The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-05-09
THE BOUNDARY OF TEXAS
Geological Survey Has Recently In
yestigated The Northwest Corner.
AN ACCURATE DETERMINATION NEEDED
Wide Variance Between the Two Monu'
ments Now in Position, Each OF Them
Claimed to Be the Correct One,


the United States geological survey, now in
press Mr. Marcus Baker gives the history
OF the northwest boundary OF Texas. The
particular part OF the Texas boundary con.
siuered' begins on the eastern bank Of the
hlo Srnnde' near FL Paso, and runs easter
on the thlrty'second parallel to the one
nunureu ana th'rd meridian; thence north
along that meridian to Its intersection with
the parallel OF 80 degrees 80 minutes, the
northwest corner Of Texas; thence eastward
on the parallel OF 80 degrees 80 minutes to
the one hun dredth meridian to its intersec.
uon with the parallel OF Red river. This
boundary except the part on the one hun.
dredth meridian, was created hy congress-
In an act approved September o, 1850 In
1885 Texas declared Itself indepcpdent of
Mexico, and on December 90, lSi6. was nd.
mitted to the Union. 1t then compr,sed
parts Of territory now Included in New
Mexico. Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado and
wyoming, In 1850 Il sold 10 the United
states for Slo0o0,o00 the territory north OF
latitude 80 degrees 80 minutes. and west
OF the one hundred and third meridian. ma
far south as latitude 30 degrees Eight
years later congress passed an act. approved
S ,na,t %, ~! ~ providing for running and
provided Tor was executed lust prior 10 the
civil war, IN the years 1859 and 1850 Mos
OF the boundary on tho one huudredth meri.
dian was surveyed and marked by the In.
dian contract surveyors, Homes ond EWNn
tn 1879. The initial monument ON the one
hundredth meridian, marking the eastern
boundary or TIE Panhandle " Texas. was
established 10y Daniel 6. Major astronomer,
and erected by Jones aud Brown. surveyors
IN lSJa. Ii is ON the north bank Of the
main Red river aud thirty chains there.
from. The original survey OF the north
west boundary or Texas was made ny the
United states aud Texas boundary commits
Sion, In 1888 and 1860. The Texas comuis-
sion, however, soon withdrew from the
work which was thereafter carried on hy
Commissioner John II. Clark. who cstal-
liShCd the northwest corner Of Texas In
September, 1859. Clark surveyed the one
hundred and third meridian from the north.
west corner OF Texas southwark FOR 1856
miles. The following year, 1850. he re-
turned 90 the work and began ON the one
hundredth meridian, whore It crosses the
canadian river, lie accepted the previous
survey by Jones and Brown on the one
hundredth meridun and prolonged their
line northward 10 its intersection with the
parallel Of SO degrees 80 minutes. The north
east corner Of the Texas Panhandle, aud
then surveyed and marked the northern
boundary Of the Panhandle After establish
Tug the northeast corner, Clark ran west
on the parallel 3G degrees 30 minutes. sur
NcNiug and erecting monuments Being
obliged "a abandon this line from lack uf
water, Clark went g the west end. the
north west corner of Texas and traced the
parallel eastward to the point where hr
had abandoned IL. In 1850 to 1855 W. s..
MaNrY, county surveyor Of Hailam. Hartley
and Oldham counties Texas rctraced the
clark line from the Canadian river north
ward and built the NIT pasture frnce In
1892 II. $ PritChett. then professor of
astronomy In Washington university st
Louis, was employed by Texas to determine
the location Of the one hundrcdlh meridian
nj its intersection with the Red river. IN
order TO obtain information Tor use hy
Texas in the famous law suit known as the
Greer county case. In 1890 Mr. Lcyi :.
Preston, United States deputy surveyor,
entered into 4 contract with the general
land office TO execute certain land surveys
in New Mexico, near the north and west
Preston was careful 10 redctermlne or re.
trace Clark's line along the northern part
Of the one hundred and third meridian, and
connect his surveys herewith, This work
he did thctwccn July II and 1s 1900. with
such Intelligence, and reported his result &
with such clcarness that much Of the doubt
and uncertainty which had long existed has
been cleared up. Starting AZ ClarkS monu-
ment 10, on the south bank q the Can
adam he surveyed nurthwnrd seventy SIX
miles, rCtraCluE Cnrks line TO the north.
louced this line thlrty-four and ouChalf
miles farther north IN its Intersection with
III" south boundary Of Colorado Also from
the northwest corner Of Tcvas, as now
locally recognized and adopted, be meas
urcd eastward 10 the Cimarron meridian
tsouth end. or Clnrk's monuments ON the
one hundred and third meridian, Preston
Identified three certainly. one douhlfully
and No. 26, the corner one, not at all Ms a
monument, hat he satisfied himself that
the present fence corner Of the pasture OF
the NIT, or Capital Land and Cattle com
pauy, is at or very near Clarks corner
monument He says
But az two miles, fourteen and hfty.siN
hnndredthS chains west OF Cmarron merid
Z 4
chains, soIth, found the northwest cor
nor Of NIT pasture fence, accepted by the
state Of Texas and Icy Dalam county,
Texas, as the northwest corner Of the
state. this northwest corner Of tho
KIT pasture fence, ! remove wire fencing
t8ke Up the corner post, which / ma stood
eighteen inches in the ground and set on
top ~ the r0ttcd stump or an old cedar
post. ENcaVntinC carefully around This old
stub, ] find the bottom Of 10 az twenty six
inches below surface OF ground, and re
move a segment Of the old post, eight
inches IN diameter and eighty incacs long,
greatly decayed and reduced almost % a
dry, pulpy ash. The dry mold and pieces
Of dccayed cedar indicated that the origi-
raj post was about ten by twelve inches in
diameter al bottom This old cedar post
could EASILY have been IN the ground more
than the eighteen years since lSs2. This
point being almost on true alignment with
The old Clark monuments set a sand
stone, sixty by twelve by ten inches, thir-
ty-siN inches 10 the ground for the north
west corner Of tho state of Texas, marked
~. W. Cor Texas" on cast; ~, M
on west; 1850 on south. and 1890" on
The cast boundary Of the Panhandle Of
Texas Is established by law 70 be that
part Of the one huudredth meridian Of west
longitude from Greenwich, included he
tween Red river and the parallel Of 30 de.
c1ccs 30 minutes This line was surveyed
| by Clark. who in June, isG0, erected a
monument TO mark H. Subsequent sur
| veys, though inconclusive, make II prob
/ able that the said Clark monument, was es-
/ tahllshed q little 10 the west-say 100 feet
more or less of the ono hundrcdth merid
| ian Hence Mr. Baker concludes the
northeast corner ~ the Panhandle should
/ be located on the parallel ~ 80 degrees
! so minutes. and about 1000 feet west OF the
| one huudredth meridian; thence Inc
shonid he drawn directly south, parable
! 60 the ope hundredih meridian. 20 point
about f0y miles soUth ~ the startln'
/ Point: thence a line about eighty mile,
/ itncl should he drawn southwark 70 Red
river. intorsccting Il NJ point $3.50 feet
/ west ~ the onc huudrcath meridian 70 con
! ffsm 10 the -hcatlou n he monument m
! ibo NORTH hank % the Rcd river. as asccr
| toincd hv Prof Pri,chctt IN 1872. The i0
! meridian ~ west longitude from Greenwich
/ was fixed hv act " congress $50, rs tht
| y csfcrn rcandary " the Panhandle n
/ Texas As has been stated. this was sur
! veved hv Clark IN 1859 I'm 1851. RicaArt
! a CLANCY. u.s. Independent Astronomical
! ohscrvationg. determined the interse 'tior
/ ~ tho one hundred and third meridian anf