Are You a Mapping Expert?

[Ken H.]

Any cartographers in the house? Or someone who knows mapping as a hobby?

 

The question is - Is there an easy way, or on-line resource or whatever to translate from Range, Section, township designations on old maps to latitude/longitude bearings?

 

Donna, the genealogy sleuth that she is often comes up with maps of cemeteries from the 1800s, but their locations are invariably described by section so and so in township such and such, etc. Which doesn't help much when trying to drive to them.

 

Ideas?

[Twisties]

We have a whole GIS departement, populated by degreed geopgraphers. I'll ask for you today. Get back to you this evening.

[DavidEBSmith]

Start with this brochure and this website and this one if you don't know about the Public Land Survey System.

 

And this website helps you located the meridians.

 

Then you can go to Topozone.com get topographic maps (which also show DMS if you pick the appropriate setting) or this website for the western states to convert township-range-section descriptions into lat-long coordinates.

[Ken H.]

Start with this brochure and this website and this one if you don't know about the Public Land Survey System.

 

And this website helps you located the meridians.

 

Then you can go to Topozone.com get topographic maps (which also show DMS if you pick the appropriate setting) or this website for the western states to convert township-range-section descriptions into lat-long coordinates.

Excellent! My homework for tonight. Thanks.

[Twisties]

The guys at work really didn't have an easy answer. The way they do it isn't available to you and I. They suggested something similar to David's response.

[Ken H.]

Thanks for checking.