History and Duties of the General Land Office

The General Land Office, or GLO, was a United States government agency responsible for public domain lands throughout the country. Created in 1812, it took over the surveying duties that had already begun in 1785 with the Public Land Survey System. This system was used to survey western lands, including those that were included in the Louisiana Purchase. Once surveyed, the lands were platted and sold.

During the time the General Land Office was in existence, thousands of acres of public lands were sold off as Americans moved westward. They had the responsibility for surveying the land prior to sale, managing the land while it remained in federal possession, and disposing of these public lands through the Homestead Act and other policies.

The General Land Office's best-known project, the Public Land Survey System (or PLSS) was used to survey the rural and undeveloped land found west of established cities during the nineteenth century. Before being sold, this land was surveyed and then split into townships. The Public Land Survey System nearly always created rectangular townships, which is why it is sometimes called the rectangular survey system. This massive undertaking was the first such survey conducted across any modern country.

The General Land Office's surveying actions were necessary because much of the land under federal ownership, particularly that lying to the west of established civilization, had not yet been surveyed. Though the government was ready to sell or give this land to potential settlers, it is difficult to give away land when it is not known how much of it exists, and potential settlers wanted to know what the land looked like before traveling west to settle there. Homesteading depended in the Public Land Survey System, which provided the basis for assigning particular areas of land to settlers.

As part of its duties, they described the methods used for PLSS surveys in manuals. Today, these guidelines are still in use by the Bureau of Land Management, the successor of the GLO, for their surveying activities.

Between 1820 and 1908, the General Land Office created survey plats of public lands. These surveys are currently available to the public on the Bureau of Land Management website. The BLM Geographic Coordinates Database (GCDB) program is currently working to match these surveys with exact geographic coordinates.

The General Land Office was instrumental not only in selling off public lands, but also in preserving them. In 1891, forest reserves of nearly 18 million acres were created to conserve timber lands. Once created by the General Land Office, management was then transferred to the Forest Service, a newly created agency under the Department of Agriculture.

By the early twentieth century, most public lands administered by the General Land Office had been sold off through the Homestead Act and other policies. The focus then shifted to land conservation, as the GLO began issuing leases, collecting mineral fees, and other duties. The General Land Office continued to oversee these activities until it became the Bureau of Land Management in 1946. This office continued to oversee public lands, of which 264 million acres still remained in federal ownership, but no longer sold or gave away public lands as the agency once had.

We at Point to Point Land Surveyors pride ourselves on accuracy, customer service and quality work delivered on time, guaranteed. Residential land surveys are a specialty.

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