Gunter, an Englishman, devised of a uniform method to plot out lots of the King's land. He established a chain, Gunter's Chain, as being 66 feet. This chain was soon standardized. He decided that an acre is 10 square Gunter's Chains. Therefore, 66 ft. x 66 ft. x 10 = 43560 sq. ft.

Also, the standard right-of-way for mid-sized roads all across the U.S. is 66 feet, or 1 Gunter's Chain.

You may then ask, "Why is a mile 5280 feet?" Answer: Gunter established a mile to be 80 Gunter's Chains. Therefore, 66 ft. x 80 = 5280 ft.

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