Government Records
The Office of Surveyor General of Minnesota, established by Act of Congress of March 3, 1857, was responsible for conducting the original government survey of the public domain in the territory and state of Minnesota.
The earliest surveys of land in Minnesota were conducted under the jurisdiction of the Surveyor General of Iowa and Wisconsin, headquartered at Dubuque, Iowa. These surveys, completed between 1848 and May, 1857, were primarily on land located between the St. Croix and Mississippi rivers or in the southeastern corner of Minnesota. After the establishment of the Office of Surveyor General of Minnesota, copies of the field notes, plats, and other records relevant to these surveys were transferred from Dubuque to St. Paul.
The Office of Surveyor General of Minnesota continued in operation until December, 1907, when the survey of Minnesota was essentially complete. After 1907 the commissioner of the U.S. General Land Office served, ex officio, as Surveyor General of Minnesota, and handled any requisite surveying activities and questions. A congressional act of 1940 provided that the records of the Office of Surveyor General of Minnesota be turned over to the Minnesota secretary of state.
A more detailed history and origin of the Public Land Survey Systen in Minnesota and the United States is available on the web:
Each entry includes range, township and section numbers, with description and completion date. Included are sets of surveys for the Grand Portage Indian Reservation and the Superior Natural Forest and correspondence and notices regarding the filing of land survey plats with the Secretary of State by the U. S. Bureau of Land Management (1973-2008).
Organized in two sections:
Within each section, the records are arranged by 5th Principal Meridian and 4th Principal Meridian. Within each meridian, the arrangement is by range, township and section numbers.
Accession numbers: 2009-60; 2011-39; 2011-72; 2012-26; 2012-36; 2013-69; 2015-26; 2016-30
Catalog ID number: 007623175
Duplicate copy filed under Range 35W.
Duplicate copy filed under Range 34W.
Regarding the filing of the land survey plats with the Secretary of State by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.