Our Public Land Heritage

The availability of public lands played a crucial role in the settling of the United States. The General Land Office was established in 1812 to oversee these lands There were many district land offices in public land states. Public lands were surveyed using a rectangular survey system rather than metes and bounds that are used here in Tennessee. Today the Bureau of Land Management handles tasks once performed by the GLO. They have created a beautifully illustrated time line which can be found in government documents at I 53.2:H 42/5 that shows the history of Our Public Land Heritage.