Dominion Land Survey System Was Initiated by the Canadian Government in 1869 for Settlement Purposes
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DOMINION LAND SURVEY COMPOSED AND PRODUCED BY : Chris Rule Permission is granted for use by acknowledging the author’s name. DOMINION LAND SURVEY The Dominion Land Survey System was initiated by the Canadian Government in 1869 for settlement purposes. This system with variations are used in various areas throughout the world and in the United States. In Western Canada the survey extends from the First Meridian ( 97° 27’ 28.41” W) in Manitoba to the Seventh Meridian (122° 00’ 00” W) in British Columbia. DOMINION LAND SURVEY G N RUSSIA R E ICELAND E N L D A E S N T I E D N T U A T Y SEVENTHS N MERIDIANInuvik FIRST MERIDIAN R Cambridge O O Bay K T U I Y R R E Frobisher T N O R T H W E S T T E R R I T O R I E S Bay Whitehorse Yellowknife Rankin Inlet Ft. Nelson Ft. Smith BRITISH Ft. Uranium City N Vermilion E COLUMBIA A W N F W Goose O Prince E Bay U George ALBERTA H N C MANITOBA D T L A Kamloops Edmonton A Nanaimo K St. Vancouver S L. Winnipeg N L. WinnipegosisHudson DJohn's Victoria A QUEBEC Kelowna SaskatoonS PRINCE Calgary EDWARD Moose Jaw ONTARIOMoosonee Chicoutimi Brandon I. IA Regina NEW 3 T Seattle L. Manitoba Kapuskasing BRUNS- O Winnipeg Québec WICK C 2 S Timmons Shawinigan 1 A Billings V CANADA L. Superior Montreal O Bismarck L. Huron N 1 Fredericton 0 50 100 200 300 400 500 600 MI. Ottawa 50 200 400 600 KM. 2 Halifax L. Michigan 0 100 300 500 to Boston 3 Charlottetown Capital- Provincial/Territorial Capital- Minneapolis n ro L. Ontario Administrative Center- o U N I T E D S T A T E S T L. Erie Chicago Detroit New York The Area of the Western Canada Survey DOMINION LAND SURVEY 7 t h 6 t h 5 t h 4th 3rd 2nd 1st meridian ALBERTA 1 2 2 ° W 1 1 8 ° W 1 1 4 ° W 110°W 106°W 102°W A closer look of the 7 meridians97°27'28.41W DOMINION LAND SURVEY Why was 97° 27’ 28.41” chosen as the beginning of the survey , you ask? Observations were taken near Pemberton, Manitoba in 1869 to determine the 49th parallel for the Canada-US border. The starting point for the First Meridian was begun 10 miles west of Pemberton to avoid already settled properties. The Second Meridian was established on the 102°W Longitude, just inside the Saskatchewan border, and then every 4 ° W thereafter. 3rd Meridian just West of Prince Albert A lb er DOMINION LANDta SURVEY B o 2nd Meridian rd Let’s er look at 3rd Meridian SASK. 4th Meridian Alberta Border DOMINION LAND SURVEY Sections work………. Townships, Townships, Townships, Ranges and Ranges and Now for a Now look closer into how DOMINION LAND SURVEY Starting at the US border Township lines run parallel across Saskatchewan every 6 miles apart. US Border - 49th Parallel DOMINION LAND SURVEY Starting at the 2nd Meridian Range lines run parallel (up and down) across Saskatchewan to the Alberta Border every 6 miles apart. 6 M I L E S DOMINION LAND SURVEY Now you have a grid made up of squares each square 6 miles by 6 miles which looks like this… TOWNSHIPS R A N G E S DOMINION LAND SURVEY Now you have a grid made up of squares each square 6 miles by 6 miles which looks like this… TOWNSHIPS Townships R run this A way…….. N G E S DOMINION LAND SURVEY Now you have a grid made up of squares each square 6 miles by 6 miles which looks like this… TOWNSHIPS Ranges R run this A way…. N G E S DOMINION LAND SURVEY Each 6 mile X 6 mile square is of course made of 36 square miles or “SECTIONS” The sections in a Township are numbered like this… 3 132 3334 35 8 329 0 2728 26 1 920 2122 23 123 1 117 8 1516 14 4 7810 9 11 56 56 34 2 7 Each section is 1 mile by 1 mile square. DOMINION LAND SURVEY Let’s look at a “Section” 1mi. X 1 mi. Each section is divided into 4 quarters NW NE 1 3 132 3334 35 8 329 0 2728 26 1 920 2122 23 123 1 117 8 1516 14 4 7810 9 11 56 56 34 2 7 designated m i l NorthWeast e NorthEast SouthWest SW SE SouthEast 1 mile DOMINION LAND SURVEY Let’s look at a “Quarter Section” which is ½ mile X ½ mile in size. 3 132 3334 35 8 329 0 2728 26 1 920 2122 23 123 1 117 8 1516 14 4 7810 9 11 56 56 34 2 7 A Section is NW NE 640 acres A Quarter is 160 acres SW SE DOMINION LAND SURVEY Let’s look at another way of dividing up a Section – using “LSD’s” or Legal Sub Divisions Section = 640 acres 3 132 3334 35 8 329 0 2728 26 1 920 2122 23 123 1 117 8 1516 14 4 7810 9 11 56 56 34 2 7 13 14 15 16 16 LSD’s in a Section 12 11 10 9 Each LSD is 5 6 7 8 40 acres 4 3 2 1 DOMINION LAND SURVEY Legal Sub Divisions can also be divided up into Quarters of an LSD. Each quarter can be 3 132 3334 35 8 329 0 2728 26 1 920 2122 23 123 1 117 8 1516 14 4 7810 9 11 56 56 34 2 identified as shown. 7 NW NE Each ¼ LSD is 10 acres SW SE DOMINION LAND SURVEY Let’s review… the following location SW (1/4) LSD 4, Sec. 31, Twp 63, Rge 27, W 3rd 3 132 34 35 8 3 290 278 26 1 920 21 23 123 1 1 178 156 14 4 78 109 1 56 56 34 2 7 13 14 15 16 12 11 10 9 SW (1/4) 5 6 7 8 LSD 4 3 2 1 DOMINION LAND SURVEY SW (1/4) LSD 4, NW 31, Twp 63, Rge 27, W 3rd 13 14 15 16 3 132 34 35 8 3 290 278 26 1 920 21 23 123 1 1 178 156 14 4 78 109 1 56 56 34 2 12 11 10 9 7 5 6 7 8 3 2 1 SW (1/4) LSD 4, Sec. 31 DOMINION LAND SURVEY SW (1/4) LSD 4, Sec. 31, Twp 63, Rge 27, W 3rd 65 64 3 132 34 35 8 3 290 278 26 1 920 21 23 123 1 1 178 156 14 4 78 109 1 56 56 34 2 This location is 7 27 ranges X 6 63 miles wide = 62 162 miles west 61 of the 3rd Meridian (PA) Twp 60 30 29 28 27 26 25 RANGE WEST of 3rd DOMINION LAND SURVEY SW (1/4) LSD 4, Sec. 31, Twp. 63, Rge. 27, W. 3rd A Which is about l 3rd Meridian just West b e r 3 132 34 35 8 3 290 278 26 1 920 21 23 123 1 1 178 156 14 4 78 109 1 56 56 34 2 here in Sask. 7 of Prince Albert t a B o r d e r 4 t 3 2n h rd d M M M e e ri r er d id id ia ia i n n an DOMINION LAND SURVEY Now for some odd things to know about the Dominion Land Survey Correction lines 3 132 3334 35 8 329 0 2728 26 1 920 2122 23 123 1 117 8 1516 14 4 7810 9 11 56 56 34 2 7 Road allowances Corner mounds Things to Know DOMINION LAND SURVEY CORRECTION LINES What are Correction Lines ? 3 132 3334 35 8 329 0 2728 26 1 920 2122 23 123 1 117 8 1516 14 4 7810 9 11 56 56 34 2 They are the off-set of Range7 lines on the sides of a block of 16 townships. In order to get the square grid to work on a round world, 16 Township blocks are shifted East and West to make the correction. DOMINION LAND SURVEY CORRECTION LINES One Township Correction A Block of 16 Townships Lines occur every 4 3 132 3334 35 8 329 0 2728 26 1 920 2122 23 123 1 117 8 1516 14 4 7810 9 11 56 56 34 2 townships 7 going North Correction Off- Set (24 miles) to the RANGE lines 100 feet more or less Except at US border ……… 2 Twps (12miles) DOMINION LAND SURVEY CORRECTION LINES One Township A Block of 16 Townships 3 132 3334 35 8 329 0 2728 26 1 920 2122 23 123 1 117 8 1516 14 4 7810 9 11 56 56 34 2 7 Sometimes the Correction Off- Set corrections to the RANGE lines line up, as 100 feet more or less at each Meridian DOMINION LAND SURVEY CORRECTION LINES One Township There is no A Block of 16 Townships adjustment North and 3 132 3334 35 8 329 0 2728 26 1 920 2122 23 123 1 117 8 1516 14 4 7810 9 11 56 56 34 2 South as the 7 lines follow Correction Off- Set lines of to the RANGE lines Latitude and 100 feet more or less are parallel DOMINION LAND SURVEY CORRECTION LINES Have you ever driven on a straight road which suddenly jogged over 100 feet or so and then continued on straight? This may have been a Correction Line! DOMINION LAND SURVEY ROAD ALLOWANCES ROAD ALLOWANCE R R To allow access to land O O A A Road allowances were D SEC 7 D surveyed every second A A Township line going L L North… L L O O W SEC 6 W A A And every mile going West N N C C E ROAD ALLOWANCE E DOMINION LAND SURVEY ROAD ALLOWANCES In Saskatchewan Road Allowances are normally 66 feet wide – 1 chain.