per-diem basis. |
White 1983, p. 115-116 |
|
The last cession of Indian
lands in Iowa |
Wessel 1995, Timeline |
|
75 inches of rain recorded during the year,
following two other wet years (59 inches in 1849 and 49 inches in
1850). Few crops and many mosquitoes were grown those three years. |
Cole 1940, p. 211 |
|
|
|
| 1852 |
On April 12,
Surveyor General George B. Sargent authorized Edwin James, Jr., to resurvey T90N R3W
(now the northeast corner of Delaware County) at a rate of $3 per day,
warning him that "the lines recognized by settlers and the lines of
surveys hereby authorized will most probably conflict." James
was given copies of a diagram and notes by Major McKean, examining deputy. |
Dodds 1943, p. 331 |
|
In Hamilton County, settlers purchased or sold
514 parcels, of which 53% were 40 acres or less in size |
Johnson 1976, p. 67 |
|
Sioux Treaty |
Johnson 1976, p. 84 |
|
Captain Andrew Talcott completed surveying of
the Iowa-Minnesota border at the Big Sioux River on July 21, at a cost of
$32,000. |
Johnson 1976, p. 123-4; Dodds 1943, p. 533 |
|
 Deputy surveyor Captain
James
M. Marsh used William Burt's solar compass to survey an exploratory line
ahead of Andrew Talcott. The line was 260 miles long and was
"perfectly correct." It cost $6,500 or $25 per mile. |
Dodds 1943, p. 531-533; Cazier 1977, p. 63 |
|
The Iowa-Minnesota
border was established as a standard parallel for the rectangular net and
an auxiliary base line for the Fifth Principal Meridian for surveys west
of the Mississippi River in Minnesota. This line was surveyed with
astronomic stations every 48 miles to allow moving temporary section
corners and quarter corners to a true parallel of latitude. The
astronomic stations would not have been necessary if the line made by
James Marsh using Burt's Solar Compass had been used. |
White 1983, p. 116 |
|
Because the Iowa-Minnesota
border functioned as a survey correction line, the townships on the south
were smaller than average--they lacked sections 1 through 6. This
gave unscrupulous land speculators an opportunity to sell non-existent
sections to unsuspecting land seekers. |
Johnson 1976, p. 124 |
|
Land Offices were opened in Chariton, Fort Des
Moines, and Council Bluffs |
Sage 1974, p. 69 |
|
Deputy surveyors in Iowa were
typically paid $3.75 per mile for township lines and $3.00 per mile for
section lines. At the same time in Wisconsin, the rate for heavily
wooded, rolling land was 50% higher; 100% higher in the swamps of
Louisiana. |
Stewart 1935, p. 62 |
|
Deputy surveyor Alex Anderson
with his survey
party near Sioux City recorded in his field notes, "Ivy Johnson, one
of my men, was accidentally shot yesterday and died almost instantly" |
Cazier 1977, p. 62 |
|
Following three years of very
little snow, over 50 inches were recorded in 1852 |
Fulton 1870, p. 86 |
|
John Wilson was appointed
Commissioner of the General Land Office (September 16) |
White 1983, p. 194 |
|
|
|
| 1853 |
 Railroad surveyors
Peter A. Dey and Grenville
M. Dodge finished surveying the railroad right-of-way from Davenport to
Iowa City in 9 days (May 26) |
Sage 1974, p. 111 |
|
 Railroad surveyor
Grenville M. Dodge finished
surveying the railroad right-of-way from Iowa City to Council Bluffs 79
days after beginning the survey (November 22) |
Sage 1974, p. 111 |
|
Iowa Senators George W. Jones and
Augustus C.
Dodge helped secure an extension of the Illinois Central Railroad from
Galena to Dunlieth, Illinois (across the Mississippi River from Dubuque) |
Sage 1974, p. 114 |
|
Warner Lewis was appointed
Surveyor General at the Surveyor General's office in Dubuque (April 23) |
White 1983, p. 205 |
|
 Warner Lewis was Surveyor
General in Dubuque June 6, 1853 to July 27, 1859 |
Dodds 1943, p. 364 |
|
On October 17, GLO
Commissioner John Wilson instructed Surveyor
General Warner Lewis in Dubuque to survey some islands in the Mississippi
River and "other navigable streams" during the ensuing winter
months, on the ice, for $6 per mile surveyed. |
White 1983, p. 116 |
|
On December 31, Commissioner
John Wilson declared GLO policy that resurveys would be the responsibility
of county surveyors, unless large amounts of public land were
involved. As a result, county surveyors tried to move corners to
their "proper" positions, resulting in much confusion and
litigation. |
White 1983, p. 117 |
|
Deputy surveyor Ira Cook and his survey party
finished surveying ten townships in January just after they ran out of
food. They returned to find out that Franklin Pierce had been
elected President the previous November. |
Cazier 1977, p. 61-62 |
|
 Boundaries of Warren, Polk, and Dallas Counties
were redefined. Wahkaw [Wahkon], Risley, and Fox Counties were renamed.
Yell and Risley Counties were combined to create Webster County. |
Garver 1909, p. 442 |
|
Two more wet years followed
those in 1849 through 1851. In 1852, 59 inches of rain were
recorded. In 1853, 46 inches were recorded. |
Fulton 1870, p. 85 |
|
|
|
| 1854 |
Graduation Act lowered the minimum price per
acre for land unsold after 10 years to $1.00, after 15 years to $0.75,
after 20 years to $0.50, after 25 years to $0.25, after 30 years to
$0.125 |
Johnson 1976, p. 64 |
|
Cyrus Clay Carpenter
(later governor of Iowa, 1872-1876) arrived in Fort Dodge and was hired as
a member of GLO surveying parties for 23 townships over a three-year
period |
Throne 1974, p. 12-15 |
|
Rock Island Railroad reached the Mississippi
River |
Johnson 1976, p. 15 |
|
Fairfield hosted the first
state fair |
Wessel 1995, Timeline |
|
|
|
| 1855 |
325 million acres of public land in Iowa were
sold |
Johnson 1976, p. 20 |
|
Surveyor General at Dubuque remarked that
Indian cessions 'have been obtained without any reference to the
accommodation of the surveys" |
Johnson 1976, p. 72 |
|
 Boundaries of Chickasaw, Howard, Mitchell, and
Floyd Counties were redefined. Kossuth and Webster Counties were
enlarged by eliminating Bancroft and Humboldt Counties. |
Garver 1909, p. 442 |
|
Thomas A. Hendricks was appointed
Commissioner of the General Land Office (August 6) |
White 1983, p. 194 |
|
Hendricks was the first GLO
Commissioner without background or other qualifications for the job (such
as surveying experience or knowledge of land laws). He later was a
US Senator, Governor of Indiana, and ran for President in 1868, 1876,
1880, and 1884. He was elected Vice-President in 1884 and died in
1885. |
White 1983, p. 119 |
|
At the request of GLO Commissioner
Thomas A. Hendricks, John M. Moore, the Principal Clerk of Surveys in the GLO,
prepared A Manual of Surveying Instructions to Regulate the Field
Operations of Deputy Surveyors, officially issued on February 22. |
Cazier 1977, p. 112; White 1983, p. 118 |
|
A Manual of Surveying Instructions to Regulate the Field
Operations of Deputy Surveyors described the size, shape, markings,
and installation of corner posts (wood or stone) as well as the planting
of fruit tree seeds to produce a clump of trees |
Stewart 1935, p. 124 |
|
Instructions to the Surveyors General of the
Public Lands required that township and subdivision lines were to be
measured with a two-pole chain (33 feet), but that on uniform level
ground, a four-pole chain (66 feet) could be used |
Johnson 1976, p. 76 |
|
Instructions to the Surveyors General of the
Public Lands required that survey correction lines be at four township
intervals, rather than ten township intervals |
Johnson 1976, p. 78 |
|
Land Office for Turkey River Land District was
opened in Decorah (December 23) |
Johnson 1976, p. 128, 131 |
|
Land Offices were opened in Fort Dodge and
Sioux City |
Sage 1974, p. 69 |
|
General C.H. Booth and others organized the
Dubuque and Pacific Railroad Company to bridge the Mississippi River at
Dubuque |
Sage 1974, p. 114 |
|
The state legislature established the State
Land Office to assist in the administration of the state's land
business. These functions were transferred to the office of the
Secretary of State in 1880. |
Wall 1987, p. 69 |
|
 The General Assembly
established the Iowa Geological Survey. Prof. James Hall of New York was
appointed State Geologist. |
Fulton 1870, p. 21 |
|
Cyrus Clay Carpenter
(later governor of Iowa, 1872-1876) was elected county surveyor in Webster
County, a position he resigned in 1857 to run for the state legislature |
Throne 1974, p. 20 |
|
|
|
| 1856 |
Land Office in Decorah moved to Osage |
Johnson 1976, p. 131 |
|
Grass was scarce for grazing work animals along main roads |
Johnson 1976, p. 153 |
|
 Railroad grant from Congress to Iowa involving
alternate sections of land up to six miles away from proposed rail lines,
totaling about 4 million acres (slightly more than 10% of the state's
area) (May 15) |
Sage 1974, p. 109-110 |
|
First railroad bridge
completed across the Mississippi River into Iowa at Davenport |
Wessel 1995, Timeline |
|
Hamilton County was created from part of
Webster County. |
Garver 1909, p. 442 |
|
 Mesquakie people purchased
land in Tama County for privately owned settlement |
Wessel 1995, Timeline |
|
Restoring lost section
corners became a problem because most deputy surveyors did not run east
random lines a full mile (80 chains); rather, they ran a "stub"
for 40 chains and set the quarter corner on an east-west line, but
returned field notes with the quarter corner at the midpoint of a true
line. |
White 1983, p. 126 |
|
|
|
| 1857 |
Humboldt County was the 99th and last county to
organize in the state |
Sage 1974, p. 96 |
|
Humboldt County was created from part of
Webster County and Kossuth County. |
Garver 1909, p. 442 |
|
Spirit Lake Massacre |
Sage 1974, p. 107 |
|
Another national economic recession
slows the flow of settlers into Iowa |
Wessel 1995, Timeline |
|
 State capitol was moved from
Iowa City to Des Moines |
Wessel 1995, Timeline |
|
|
|
| 1858 |
Speculation in public lands peaked again |
Johnson 1976, p. 19 |
|
All but 275,000 acres of Iowa
had been surveyed by the end of the year |
Stewart 1935, p. 73 |
|
Records from the Land Office in Osage were
moved to the State Land Office in Des Moines |
Johnson 1976, p. 134 |
|
 Founding of the Iowa State Agricultural College
and Model Farm in Ames |
Sage 1974, p. 106 |
|
Boundaries of Humboldt, Benton, and Tama
Counties were redefined |
Garver 1909, p. 442 |
|
GLO commissioner Thomas A.
Hendricks admonished Warner Lewis, Surveyor General at Dubuque, for having
surveyed an island in the Mississippi River that was mostly swamp, even
though the state paid for the survey. Hendricks told
Lewis that he had no authority to survey such lands because they would
pass to the State under the provisions of the Swamp Land Act. |
White 1983, p. 114 |
|
On May 23, Charles L. Emerson
became Surveyor General of Minnesota. Records in the Surveyor
General's office in Dubuque that pertained to Minnesota were transferred
to the new office in St. Paul. |
White 1983, p. 126 |
GLO Timeline
