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“Federal Land Patents offer researchers a source of information on the initial transfer of land titles from the Federal government to individuals. In addition to verifying title transfer, this information will allow the researcher to associate an individual (Patentee, Assignee, Warrantee, Widow, or Heir) with a specific location (Legal Land Description) and time (Issue Date). We have a variety of Land Patents on our site, including Cash Entry, Homestead and Military Warrant patents.” Land Patents are found in all states except Hawaii.

Survey plats are part of the official record of a cadastral survey. Surveying is the art and science of measuring the land to locate the limits of an owner’s interest thereon. A cadastral survey is a survey which creates, marks, defines, retraces or re-establishes the boundaries and subdivisions of Federal Lands of the United States. The survey plat is the graphic drawing of the boundaries involved with a particular survey project, and contains the official acreage to be used in the legal description. Survey plats are for the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, DC, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Lousiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Field notes are the narrative record of the cadastral survey. They are written in tabular format and contain the detailed descriptions of entire survey process including the instrumentation and procedures utilized, calling all physical evidence evaluated in the survey process, and listing all of the individuals who participated in the work. Field notes are for the same states as Survey plats: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, DC, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Lousiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Land Status Records are used by BLM Western State Offices to document the ongoing state of a township’s Federal and private land regarding title, lease, rights, and usage. These documents include Master Title Plats, which are a composite of all Federal surveys for a township. Other Land Status Records include Use Plats, Historical Indices, and Supplemental Plats. Land Status records are for the following states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, North Dakota, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Utah.

The Control Document Index includes BLM documents that affect or have affected the control, limitation, or restriction of public land and resources. CDI documents include public laws, proclamations, and withdrawals. CDI documents have been kept on microfilm since the 1950’s, but are now being scanned and linked to existing data records from BLM’s LR2000 database. Control Document Index documents are for the following states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

Here’s a pinnable image to save for future reference.

US Federal Land Records–Bureau of Land Management