| Madison County, Illinois is rich with history and the profession of surveying explores the past almost daily. Whether trying to track old deed conveyances, find and decipher old maps, or attempting to determine the origin of an old roadway, surveying a parcel of land has to commence with what has happened with the land prior to the project at hand. Being knowledgeable in this history is a requirement in providing a thorough survey. After the Revolutionary War, the land of the Northwest Territory was claimed by numerous states. The newly formed Federal Government set about the task of dividing this land so it could be sold and revenue could be collected. The government began the surveys of this region in 1804, while it was still part of the Indiana Territory. Along with the surveyors came settlers and those trying to establish a new life in this land. The Illinois Territory came into existence in 1809 due to the influx of immigration into the area. This territory included all of the current State of Illinois s well as all lands north to the Canadian border. Madison County was created in 1812 and it, too, included all land North to the border with Canada. Federal surveyors were given the task of surveying the perimeter of 1 mile square parcels of land called Sections. It was left to the County Surveyors to further divide these sections into smaller tracts to be sold to settlers. |
Madison County - A Brief History
History of Surveying in Madison County
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