In an effort to employ unskilled labor and to create a comprehensive source of information about real and personal estates, the Rural Property Inventory was established in 1935 by the State Tax Commission in cooperation with the Works Progress Administration. Employing about 2,000 white collar workers, the inventory was designed to prepare detailed descriptions of all 1,500,000 distinct parcels of land in the rural parts of Michigan (excluding Wayne County). Cards were created for each piece of property, providing such information as description, ownership, utilization, and improvements. 1,249 townships were surveyed before the project ended in 1942.
From the description of Rural property inventory, Raber Township, Chippewa County (Mich.), 1938. (State Archive of Michigan). WorldCat record id: 50096759
