The thirty-six sections of a township are numbered in regu lar order beginning at the northeast corner and proceeding as indicated in the foregoing diagram. Portions of a section are designated by descriptive terms. Thus, the location of a 40-acre tract of land may be described as the SE. quarter of the NW. quarter of Section 16, Township 35 North, Range 10 East of the Third Principal Meridian. This area is found in Will County near Joliet.
Surveys are made independently from each principal me ridian. Where surveys from two principal meridians come together, there are many irregularities in a narrow strip extend ing north-south. These somewhat troublesome irregularities are found in eastern Illinois, where the surveys from the second and third principal meridians meet.
Thus the indefinite boundary lines of Indian hunting grounds gave way to the precise limits set by the white man's skilled surveyor. Only so could a sparsely populated hunting region become transformed in the course of many decades into a highly prosperous, well-populated agricultural land.
Counties.—The congressional townships are too small to serve as divisions of the state for purposes of local government. The state was at first divided into a few counties. As popu lation increased, the large counties were subdivided by acts of the General Assembly until, in 1859, the present number, 102, were organized.
County lines may or may not follow the boundaries of con gressional townships. For purposes of local government the county is divided into civil townships. The civil township is a governmental unit. It may or may not coincide with the con gressional township. The civil township is Named, while the congressional township is numbered. The boundaries of civil townships do not extend across county lines, while the bound aries of congressional townships are not governed by the bound ary lines of state or county.
The map on page 12 shows the 102 counties of the state. The numbers are placed in a convenient geographical order to aid in learning the names of the counties and their proper location in the state. Table I gives the name and some impor
tant facts concerning each county. A study of the map and the table will add much to the pleasure of reading about Illinois whether in the remaining chapters of this book, in the numerous state publications, in Illinois history, or in the daily newspaper.
Illinois of today.—Illinois today has a population of at least 6,000,000. This is 150 times as many people as lived in Illinois when it was admitted to the Union in 1S1S. Its railway mile age of 12,000 miles is greater than that of any other state except Texas. Among the forty-eight states of the United States, Illinois, according to the census of 1910, ranked: First in value of farm property; value of farm crops; pro duction of corn and oats; and number of horses; Second in value of mineral products and number of hogs; Third in population; school attendance; number of foreign born; rural population; amount of improved farm land; and value of manufactures; Seventh in production of wheat and number of cattle; Eighth in production of hay and forage; Tenth in density of population and total number of farms; Twenty-third in area.
Thus Illinois, though not among the largest states of the Union, has come to rank high in many lines of production. If her resources are properly used and carefully conserved, Illinois will continue to add to her population and productive power.
The general map of Illinois is placed in the back of the book so that it may be unfolded and used for reference as the text is being read. A thorough knowledge of the legend of the map will enable the reader to determine instantly the approximate elevation of any region and the approximate population of all the towns named on the map. The State Geological Survey, Urbana, Illinois, publishes a large base map of Illinois, scaler inch to 8 miles. It may be secured at small cost. It will be of exceeding value to the reader if kept for constant reference while reading the Geography of Illinois.