Ordinance of 1785

he Ordinance of 1785 is the first of three early documents that established a legal tradition for federal ownership of lands. The ordinance fixed a minimum price for public land and established the rectangular system of survey and its 36 square-mile grids -- a system that remains in use to this day. This ordinance also provided that each state would receive ownership of section 16 in every township in order to support schools.

Source:
"Public Lands, States' Rights, and the National Forests" by Dennis M. Roth, The Forest Service History Line, Fall 1980 (History Section, USDA-FS).