The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1902-05-12
The TEXAS BOUNDARY
LINE BULLETIN ISSUED


OF the Northwestern boundary OF Texal
The particular part of Texas bound
airy considered begins on the eastern
bank of the Rio Grande, near El Paso
and runs easterly on the thirty-sec
end parallel to the one hundred an,
third meridian to its intersection witt
the parallel of SO degt ees. 30 minutes
the northwest corner II Texas: theme,
eastward on the 'al el of sc degrees
80 m nutes to tn. me hundredth me
ridian to its intersection with the par.
abel Of Red river. .rhis boundary
EXCEPT the part on the on, huudfedtt
meridian was created ly c. -ress ~
an act approved Septe nber 8, 1850
In 1885 Texas declared itself inde.
pendet onf Mexico, end on Decemb
29, tS45. was admitted to the union
II then comprised parts of territory
now included in New Mexico. Okla
homa, Kansas, Colorado and Wyoming
In 1850 It sold to the United States
Tor ten millions of dollars the territory
north of latitude 30 degrees 80 minutes
and west Of the one hundredth and
third meridian, as far south as lati-
tude 81 degrees. Eight years later,
congress passed an act approved June
5, 1858, providing for running and
marking this boundary. The survey
shus provided for was executed Just
pcici' to the Civil war In the years 1853
and 1860. Most Of the boundary on the
one hundredth meridian was surveyed
and marked by the Indian contract sur
veyors. Jones and Brown, in 1859. The
initial monument on the one hund-
redth meridian. marking the eastern
boundary of the Panhandle of Texas,
was established by Daniel Major.
tuoSomer, ard erected by Jones and
broSf- surveyors, In 1883. Il Is on
tfe rcrth ha TX of the main Red river
Bnd thirty chains therefr.m. 1bs
original survey of the northwest bound
airy OF Texas was made by the United
States and Texas Boundary commits
sion, in 1853 and 1860 The Texas
commission, however, soon withdrew
nom the work, which was thereafter
carried on by Commissioner John II
Clark. who established the northwest
corner Of exas in September. 1879
Clark surveyed the one hundredth and
third meridian from the northwest cor
ner Of Texas southwark for one hun
dred and fifty-six miles. The follow
ing year, 1860, he returned to the work
ana began on the one hundredth me-
rluian, where 1t crosses the Canadian
river. lie accepted the previous sur
vey by Jones and Brown on the one
hundredth meridian and prolonged
their line northward to its intersection
with the parallel OF SO degrees 80 min
dtes. the northeast corner Of the Tex
as Panhandle ana then surveyed and
marked the northern boundary OF the
panhandle. After establishing the nor
theeast corner. Clark ran west on the
parallel 80 degrees 30 minutes. survey
ing ana erecting monuments. Being
oDlged to abandon this line from lack
OF water Clark vent to the west end
the norwest corner of Texas, and traced
ehe parallel eastward to the point
where he had abandoned II. In 1882
70 1885, w. S. Mabry, county surveyor
OF Dallam. Hartley and Ildham conn
ties, Texas. retraced the Clark line
from the Canadian river nortbward
and built the KIT pasture fence In
1892, H. S. Pritchett then Professor
OF Astronomy in Washington Univer-
sity ST. Louis, was employed by Tex
as TO determine the location of the one
hundredth meridian at It's intersection
with the Red river. in order To Obtain
information for use by Texas in the
famous law suit known as the Greer
county case. In 1899 Mr. Levi S. Pres
ton, United States deputy surveyor
entered into contract with the gen
eral land Office TO execute certain land
surveys In New Mexico. near the north
and west boundaries of Texas. Among
t1rng nrafu1 n
redetermine or retrace Clarks line
along the northern part of the one
hundredth and third meridian. and
connect his surveys Herewith. This
work he did (between July II and is.
1900 with such intelligence and re-
ported his results with such clearness
tsat much OF the doubt and uncertain
~ which had long existed has been
cleared up. Starting at Clark's monu-
ment 49, on the south bank of the
Canadian, he surveyed northward
seyenty-six miles. retracing Clerks
line otthe northwestern corner of Tex
as He also prolonged this line thir-
ty-four and one-half miles farther
north to It's intersection with the south
boundary OF Colorado. Alsa from the
northwest corner OF Texas, as now loc-
ally recognized and adopted, ne meas
ured eastward 10 the Cimarron merid-
ian (south end). or Clarks monu-
ments on the one hundred and third
meridian. Preston identified centain-
~, ] doubtfully and No. 26 the corner
one, not at all as a monument, but he
satisfied himself that the present fence
corner OF the pasture OF the KIT. or
Capital Land and Cattle COmpand, is at
or very near Clark's corner monument
He says;
But at two miles. fourteen and fifty
six hundredths chains west of Cimar-
ron meridian. and five and forty-seyen
hundredths chains south, / found the
northwest corner of Wit pasture fence.
accepted by the state Of Texas and by
Dallam county. Texas. as the north
west corner OF the state. AT this
northwest corner of the KIT pasture
fence. I remove wire fencing, take mp