Living in PLSSia, I don't get to play with too many descriptions similar to the one I have been challenged to locate.?ÿ Here we go:
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"All that part of the east half of the northwest quarter of ( a specific section in a specific county) lying south of the following described line:?ÿ Commencing at a stone marked X located 34 rods south of the stone at north side of section, running westward about 28 rods to stone marked X, thence southwest to a similar stone on brow of bluff, said stone standing just south of a marked elm tree, thence westward following the bluff to another X marked stone standing on brow of bluff just east of a large detached boulder, thence northwest about 10 rods to another X stone standing north of a certain pool or stream, thence southwest to point where west line of said east half of northwest quarter crosses bluff"
This description first appears in 1883 and his been used continuously since then by the owners on both sides.?ÿ I am certain the marked elm tree no longer exists although there may well be a few hundred other trees somewhere in the general vicinity, but would expect darn few to be anywhere near the brow of the bluff (once we decide what brow actually means today compared to what it may have meant to the writer in 1883).?ÿ Trying to get a picture in my head as to what to expect when looking for said large detached boulder with a X marked stone some short distance to the east thereof.?ÿ Surely the detached boulder is just below the brow with the X marked stone being on the brow.
The first challenge will be to break down the section to determine where the east and west boundaries of the east half of the northwest quarter may be.?ÿ Joy of joys this happens to be a Section 6 with Field Notes indicating?ÿ a north line mile of only 76.30 chains, a south line mile of only 76.10 chains, an east?ÿ line mile of 83.30 chains and a perfect west line mile of 80 chains because they started at the township corner and went south.?ÿ The center corner has never been established by survey but I'm sure I will find a fence corner post that everyone believes to be said center corner.?ÿ Did they really mean this is in Government Lot 3 and the southeast quarter of the northwest quarter or did they mean the east half of what would be considered to be the northwest quarter??ÿ All perimeter section corners and quarter corners were limestones of specific dimensions in 1866.?ÿ There are at least 300 trillion limestones in and near said section, most being visible from an aerial view following a prairie fire.?ÿ There is a county "road" along the east section line that requires a four-wheel drive vehicle if more than a sprinkle occurs.?ÿ There has never been a road along the north or west section lines.?ÿ The south section line sports a nice county road that once upon a time was paved (but you would never know it now) as it was an early version of a State Highway that now runs a few miles to the northwest.?ÿ We will not be going onsite until after the absolute last day of rifle season for deer as the adjoining property to the north is owned by some silly LLC formed of crazy hunters with a mailing address in a state that abuts the Gulf of Mexico.?ÿ These wandering people are the reason for the survey.?ÿ Apparently they like to wander over everyone else's property and this one neighbor is not very happy about that.
Anyone want to come help with the search for rocks with an X on them??ÿ I have been assured that the resident rattlesnakes have packed their clothes and shoes and headed further south for the winter but did not receive any similar assurances about the resident copperheads.?ÿ The tarantulas probably accompanied the rattlesnakes.
Almost forgot to mention a minor title issue as for about the last four or five conveyances the line somehow has been moved into the northeast quarter of the section instead of the northwest quarter.?ÿ Silly people.?ÿ Words don't really mean anything.
Well I can tell you it ain't Georgia.?ÿ Our only Sections (only in North Georgia, the original Cherokee County) are thousands of acres each.?ÿ
Andy
It ain't Florida. Only "boulders" we have are coquina, and if you tried to scribe an "X" on one (if you could find one) it would crack all to pieces.?ÿ
Probably one of those "not talked about too often" States like Kansas or Okiehoma, you know, where strange people live. ?????ÿ
Get that guy to help who knows the PLSS is simple because everything is square.?ÿ ????
How tall and steep a bluff is there? That may make it somewhat easier than it sounds.
The brow would have to be a high place where the slope changes the most sharply.
And after a diligent search for X stones, you do your best and who is going to prove you wrong?
What adds a bit of flavor to this is that a few years after this piece was created a railroad sliced across the section.?ÿ This put most of the land to the south of the track.?ÿ Only an oddly shaped remnant was left on the north.?ÿ Without a private crossing,?ÿ wheeled traffic would be prevented from going from one part of the tract to the other.?ÿ A significant fraction of the remnant would be in the ditch area of the "Branch" flowing occasionally below the "bluff".?ÿ The remnant would be a bit more than 1320 feet long as it follows the north side of the former railroad right-of-way but very narrow for about 900 feet of that span.
If one were to believe the county GIS map, the tract only exists south of the former railroad.?ÿ They have totally ignored the above description.
The obvious solution for the client is to sell the hunters the portion north of the RR and avoid a large surveying bill.
But that depends on the level of bureaucracy in that county when it comes to replats.
We have one that meanders to a point on the section line 100 feet northwesterly of the bank of the river except the bank of the river never gets anywhere close to 100 feet from the section line. We have to go out there and see if maybe they were referring to a tributary stream to the river.
The bureaucracy is minimal. I'm guessing he is willing to spend some money to determine exactly what he is supposed to have so he can force the trespass issue. That may become very expensive land if the hunters believe they must hunt on it. The client is a great guy, lay minister, farmer of many acres and a former county commissioner. He's smarter than the average bear (Yogi Bear reference).
76.30 chains... 76.10 chains ... 83.30 chains ... 80 chains
Did they really mean this is in Government Lot 3 and the southeast quarter of the northwest quarter or did they mean the east half of what would be considered to be the northwest quarter??ÿ
In your area did they create Government Lots along the closing sections of a township when the section is that close to being normal size??ÿ I've only noticed lots in Iowa when there was a big difference.?ÿ
Wife's family land is in a section that is about 108 chains north-south due to approaching a correction line, and they created 2 quarter-sections plus 12 government lots, of which 8 are nominally 40 acres and 4 over 50 acres.?ÿ But I've seen sections more misshapen than the one you quote that are just divided into quarters.
Yes, sir. The standard work was from southeast to northwest so the north side of Sections 1-6 and the west side of Sections 6,7,18,19,30 and 31 will have lots. Typically Lot 1 in place of the NE/NE and Lot 4 in place of NW/NW in the northern tier. Typically Lot 1 in place of NW/NW and Lot 4 in place of SW/SW in the western tier except for Section 6. It is Lot 4 in the NW/NW and Lot 7 in the SW/SW.
Mr. Cow,
Sounds like a fun one to me!
One question: lump sum or hourly??ÿ (referring back to the recent thread....)
And, due to the prairie fire, I would think the GPS equipment would be in use, as opposed to the old Sokkia Set3 I know you own. 😉 ?ÿ
Absolutely hourly on this one. Very expensive hours.
GPS for sure as I already have a file from the adjoining section to the north where we used GPS about three years ago. That will get us started with our north section line this time. Of course, the shiny coordinates will have probably undergone a shift of 0.04 to the west southwest by now due to continental drift. Why Kansas wants to move to Colorado I have no idea.
Unfortunately, there has been no prairie fire there for a long time. Perhaps someone could start one soon. Maybe by using a magnifying lens and the sun.
May get a nosebleed from being at such a great elevation on the brow of the bluff.
Whilst looking for 1883 stones with Xs on them with such precise topo calls is absolutely great fun, I'm absolutely certain that the 0.04' movement will be inconsequential.
Of course, the shiny coordinates will have probably undergone a shift of 0.04 to the west southwest by now due to continental drift.?ÿ Why Kansas wants to move to Colorado I have no idea.
IGS or WGS84 will have changed more than that. NAD83 less than that.
Colorado sees you coming and is fleeing at a similar speed.
Tracking down the X-marked stones with no distances between them is more of a Colonial system problem.?ÿ Guessing the 1883 scribe was a relatively recent transplant from the part of the US.?ÿ Settlement had been open in this particular Section for only about a dozen years.?ÿ As this is not prime farm land, with a rocky bluff and all, it would have been among the lands taken last by settlers.?ÿ Out of the specific 80-acre tract, the area north of the Branch would be something like 15 acres and generally inaccessible for much of the year from the other 65 acres.?ÿ The access problem was exacerbated by the railroad track a few years later.
There is a large tract two miles to the south of this spot that I surveyed nearly 30 years ago.?ÿ Part of that land is only accessible by scaling rock bluffs,which means the cattle running everywhere else would never get up there and none would be up there with no water source.?ÿ Meanwhile parts of neighboring tracts have identical problems.?ÿ It makes more sense for cattle from one farm to feed on a part of the neighbor's land in one place and then allow the neighbor's cattle to feed on the other owner's pasture in another place.?ÿ That's what happens when you try to lay square and rectangular tracts on land not suited to such restrictions.
