The Land Ordinance of 1785, as adopted by the Continental Congress, signaled the commencement of the Rectangular Public Land Survey System as a means of dividing federally-owned land for transfer of ownership to the public. After the United States granted title to a parcel of land, jurisdiction over that land passed to the state. Where the lands were in private ownership, it became a function of county or local surveyors to restore lost corners and subdivide the sections. It is this system which the Tippecanoe County Surveyor's Office continues to perpetuate and maintain