"Matt Barrow" wrote in message
...

"ManhattanMan" wrote in message
...
Morgans wrote:
"buttman" wrote in message
oups.com...
On Oct 28, 10:14 am, Big John wrote:
Jay

Be sure and remind him that the fence lines run N-S and E-W in Iowa.
Great help in navigation.

Big John

Don't they run like that everywhere?

Nope. In hilly terrain, they run any-which-way.

That rules out 95% of Iowa (and the rest of the plains)...
Fence lines typically run along property lines, and since the overwhelming
majority of property lines are configured N-S and E-W, it only stands to
reason that fence lines would also, regardless of terrain.


--
Matt Barrow
Performance Homes, LLC.
Cheyenne, WY

I believe that a lot of property in the original 13 states has been
subdivided from plots that predated the grid system. A lot of the old
descriptions follow ridge lines, rivers and streams, and a lot of old roads
and trails. In any case, I can attest that landmarks along cardinal compass
points are the exception rather then the rule in the western parts of the
Carolinas and Virginia.

OTOH, magnetic north is close enough to true north in those same areas to
easily place the next waypoint/landmark in easy view. Therefore, the
hardship is not nearly so great as it might be further west.

Just my $0.02
Peter