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Florida Geographer

College

Science

Department

Geosciences

Keywords

Land Boundary Information System (LABINS), GLO, survey, plat, PLSS, Land Ordinance of 1785, Public Land Survey System (PLSS), General Land Office (GLO) surveys, Florida, cadastral surveying, township-and-section system, Indigenous dispossession, historical ecology, landscape reconstruction, Florida land-use history, geospatial archives (LABINS)

Document Type

Article

Abstract

The Land Ordinance of 1785 established the rectangular township-and-section survey system that became the foundation of the Public Land Survey System (PLSS), enabling the United States government to systematically map, divide, and sell western lands as the nation expanded. By imposing a standardized, federally controlled grid, the PLSS facilitated orderly settlement, taxation, and land markets while consolidating state and federal authority over territory. However, this system prioritized administrative efficiency over local geography and existing land tenure, contributing to Indigenous dispossession, ecological distortion, and survey inaccuracies whose effects persist in modern land records. The original field notes and survey plats produced under the PLSS document Florida’s landscapes at the time of U.S. survey, recording vegetation, soils, hydrology, and land use prior to large-scale Euro-American development. Conducted by the General Land Office (GLO), these surveys captured detailed observations of terrain, water features, soils, and vegetation, providing a valuable snapshot of the state’s historical environment. This paper examines the enduring significance of PLSS and GLO records, highlighting their relevance for ecological restoration, historical and archaeological research, legal boundary resolution, and genealogical inquiry. It further demonstrates how researchers, educators, and the public can access these materials through Florida’s Land Boundary Information System (LABINS.org), a digital archive funded by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Together, the PLSS framework and associated survey documentation provide a key resource for understanding historical land conditions and ownership patterns across Florida.

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