The Initial Point of the Public Land Surveys of the Sixth Principal Meridian

The Initial Point of the Public Land Surveys of the Sixth Principal Meridian. . , The Kansas-Nebraska Act of May 30, 1854 created the territories of Nebraska and Kansas, which had to be surveyed before settlement of the prairies could proceed. On May 8, 1855 Charles A. Manners set a cast iron monument on the bluff west of the Missouri River at 40 degrees north latitude., In 1855-56 Manners surveyed westward from the cast iron monument 108 miles establishing the base line, the boundary between Kansas and Nebraska and the Initial Point of the Sixth Principal Meridian. This Initial Point, a red sandstone which lies under the manhole behind you, controls the system of sections, townships and ranges of the public land surveys in Nebraska, Kansas, and parts of Colorado, Wyoming and South Dakota. This Initial Point is referenced in all ownership records throughout the system., On June 11, 1987 the Professional Surveyors of the 6th P.M. dedicated the memorial on your left. The memorial is made of Colorado red granite with Wyoming and Nebraska rubble stone. Each side of the cap contains a state name, date of statehood and the logo of each state's professional surveying association.