The former Township of Griffith, now part of the Township of Greater Madawaska, lies in the southeastern corner of Renfrew County, bordered by Brudenell to the west and Hagarty to the north. Surveyed in the 1850s under Ontario’s Crown Lands settlement program, Griffith was shaped by its rugged terrain: rocky ridges, glacial tills, and isolated wetlands made traditional agriculture difficult, and many early settlers abandoned their claims within a generation.

Despite this, Griffith played a small but significant role in the lumber trade. The township’s rivers and creeks fed into the Madawaska watershed, and numerous timber licenses were granted throughout the area. Crown surveyors laid out the township in the standard concession and lot system, but significant deviations occurred in practice—particularly where road allowances were impractical due to terrain.

Surveying in Griffith Township often involves reconciling poorly monumented concession lines, interpreting early Crown field notes, and tracing timber limits rather than farm severances. Aerial photography and topographic overlays are frequently used to reconstruct original boundaries in areas where physical features or blazed trees may be the only remaining evidence.