Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-04-05
1T GOES TO new MEXICO.
A Decision on "a IA Square Miles
West OF Beaver County, 0. T.
The Interior Department Holds That The
Meridian Two aud One Half Miles East
of the Old Line Is the Western
Boundary Of Oklahoma.
(Kansas City Starr

many persons supposed was a part of
Oklahoma, really belongs to New Next
co. The strip is thirty-four and a half
miles long north and south, which is
the width Of Beaver county, and two
and a half miles wide, making an area
of eighty-four and one-quarter square
miles 1t is bounded on the west by
Union county, N. M. At one time this
strip ran farther south, between Texas
and New Mexico, but all that below the
south line of Beaver county became
part Of Texas. Texline, Tex, and the
seat of Dallam county are within this
strip.
In this strip, west of Beaver county
ty actual settlers and voters, with a
personal property valuation Of about
$15,0 900. County officers in Union coun-
ty, N. NJ, have been claiming that this
land was attached to Union county for
judicial purposes, and have sought to
enforce the collection of taxes. Some of
the settlers were uncertain whether
New Mexico or Oklahoma had juris-
diction, and, in any event, wanted the
strip annexed to Beaver county. To
learn definitely what their rights were
a communication was addressed to the
general land Office. The reply which
has just been made is interesting, both
legally and historically, and is given
in substance as follows:
"The act of congress creating the ter
ritory of New Mexico made the merid-
ian Of 1903 degrees west longitude from
Greenwich the eastern boundary lines
between Texas and New Mexico and be-
tween Texas and the public lands of the
United States from the Tooth to the 10Sd
meridians (north boundary Of Texas)
were established by John H. Clark,
United States commissioner, in 1859, I'M
der the provisions of the act of congress
approved June 5, 1858.
By the act of March, 8, 1891, it was
provided that: "The boundary line be-
tween said public land strip and Texas,
and between Texas and New Mexico,
established under act Of June 5, 1858, is
hereby confirmed"
The evident intent of this confirma-
ton "a to ratify by congressional en-
actment the location longitudinally of
the Clark determination Of the west
boundary Of Texas, and the location lat
itudinally of the same determination Of
the north boundary of that part of Tex
as, and it is not intended to govern the
location Of the line between the public
land strip and the territory of New
Mexico.
The tract of land formerly known as
the public land strip" and locally as
"No Mans Land" lies between rhe Tooth
and 103d meridians of west longitude
from Greenwich, and between the par
allels Of SO degrees and 30 minutes and
81 degrees of north latitude. This tract
now forms a part of the Territory Of
Congress having provided for the ex-
tension of the public surveys over the
land strip, a contract was enter
ed into by the general land Office in
with Richard o. CLANCY and W.
W. Smith, to execute the survey of the
necessary standard and township lines.
The instructions to the surveyors re-
quired them to establish the Cimar-
ron meridian or west boundary Of the
land strip, on the 103d meridian,
and they were instructed to make a new
determination of longitude for this pur-
pose. The necessary astronomical OBJ
servations were conducted at Las AMI
mas, Col, and the longitude having
been determined, the Cimarron merid-
ian was surveyed from the parallel of
36 degrees and 80 minutes to the paral-
lei of 81 degrees north latitude on the
1881 meridian as determined by them.
It appears that the determination by
CLANCY and Smith places the line ABOUT
two and one-half miles further east
than the determination of the 103d me-
ridian made by Commissioner Clark.
In other words, if the Clark line were
north, from the northwest
it would interest the Colorado line
It would ~interestc the Colorado line
two and one-half miles farther
west than the point determined by Cha
ney and Smith, as the intersection Of the
1O3d meridian with the parallel of 81
degrees north latitude, and the strip in
question lies between the CLANCY and
Smith line and a line corresponding to
the Clark line extended.
There has been no formal declaration
by law making the Cimarron meridian
as established by CLANCY and Smith,
the boundary between Oklahoma and
New Mexico, but as the meridian was
under official instructions
and the longitude determined by APP
proved modern methods, it is regarded
by the general land Office as the proper
boundary between Oklahoma and New
Mexico, notwithstanding the fact that
the line falls farther east than the me-
ridian established by Clark, which, un-
der the law, forms the boundary line be-
tween Texas and New Mexico.
ma Mans Land was for many years
the Jurisdiction of federal or
state government, and 1t seems remark
able at this day, after the seemingly
successful struggles by its Inhabitants
to change their alien condition, that
there should still be a part of this land
with its allegiance questioned.