210 CHAPTER 8

The Northwest Territory

The Theodolite The theodolite is a surveying tool. It consists of atelescope that can be moved from side to side and up and down. Atheodolite measures angles anddetermines alignment. Thesefunctions are necessary for landsurveyors to establish accurate boundaries for land claims.

REGION AND HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION

Township MapCongress reserved several plots (outlinedon map) for specialpurposes. A few wereset aside for later sale to raise money for thegovernment. One plotwas reserved to supporta local school.

0

0

250 Miles

500 Kilometers

36 Miles

90°W

85°W

80°W

75°W

45°N

40°N ( ILLINOIS) (INDIANA) (OHIO)

(MICHIGAN)

(WISCONSIN)

(MINNESOTA)

NORTHWEST TERRITORY

QUEBEC

SPANISHPOSSESSIONS

WESTVIRGINIA

PA.

(OHIO)

O

hio

Riv

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M

ississippi

River

LakeSuperior

LakeHuron

Lake Erie

Lak

eM

ichi

gan

Ohio Riv

er

Future stateboundaries shown.

The Northwest Territory was officially known as “the Territory Northwest ofthe River Ohio.” In the mid-1780s, Congress decided to sell the land in the ter-ritory to settlers. The sale of land solved two problems. First, it provided cashfor the government. Second, it increased American control over the land.

The Land Ordinance of 1785 outlined how the land in the NorthwestTerritory would be divided. Congress split the land into grids with clearlydefined boundaries. It created townships that could be divided into sections,as shown on the map below. Each township was six miles by six miles. Thiswas an improvement over earlier methods of setting boundaries. Previously,people had used rocks, trees, or other landmarks to set boundaries. Therehad been constant fights over disputed claims.

Each township contained 36sections. Each section wasone square mile.

The Land Ordinance of 1785

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Confederation to Constitution 211

CONNECT TO GEOGRAPHY1. Region What was the land in

the Northwest Territory likebefore Americans settled there?

2. Human-EnvironmentInteraction How did Americansettlers affect the landscape inthe territory?

See Geography Handbook, pages 4–5.

CONNECT TO HISTORY3. Making Inferences Why did

so many people buy land in thenew territory?

The Ohio Historical Societyis located in Columbus, Ohio. Itmaintains a Web site called OhioHistory Central that includesinformation on the Ohio portion of the Northwest Territory.

For more about the Northwest Territory . . .

RESEARCH LINKSCLASSZONE .COM

The first things settlers needed werefood and shelter. Cutting treesprovided fields for crops and wood forlog cabins. The first crop most farmersplanted was corn. Even if the land wasnot fully cleared of trees, farmersplanted corn between the stumps.

A shortage of labor meant that afarmer working alone was doing well if he cleared several acres a year. As aresult, few farms were completely fenced in, and forest covered most ofthe property. Hogs were allowed tofind food in the woods. Farmerscollected apples from trees and usedsap to make syrup.

Over time, families planted fruits andvegetables. Cattle raising also becamemore common. Beef cattle suppliedfamilies with meat. Dairy cattleprovided milk. Families could sell extrafruits, vegetables, and dairy products,such as butter and cheese.

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