Land records
When Michigan became a state, the entire state was surveyed. All of the southern
part of the state was already settled, but north and inland was not. Osceola County
was set off and surveyed in the late 1830s.
Michigan is organized by the Michigan meridian, a north south line drawn by a
treaty in 1810. It runs about where I-127 is from the southern border to St. Ste
Marie. The east-west boundary line is at the top of the most southern counties. All
townships are numbered from these 2 lines. Orient Township is Township 17 north
Range 8 west. Osceola County’s 16 townships are from 7 to 10 west and 17 to 20
north. Each township is 6 miles square (not 6 square miles). Each Osceola County
township has 36 sections, each is 1 square mile or 640 acres. They are numbered
from the top right to left, then back left to right and so on.
6
5
4 3
2 1
7
8 9 10 11 12
18 17 16 15 14 13
19 20 21 22 23 24
30 29 28 27 26 25
31 32 33 34 35 36
Each section is described by quarters. Each quarter is 160 acres. The SW
(southwest) ¼ of the SW 1/4 of Section 10 would be 40 acres.
Land sales began in 1820 Land was purchases a minimum of $1.25/acre in tracts 80
acres or more
1862 - Homestead Act. Allowed settlement of public lands and required only
residence and improvement and cultivation of the land. Any person, a citizen or
person intending to become a citizen, 21 years of age or older, and the head of a
household could make application. With five years residence and
improvements/cultivation, only a $15.00 fee was required to get 160 acres.
Veterans were allowed to subtract a month of residence for each month served in
the military. Repealed in 1976.
POLES, RODS, LINKS AND CHAINS:
Long Measure - 1 mile......80 chains/ 320 rods/ 5,250 feet
1 chain....4 rods or perches/ 66 feet/22 yards/100 links
1 rod.......varies from 5 1/2 yards to 8 yds./16.5 feet/ 25 links . May also be
used to describe an area equal to 1/4 of an acre.
1 link.......7.92 in./ 25 links in a rod/ 100 links or 4 yds. in a chain/ 0.66 feet
1 pole.....16.5 feet.
1 perch...16.5 feet/5.5 yds/1 rod. It is sometimes called a "pole" or a "rod".
SQUARE MEASURE:
1 sq mile......640 acres/ regular section
1 mile..........5280 ft./ 80 chains/320 rods or 8 furlongs
1 acre..........10 sq. chains/ 160 sq. rods/ 43,560 sq. ft
1 sq. rod......30 1/4 sq. yds/ 272 1/4 sq ft.
1 sq. ft.........144 sq inches
1 furlong.......660 ft./220 yds/10 chains/
1 square chain...16 square rods/ 1/10 of an acre