Bygone Maps

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Paul Cauthorn | © 2026

View historical survey data layered over modern maps. Includes Oregon surveys, donation land claims, and Arkansas GLO plats.

  • Arkansas Survey (GLO): Historical General Land Office plats for Arkansas provided by the Arkansas GIS Office.
  • Original Oregon Surveys: Conducted by the General Land Office starting in 1851, these surveys continued into the 1880s. Teams of surveyors used chains, compasses, and field notes to divide the land into townships and sections, establishing the foundation for property boundaries that persist today.
  • Oregon Donation Land Claims (DLC): These maps originate from the Donation Land Claim Act of 1850, which encouraged settlement in the Oregon Territory by granting land to settlers. Surveyed primarily between 1850 and 1862, they document the claims of over 7,000 settlers.
  • Oregon Diagram: "A Diagram of Oregon" was created by the U.S. General Land Office in 1859. It was lithographed by J. Bien and published in Salem under the oversight of Surveyor General W.W. Chapman.