Harrisonville dates from the era of American domination. It was laid out in 1808, and named for William Henry Harrison, the governor of Indiana Territory, which then included Illinois. It was, in early days, the county town.
[069] Ample information on the subject of land titles, is contained in Stoddart's Sketches of Louisiana, pages 243-267.—James.
[070] The statement here is not accurate. Marquette's descent of the Mississippi was just one hundred and fifty years earlier, and the French settlements in Illinois date from the beginning of the eighteenth century; while Ste. Geneviève, the first in Missouri, was not established before 1732.—Ed.
[071] Herculaneum, laid out in 1808, was another of the now extinct river towns. It was thirty miles below St. Louis, and was at one time seat of Jefferson County.—Ed.
[072] A township is a square, whose sides (limited by true meridians and parallels to the equator) are each 6 miles in length: area 36 square miles, or sections, each containing 640 acres. Each township contains 23,040 acres. A quarter-section is a square whose sides (bounded by meridians and parallels), are each half a mile, and contain 160 acres. The corners of each section are distinctly marked by the United States' deputy-surveyors. The sections are numbered from 1 to 36, beginning at the N. E. corner of the township, and going from right to left, to the N. W. corner; and then returning from left to right to the east boundary of the township, and so on.
The act of February 22. 1817, authorizes the sale, in half quarter sections, or (80 acres) of the sections 2, 5, 20, 23, 30, 33, of each township. The subdivision of the quarter section is made by true meridians.
The section No. 16. in every township, is by law reserved for the support of schools; the S. E. corner of that section is the centre of each township. More than 60 million acres of United States' land, have already been surveyed:— 1⁄36 of 60 millions is 1,666,666 acres, reserved by law for the support of schools. The section No. 16. will unquestionably be reserved in all future surveys and disposals of public lands.
For colleges and seminaries of a higher grade, thirteen whole townships have already been granted by the United States to Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, &c. Thirteen townships are equal to 299,520 acres.
By section 2. of the act of April 18. 1806, relative to Tennessee, 200,000 acres are in that state reserved for colleges and academies.
The reservations for schools, colleges, &c. are—