F 621 .A78 2008 The GeoGLO Project: Enhanced Access to Iowa's General Land Office Survey Plats HRDP Grant 07-046 by Joe Alan Artz and Melanie A. Riley Joe Alan Artz Director, Geospatial Program Principal Investigator Research Papers Volume 33 Number 1 '<'l'eOLOG 18 ~ 0 " "" ...."' ~0 <1:,_ ...:< "' • Office of the State Archaeologist The University of Iowa Iowa City 2008 Research Papers The Office of the State Archaeologist is headquartered at The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242. The Office issues three professional series, each having a separate function. Complete listings can be obtained by contacting the State Archaeologist. Reports, books and monographs issued at intervals in printed form, are considered to be complete studies of permanent value. Contract Completion Reports provide permanent documentation for highway surveys and other cultural resource investigations. Research Papers provide permanent access to osteological and archaeological studies which are not intended for publication in regional or national anthropological journals. It is anticipated that these reports will provide the data base for various publications in future years. The series can be consulted at the following institutions which serve as permanent repositoties: Iowa: University of Iowa Library, Government Documents, Iowa City Iowa State University, Department of Anthropology, Ames Luther College, Department of Anthropology, Decorah Effigy Mounds National Monument, Harpers Feny State Historical Society, Historic Preservation, Des Moines State Historical Society, Library and Archives, Des Moines State Historical Society, Library, Iowa City Depository Library Center, State Library of Iowa, Des Moines University of Northern Iowa Library, Cedar Falls Illinois: Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, Springfield Illinois State Museum Research and Collections Center Library, Springfield Illinois Transportation Achaeological Research Program, Urbana Western Illinois University, Archaeological Research Lab, Macomb Minnesota: Minnesota Historical Society, Library, St. Paul State Archaeologist's Office, St. Paul Missouri: University of Missomi, Missouri Archaeological Society, Columbia State Archaeologist, Office of Historic Preservation, Jefferson City Nebraska: University of Nebraska State Museum, Lincoln Midwest Archeological Center, National Park Service, Lincoln South Dakota: South Dakota State Historical Society, Piene South Dakota Archaeological Research Center, Rapid City University of South Dakota, Department of Anthropology, Vermillion Wisconsin: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Library, Madison State Historical Society of Wisconsin, State Archaeologist, Madison Research Papers serve as an outlet for the preservation of archival information on Iowa archaeology and related studies. Authors wishing to submit reports for possible inclusion should contact the State Archaeologist. The GeoGLO Project: Enhanced Access to Iowa's General Land Office Survey Plats HRDP Grant 07-046 by Joe Alan Artz and Melanie A. Riley Joe Alan Artz Director, Geospatial Program Principal Investigator Research Papers Volume 33 Number 1 i'IOOLOG,.I'_. v 0 ~ -<' .. ~ ~"' 0~ <{1- J> </) • Office of the State Archaeologist The University of Iowa Iowa City 2008 Research Papers The Office of the State Archaeologist is headquartered at The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242. The Office issues three professional series, each having a separate function . Complete listings can be obtained by contacting the State Archaeologist. Reports, books and monographs issued at intervals in printed form, are considered to be complete studies of permanent value. Contract Completion Reports provide permanent documentation for highway surveys and other cultural resource investigations. Research Papers provide permanent access to osteological and archaeological studies which are not intended for publication in regional or national anthropological journals. It is anticipated that these reports will provide the data base for various publications in future years. The series can be consulted at the following institutions which serve as permanent repositories: Iowa: University of Iowa Library, Government Documents, Iowa City Iowa State University, Department of Anthropology, Ames Luther College, Department of Anthropology, Decorah Effigy Mounds National Monument, Harpers FetTy State Historical Society, Historic Preservation, Des Moines State Historical Society, Library and Archives, Des Moines State Historical Society, Library, Iowa City Depository Library Center, State Library of Iowa, Des Moines University of Nmihern Iowa Library, Cedar Falls Illinois: Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, Springfield Illinois State Museum Research and Collections Center Library, Springfield Illinois Transportation Achaeological Research Program, Urbana Western Illinois University, Archaeological Research Lab, Macomb Minnesota: Minnesota Historical Society, Library, St. Paul State Archaeologist's Office, St. Paul Missomi: University of Missouri, Missouri Archaeological Society, Columbia State Archaeologist, Office of Historic Preservation, Jefferson City Nebraska: University of Nebraska State Museum, Lincoln Midwest Archeological Center, National Park Service, Lincoln South Dakota: South Dakota State Historical Society, Piene South Dakota Archaeological Research Center, Rapid City University of South Dakota, Department of Anthropology, Vermillion Wisconsin: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Library, Madison State Historical Society of Wisconsin, State Archaeologist, Madison Research Papers serve as an outlet for the preservation of archival information on Iowa archaeology and related studies. Authors wishing to submit reports for possible inclusion should contact the State Archaeologist. Table of Contents Table of Contents ....................................... .. .. ............................................... .. ....... .. ...... .. ... .... ...... ... .. .... iii Tables ........................................................ .. .... .. ..................................... .. .................... .. ... ...................... v Figures .... ............................................. ..... ....................... .. .. ....... .. .. ................................ .. .... ................. .. v Abstract. ... ... .............. .............................................................. .. ... ........................ ... .. .............................. 1 Introduction .... .. .. .. ......................................... .................................. ..... .......... ..... ....... .. ........................... 1 Project Partners and Roles .................................... ..... ........... .. ................................................................ 1 Historic Background .................... .... .................................................. .... .... ............ .. ............................... 2 The Public Land Survey System (PLSS) .... ........................ .... .... ......................................................... 3 The GLO Surveys of Iowa ..................... ............................ ... ....................................... ....................... 3 Surviving Records of the GLO Surveys .............................................................................................. 5 Previous Studies Using GLOs .................................................................................... ............................. 7 Methods .. ............... .. .......................................................... .. .... .............. .. .............................................. 10 Phase 1: Acquisition ................................. ......... .. ................ ............................... ............................... 10 Phase 2: Clipping .......... .... .. ............................................................. .. ... ..... ... ..... .................... .. .......... 11 Phase 3: Georeferencing ..................................................................................... ............................ ... 12 Cultural Features ..................................... ............................. ........ .. ......... ....................................... 13 Phase 4: Mosaicking .. .......................... ............. ... .... .... .............. .... ..... .. .... ............................... .. .. .... .. 15 Phase 5: Project Documentation ... ................... ................................................................... .. .... ..... .... 19 Conclusions .. ............................................. ............. .. .. .... .. ....... .. ....................... ... .... ................ .............. 19 Acknowledgments ............................................. .. ...... .. .. ... ............................ .............................. .. ......... 22 References Cited ........................ ................................. ....................................... ... ... .................. .. ......... 23 IV Tables Table 1. Townships Missing from SHSI Microfilm ....... ....... ... .... ............. ...... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ............... ........ 11 Table 2. Kinds of Cultural Features Found on the GLO Plats in Iowa ... ...... ......... .......... ... ... .. ............. 14 Figures Figure 1. Example of a GLO plat, for Township 69N, Range 26W, in Decatur County, Iowa. 2 Figures 2-3: Time series maps, Iowa PLSS. Top: Survey General certification. Bottom. Certification