The Corner Restoration Program

The Corner Restoration Program remonuments and maintains all of the U.S. Public Land Survey Corners in Benton County. These corners were originally established under the federal system of making land surveys and cannot be moved. If the monument is missing or does not meet our current standards, we will set a brass disc in an iron pipe. We will also make sure the required number of accessories are in place, so the corner monument can be reset if it is disturbed or displaced. This program has no intention of altering any property lines.

The federal system of making these land surveys dates back to the Land Ordinance of 1785, when Congress approved the system of rectangular surveys for the location and disposal of public lands.

This system divided the land into townships of about six miles square and subdivided each township into 36 sections of about 640 acres each.

In September of 1850, Congress passed an act for the Oregon territory, which granted land and provided surveys to settlers who preceded the rectangular system. These grants are called Donation Land Claims. This act protected the property rights of the settlers until they received title to the land they claimed.

In 1851 the Willamette Meridian was established by James Freeman, a surveyor under contract to the federal government.

Every description of real property in Washington and Oregon is based on the Public Land Survey Corners established on and from this meridian.

BentonMaps can be used to search for information about these Public Land Survey Corners.
BentonMaps

If you have any questions, please call the Benton County Surveyor's Office at 541-766-6821.