Convert Square Rod (US Survey) (rod² (US)) to Township (township) instantly.
About these units
Square Rod (US Survey) (rod² (US))
The US survey square rod is defined using the survey foot and differs negligibly from the international square rod. This distinction matters in legal contexts, especially when interpreting older property descriptions dating back to the 19th-century PLSS-era surveys. The unit persists primarily in legal documents and rural land records, ensuring that historical boundaries remain consistent even as measurement standards evolve.
Township (township)
A township, as used in the U.S. Public Land Survey System (PLSS), is an area equal to 36 square miles, arranged as a 6-mile × 6-mile square. It is a cornerstone unit of American land division, originating during the late 18th-century settlement of the American frontier. Townships standardized how land was surveyed and sold, allowing the federal government to systematically divide territory for settlement, homesteading, and revenue generation. They were subdivided into 36 sections, each one square mile in area. This grid-based system profoundly shaped American geography. Roads, property lines, agricultural fields, and county boundaries in much of the Midwest and West follow township geometry. Even today, PLSS townships remain legally relevant in land deeds, zoning regulations, and cadastral surveys.