Surveying has ancient origins. Whether it be Egyptian (laying out of the pyramids), early colonial or modern-day, the division of land and marking of boundary corners has been an essential part of society. Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln were all land surveyors. The rectangular system, used in Colorado and other western states, is based on the Public Land Survey System proposed by President Thomas Jefferson. In this system, the land is divided into 6 mile square grids called townships, and further divided into 1 mile square grids called sections. Slight corrections must be made as you head north-south and east-west because of the spherical nature of the earth.
Since the time of Thomas Jefferson, technology has made it possible to get highly accurate data for any point on the earth. Modern land surveyors do "detective work", using their best judgement based on experience, education and the laws of the land to reconcile the past with the present and in establishing new property lines. They follow in the steps of the original surveyor to retrace, re-survey and restore the original corners, an important factor in the investigation of resolving boundaries.
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