If the by-laws of any such corporation shall provide that the stockholders shall be entitled to select a lot on the lands of said corporation for the purpose of building thereon, it shall be the duty of the directors to cause the lands of said company to be surveyed and platted by a civil engineer, surveyor or other competent person, and to cause a true map or plat thereof to be made. Such map or plat shall in every case be made on a scale not less than 200 feet to an inch, on sheets of good muslin backed paper 18 inches by 24 inches in size. There shall be written upon the paper on which said map or plat shall be made, a full and detailed description of the land embraced in said map or plat, showing the township and range in which such land is situated, and the sections and parts of section platted and containing the name of the corporation which is the proprietor thereof, and of the engineer, surveyor or person making said map or plat with the date on which the same is made. The same shall be signed by such corporation by its president and secretary, and the engineer, surveyor or person making the same, and shall be witnessed and acknowledged by such proprietor in the same manner as deeds conveying lands are required to be witnessed and acknowledged. The sections and parts of sections platted shall also be designated by the lines drawn upon such map or plat with appropriate letters and figures, and in case of a subdivision of lots or blocks of a previous survey, the outlines of the original or previous lots or blocks so subdivided shall be designated by lines drawn upon such map or plat and shall be marked with appropriate letters and figures. There shall also be on such map or plat, a plain designation of the cardinal points and a correct scale.

     The map or plat shall be recorded in the office of the register of deeds of the county in which the land platted is situated. For the purpose of such recording, the said proprietor shall cause to be made by a civil engineer, surveyor or other competent person on the same scale and on paper of the same size and quality as that on which the original map or plat is drawn, an exact duplicate of said map or plat with the detailed description, signatures, witnesses and acknowledgment as above specified. When such map or plat shall conform or shall be made to conform in all respects to requirements of this act, the register and said engineer, surveyor or person who made the same shall each carefully compare said copy with said original map or plat, and if correct, or when made correct, it shall be certified by the said register and said engineer, surveyor or person who made the same, who shall certify that they have carefully compared the same with said map or plat and that it is an exact copy thereof and the whole of such original map or plat. The said register shall then securely fasten the said copy in the book provided by the laws of this state for the recording of town plats, and such copy so fastened in said book, shall be held and taken to be a record of the said map or plat with a like effect as if the said map or plat had been actually transcribed by said register in a book in his office, but in no case shall any such map or plat be recorded until it shall be made to conform to all the requirements of this act. The register shall certify on such map or plat when it was recorded as aforesaid with reference to the book or page where recorded, and shall note in such record, the time when made, and keep an index thereof the same as required by the laws of this state relating to township plats. The original map or plat with a certificate of record endorsed thereon, the record thereof made as aforesaid, or a properly certified transcript of such record shall be received in all courts of this state as prima facie evidence of the making and recording of such map or plat in conformity with the provisions of this act. For all service by this act required to be performed by a register of deeds in respect to any such map or plat brought into his office for record, said register shall be entitled to receive the sum of 2 dollars which shall be paid by the proprietor of the ground platted: Provided, That the making and recording of said plat in the manner aforesaid shall not operate or be construed to dedicate or surrender to the public in any manner whatsoever or any part or portion of the lands so platted: And provided further, That all streets, avenues, alleys, parks or public places laid out and designated on such plat, shall be and remain at all times for the common use, benefit and advantage of all of the stockholders of such company, and shall not be changed, vacated or altered except on a vote of 4/5 of the shares of stock of said corporation at a meeting duly called for that purpose.