History of surveying in the United States facts for kids
Have you ever wondered how maps are made or how property lines are drawn? That's the job of a surveyor! Surveying is all about carefully measuring and mapping land. In the early days of the United States, surveying was super important. It helped map huge, unknown areas and even plan cities like Washington, D.C.. Many famous people, including some presidents, were involved in this important work.
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Presidents Who Were Surveyors
George Washington: A Founding Surveyor
George Washington is famous for being the first president of the U.S. But did you know he was also a founding surveyor of Virginia? When he was just 11, he inherited a place called Ferry Farm. Instead of joining the Royal Navy, young George went to school to study surveying and geometry.
He started surveying at 17, learning from Joshua Fry. He became the county surveyor for Culpeper County, Virginia. By the time of the French and Indian War, he had already mapped much of northern Virginia. This knowledge helped him a lot during the war. Over his life, he surveyed many pieces of land. He also bought and sold land, owning about 65,000 acres! During the Revolutionary War, he even appointed the first mapmaker for the Continental Army, Robert Erskine.
Surveying the New Capital: Washington, D.C.
Surveying wasn't just for rich landowners. The whole new country needed to be mapped, especially the new capital city. This city would be named after George Washington. In 1791, a special two-person team surveyed the area that became the District of Columbia.
One of these important surveyors was Benjamin Banneker. He was a free man and a former slave. Banneker taught himself to read, write, and do math. He became a leading astronomer, mathematician, clock maker, and surveyor. The other surveyor was Andrew Ellicott. He did many important surveys and later helped Lewis and Clark plan their famous journey.
Thomas Jefferson: Mapping the West
Before the U.S. became independent, Thomas Jefferson and his father, Peter Jefferson, were land surveyors for the king. Back then, surveyors used a system called "metes and bounds." This system used natural things like rocks or trees as markers for property lines. The problem was, these markers could disappear or change over time.
Because of this, Thomas Jefferson helped create a new system called the Public Land Survey System. If you look at maps today, you can see the difference. Counties in eastern states often have irregular shapes. But counties in the Midwest are usually square or rectangular because of this new system.
After the Revolutionary War, the U.S. needed money. Jefferson started selling land in the Northwest Territory. This land was surveyed using the new rectangular system. Later, Jefferson convinced Congress to buy a huge amount of land from Napoleon. This was the Louisiana Purchase. Because Jefferson loved nature, he organized the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Andrew Ellicott taught Lewis and Clark how to use a sextant to map their location. They traveled from Wood River, Illinois all the way to the Pacific Ocean, mapping the wilderness.
Abraham Lincoln: A Surveyor's Journey
Abraham Lincoln arrived in New Salem, Illinois in 1831. After losing an election in 1832, he was offered a job as a deputy surveyor by John Calhoun. There was a lot of land that needed to be re-surveyed, so Lincoln was busy!
As a deputy surveyor, Lincoln mapped five towns, four roads, and thirty properties. One of the first towns he planned was Huron, which was never built. The last town he mapped was New Boston, Illinois, located where the Iowa River meets the Mississippi River. Lincoln didn't get paid much for his work. In fact, his surveying tools were taken and sold to pay his debts. But a friend named Jimmy Short secretly bought them back and returned them to Lincoln. Years later, when Lincoln was president, he helped Short by making him an Indian Agent.
Surveying Shapes the Nation
Over the 1800s, land surveying in America changed a lot. It went from being a job for important people connected to the government to a practical public service. Surveying helped the country expand westward across the continent. The Public Land Survey System was key in mapping these new private lands. Other groups, like the United States Survey of the Coast, mapped federal lands.
Eventually, each state took over managing the surveying of land within its own borders. This system is still used today. Surveying has played a huge role in how the United States grew and how our land is organized.
