Daily AncestorMeander line
A meander line is a survey line run along the bank of a lake or large river to measure the land beside it, not to mark a property boundary.
Federal surveyors did not survey across large lakes and navigable rivers. Instead they ran meander lines following the bank, which showed the shape of the shore and let them work out the acreage of the fractional sections left over.
Where a section line hit the water they set a meander corner. In original surveys meander lines were not run as boundary lines.
As seen in a recordGeneral Land Office survey field notes, 1830s
Set meander corner on left bank of Rock River, thence meander down said bank
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Daily Ancestor. "Meander line." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/legal-land/meander-line. Last checked 2026-10-10.