Infographic: The Land Ordinance of 1785
by Paul Knight. Average Reading Time: less than a minute.
This infographic shows the sequential levels of subdivision that are specified by the Land Ordinance of 1785. These levels start at the scale of a state and extend down to a township, a section, a quarter-section, and so on.
Shown within the infographic are subdivisions smaller than 10 acres. These are conjectural extensions of the system and are intended to reveal the different units of blocks and lots that are possible by using the methodology of the system. So hypothetically, if one were to take the rules of the Land Ordinance and follow them down to the smallest detail possible, one could eventually arrive at a lot 60 feet wide.
A scan of the original 1785 document can be found at the Library of Congress.
For detailed shots of this infographic, visit the Infographics section of this website.
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