PLSS Mapping made easy!

OK, who here hasn’t run into this problem:

I’m researching an ancestor and run into a Missouri Land Patent.  The Range, Township and Section are dutifully noted in the Public Land Survey System (PLSS) format:

The NorthWest fractional quarter of section fourteen in township forty of Range twenty three West in the district of lands subject to sale at Springfield Missouri containing one hundred and twenty three acres and thirty nine hundredths of an acre.

Until a recent discovery of mine, I would take that description, take it to an old plat map, find out where it was and then transfer the location to a new map where I could find latitude & longitude.

Not any more . . .

The people at Cares (http://www.cares.missouri.edu/) have made my life SO much easier!

Do yourself a favor, and go take a look.

Start by clicking the Interactive Maps link at the top of the page.

Click Township/Range/Section

Follow the prompts and look at the maps!  There is even a tool that will let you get the latitude/longitude of any point on the map!

Click on these links to Google Map the locations:

Foster, Samuel – Township: T42N  Range: R27W  Section: 12

Foster, Samuel – Township: T42N  Range: R27W  Section: 12

Foster, Samuel – Township: T42N  Range: R27W  Section: 12

Foster, Norborn – Township: T42N  Range: R24W  Section: 35

Foster, William – Township: T41N  Range: R24W  Section: 34

Foster, William – Township: T41N  Range: R24W  Section: 33

Foster, William – Township: T41N  Range: R24W  Section: 29

Foster, William – Township: T41N  Range: R24W  Section: 28

Foster, Norborn – Township: T41N  Range: R24W  Section: 2

Foster, Adrian W – Township: T41N  Range: R23W  Section: 36

Foster, James – Township: T41N  Range: R23W  Section: 34

Foster, Adrian W – Township: T41N  Range: R23W  Section: 25

Foster, Adrian W – Township: T41N  Range: R23W  Section: 25

Foster, Adrian W – Township: T41N  Range: R23W  Section: 25

Foster, Adrian W – Township: T41N  Range: R23W  Section: 24

Foster, Adrian W – Township: T41N  Range: R23W  Section: 24

Foster, Adrian W – Township: T41N  Range: R22W  Section: 19

Foster, Paris E – Township: T41N  Range: R20W  Section: 26

Foster, Malcom G – Township: T40N  Range: R24W  Section: 35

Foster, John P – Township: T40N  Range: R24W  Section: 31

Foster, Robert P – Township: T40N  Range: R24W  Section: 31

Foster, Robert P – Township: T40N  Range: R24W  Section: 30

Foster, John – Township: T40N  Range: R24W  Section: 29

Foster, Robert – Township: T40N  Range: R23W  Section: 9

Foster, James – Township: T40N  Range: R23W  Section: 9

Foster, James – Township: T40N  Range: R23W  Section: 9

Foster, William – Township: T40N  Range: R23W  Section: 8

Foster, John – Township: T40N  Range: R23W  Section: 5

Foster, John – Township: T40N  Range: R23W  Section: 4

Foster, William D – Township: T40N  Range: R23W  Section: 4

Foster, Robert P – Township: T40N  Range: R23W  Section: 4

Foster, William D – Township: T40N  Range: R23W  Section: 4

Foster, John P – Township: T40N  Range: R23W  Section: 3

Foster, John P – Township: T40N  Range: R23W  Section: 3

Foster, John P – Township: T40N  Range: R23W  Section: 3

Foster, William – Township: T40N  Range: R23W  Section: 3

Foster, James – Township: T40N  Range: R23W  Section: 14

Foster, John – Township: T40N  Range: R23W  Section: 13

Foster, John – Township: T40N  Range: R22W  Section: 17

Foster, James A – Township: T40N  Range: R21W  Section: 6

Foster, Adin M – Township: T39N  Range: R25W  Section: 5

Foster, Mary A – Township: T39N  Range: R23W  Section: 25

Foster, Robert D – Township: T39N  Range: R23W  Section: 13

Foster, Wilson C – Township: T39N  Range: R23W  Section: 13

Foster, Thomas D – Township: T39N  Range: R22W  Section: 30

Foster, Thomas D – Township: T39N  Range: R22W  Section: 30

Foster, Daniel D – Township: T37N  Range: R28W  Section: 11

Foster, Daniel D – Township: T37N  Range: R28W  Section: 11

Foster, Daniel D – Township: T37N  Range: R28W  Section: 11

Foster, William – Township: T37N  Range: R28W  Section: 10

OK, those are interesting, but still not too illuminating.  But try this:

http://www.communitywalk.com/ElectricFoster

Cool stuff!