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Posted by D Sherman [72.47.153.24] on Saturday, April 28, 2012 at 16:05:16 :
In Reply to: OT transaltion needed (survey language) posted by Kaegi [24.16.253.154] on Saturday, April 28, 2012 at 14:15:34 :
That's a "meets and bounds" description. Every such description SHOULD begin from a permanent monument, which in this case is the northwest corner of government lot 2. Most of the time, in the west, they go by section, quarter section, etc., which is easier to define, but sometimes you do run into this "government lot" business. It's not as bad as down in the Southwest where some of the surveys start with old Spanish land grants. I assume you know what "S22T24NR1E" means. You can find that on a USFS 1/2" to the mile map or a Metsker's map. "WM" means "Willamette Meridian", which is the baseline for most all the GLO surveys in your part of the country. Here they're referenced "BM", for "Boise Meridian".
If you really want to survey it accurately, you need to find that gov't lot 2 NW corner monument. In a built-up area, it's often in a street, with a small metal cover over it, or is at least marked with a spike in the pavement and a cross stamped on it. In undeveloped country, it could be a pipe or re-bar driven into the ground, or even a cross chiseled into rock or carvings on 4 witness trees. The county courthouse, or the state surveyor's office should have the original GLO surveyor's notes that indicate what type of monument you would be looking for.
Once you find the gov't monument, you would get on that point and sight about 1 deg west of south, which would be along the west line of the gov't lot 2 and measure 445.31 ft along that line. At that point you have the first corner of your property. You may find a stake there if you're lucky. You would then continue on south along that line 70' at which point you'd be at your next corner. Then you would sight 1 degree south of east and go 103 ft to your next corner, and then 1 deg E of N and go 70 ft, and finally 1 deg north of west and go 103 ft, and hopefully end up exactly where you started, which is called closing the survey.
You basically own a 73' X 70' lot that runs east and west, although the "long" dimension is only 3' longer than the short one. The fractional errors in the degrees represent the inaccuracy of the original survey. Land is legally described based on where the monuments really ended up, not based on how the old-time surveyors set out to do it. In rough country, section lines can have a lot of zig-zag to them.
The gov't lot 2 west line MAY be the center line of Marion Avenue, but we don't know that for certain. All we know for sure is that the west 30' of the 103'x70' lot is now part of Marion Avenue. Since there's no language about an easement or a right of way, you have NO ownership of that west 30' whatsoever.
If I was you, I'd go out to the middle of Marion Avenue, walk north 445 feet (pacing it would be close enough) and look for a survey monument embedded in the pavement. It may well be in the middle of an intersection. From there, you can take a tape or chain and (when there isn't much traffic) measure more accurately south to the projection of your north line, and then 30' east to your NW corner. You may find "lines of habitation" to help, such as fence posts, utility poles (often placed on the intersection of lot lines and street rights-of-way, etc, but they can't really be relied on.
Hopefully this long explanation makes sense. When you read a meets and bounds description, you have to go through it very literally. It helps to sketch it on paper as you read it. There is always a starting point that SHOULD be a permanent monument. If I still lived in Everett, I'd come over and help you figure this out. I'm not a licensed surveyor, but I know a bit about it and could probably "translate" and get your corners within a foot of the right place just with crude methods.
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