The intersecting of the range lines and the township lines establish the boundaries for 6-mile by 6-mile squares called townships.

[scroll down for additional text]

The 6-mile by 6-mile square shown in the circle to the left is called a township.

This township's location would be described as:

Township 3 South, Range 3 West ...

... because the township is 3 rows South of the Base Line and 3 columns west of the Principal Meridian.