Document - Historical information/data - The Origin of the Township Concept, page 1 -
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The origin of the township concept is credited to George Washington,
and it was developed as a method for surveying and describing newly acquired
.government land. It was first used in the area of Ohio, then still part of
the Northwest Territory. Responsibility for the government surveys lies with
the General Land Office located within the U.S. Department of the Interior.
The basic unit in this system is the "Congressional Township", containing
a six mile square area, subdivided into 36 sections of one square mile each.
The process of creating these townships begins with the establishment
of "Initial Points" for reference purposes, which are located astronomically
wherever necessary. From each Initial Point, a line is extended east and
west called the Base line and another is extended north and south
called the Principal Meridian. Survey lines are then located at six mile
intervals; those running parallel to the Base Line are referred to as
"Township Lines" and those parallel to the Principal Meridian are xefe tcc
as "Range Lines". (Because longitudinal meridians tend to converge as one
moves to the north, an adjustment has been worked into the system of surveys
so that the basic 6 mile square township unit is maintained.)
Both the township lines and range lines are numbered consecutively as
one moves away from the Initial Point. The intersection of the township
and range lines form the outline of the Congressional Townships.
The official designation of Eagan, therefore, is Township 27 North,
Range 23 West of the 4th Principal Meridian. The Base line for this is the
Illinois-Wisconsin border and the 4th Principal Meridian crosses west-central
Wisconsin:
{ Civil townships are created for the purpose of establishing local
government. These can consist of one or more Congressional Townships or any
t..
portion thereof. The Civil township of Eagan excludes section 6 and parts of
sections 5,7, and 18 of the Congressional Township, as this area lies across
the Minnesota River in Bloomington.