Cadastral Survey System

The cadastral survey system is a surveying method used in many states of the U.S. to establish legal descriptions of land. When Herbert Bartist Beck homesteaded land in Montana, he received land patents, which used the cadastral survey system to describe the land, for example:

• South half of the northeast quarter of Section 34 in Township 20 North, Range 24 East
• Southeast quarter of the southeast quarter of Section 31 in Township 20 North, Range 25 East
• West half of the southeast quarter of Section 32 in Township 20 North, Range 25 East
• East half of the southwest quarter of Section 32 in Township 20 North, Range 25 East
• Southwest quarter of the southwest quarter of Section 32 in Township 20 North, Range 25 East
• Lot 4 of Section 5 in Township 19 North, Range 25 East
• Lot 1 of Section 6 in Township 19 North, Range 25 East

Townships were arranged north and south along a principal meridian and Ranges were arranged east and west along the baseline. Each Township was divided into 36 sections, which were 6 square miles in size. Therefore each section was one square mile, comprising 640 acres of land. Sections may be divided in half or in quarters and sold separately. When communities or municipalities were created, sections were further divided into lots.

Map of the U.S. indicating the principal meridians and baselines for each state
that used the cadastral survey system; courtesy of the Bureau of Land
Management

By knowing the legal descriptions of the land contained in the patents Herbert Bartist Beck purchased from the General Land Office, we can determine exactly where his land was.

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'Map of the U.S. indicated the principal meridians and baselines,' Bureau of Land Management