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Wisconsin Public Land Survey Records : Original Field Notes and Plat Maps
The field notes and plat maps of the public land survey of Wisconsin are a valuable resource for original land survey information, as well as for understanding Wisconsin's landscape history. The survey of Wisconsin was conducted between 1832 and 1866 by the federal General Land Office. This work established the township, range and section grid; the pattern upon which land ownership and land use is based. The survey records were transferred to the Wisconsin Board of Commissioners of Public Lands after the original survey was completed. Since that time, these records have been available for consultation at the BCPL's office in Madison, as hand-transcriptions, and more recently on microfilm. Now, they are being made available via the internet as electronic images.
Wisconsin Public Land Survey Records : Original Field Notes and Plat Maps Sample items in the collection
![[Public Land Survey System map: Wisconsin Township 40 North, Range 12 East]](https://asset.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/4KHB75H4N33N787/M/h300-4c7e9.jpg)
![[Public Land Survey System map: Wisconsin Township 24 North, Range 13 West]](https://asset.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/SXYIJIMFMKH5W8J/M/h300-b6590.jpg)
![[Public Land Survey System map: Wisconsin Township 38 North, Range 20 West]](https://asset.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/EBMLBYMXDN35P8U/M/h300-9894e.jpg)
![[Public Land Survey System map: Wisconsin Township 02 North, Range 04 East]](https://asset.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/AFKIGMB4GUGRZ9B/M/h300-9c631.jpg)
![[Public Land Survey System map: Wisconsin Township 39 North, Range 04 West]](https://asset.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/JHTD4Y7WN4UFS8P/M/h300-d7c7a.jpg)
![[Public Land Survey System map: Wisconsin Township 04 North, Range 16 East]](https://asset.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/E6T7Y2CIUWQMV8B/M/h300-1c199.jpg)
![[Public Land Survey System map: Wisconsin Township 40 North, Range 15 East]](https://asset.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/JKWWNBAGOCI228C/M/h300-c1f13.jpg)
![[Public Land Survey System map: Wisconsin Township 28 North, Range 04 East]](https://asset.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/J4TXY4QGKCZL28A/M/h300-89a3a.jpg)
![[Public Land Survey System map: Wisconsin Township 23 North, Range 08 East]](https://asset.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/BW4CZR5NIDROM82/M/h300-f985f.jpg)
![[Public Land Survey System map: Wisconsin Township 40 North, Range 13 East]](https://asset.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/6UAWLXMR2HXBQ8Q/M/h300-d98eb.jpg)
![[Public Land Survey System map: Wisconsin Township 41 North, Range 15 West]](https://asset.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/IKJKVUSYJ5L6I8D/M/h300-be228.jpg)
![[Public Land Survey System map: Wisconsin Township 34 North, Range 17 East]](https://asset.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/TURNRDO4AZ65R9C/M/h300-31f84.jpg)
![[Public Land Survey System map: Wisconsin Township 28 North, Range 25 East]](https://asset.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/7SJ7GGN5K3ON68C/M/h300-f6e8d.jpg)
![[Public Land Survey System map: Wisconsin Township 04 North, Range 17 East]](https://asset.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/NS7VGOMJ5IJJ684/M/h300-bb741.jpg)
![[Public Land Survey System map: Wisconsin Township 14 North, Range 15 East]](https://asset.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/A6ZDNMQEYPM5O8N/M/h300-52281.jpg)
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Copyright © Wisconsin Board of Commissioners of Public Lands, and the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents.
These images may be copied by individuals or organizations for personal use, research or other purposes defined as "fair use" under applicable copyright laws. Anyone interested in making further use of these images or records, including commercial use, should contact the Wisconsin Board of Commissioners of Public Lands for permission.
Images, text, or other content downloaded from the collection may be freely used for non-profit educational and research purposes, or any other use falling within the purview of "Fair Use".
This website may be linked to other non-commercial, non-subscription websites created for educational and/or research purposes. Anyone creating such a link is asked to inform the Wisconsin Board of Commissioners of Public Lands at BCPL.Info@wisconsin.gov.
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