Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1921-02-24
BOUNDARY LINE EXPLAINED.
A. S. Sallcy Tells Why Fort Mill Is In
South Carolina.

South Carolina.
A. S. Salley. secretary Of the South
Carolina historical commission, has
furnished The Times with n copy OF
the following letter which he recently
wrote to former State Senator w. III.
Stewart of York county explaining
what brought about the Jagged
State>line between portions of the up
per section OF South Carolina. includ-
ing York county, and North Carolina.
Mr.. Salley's letter was written in re-
sponse to request Of Senator Stew
art, who is now making his home in
Charlotte for authentic Information
on the subject:
II was very glad to hear from you
and am very glad to be able to give
you the facts as to that wedge in the
boundary line. The story about the
still Is like a great many other things
that people who don't know write
about These people see something
that puzzles them; they haven't the
explanation; they invent one.
When North Carolina and South
Carolina were officially separated by
the crown of England in 1880 the
boundary line was fixed by royal in
structions to the two governors ap-
pointed for the two provinces. I'M
mediately controversy arose as to
the construction Of those instructions.
but in 1875 the dispute was settled
and surveyor was told to go to
certain point on the Atlantic ocean
and run n line in n certain course
until 1t intersected the 35th parallel
of north latitude and there to place a
marker. The royal instructions were
hat fr1 hot int hA line oh
follow the said parallel due west to
the South seas (Which indefinite
body of water was by treaty with
Spain about 1863 fixed upon as the
Mississippi rfver).
I'm August, 1863, the governors OF
the several Southern provinces and
the commissioner of Indian affairs
for those provinces met in Augusta
md arranged a grand treaty with
many tribes OF Southern Indians,
among them the Catawbas. Under
the terms of the provision relating
to the Catawbas they were to have
tract of land 15 miles square on the
river of their tribal name. Later in
the year this reservation was laid
out for them and extended both
above and below the 35th parallel. 30
that each of the provinces OF North
and South Carolina contributed to the
Indian reservation a portion Of the
land thereof.
in 1864. the white people having
begun to settle in the, vicinity OF the
35th parallel, Governor Bull directed
party of surveyors to go to the
marker set up in 1875 at the point of
intersection of the line OF that year
with the 35th parallel and run a line
Il nSf IN hn tnrn hnttnlnrp nf
the Catawba reservation. These sur
veyors soon located the marker OF
1875 and proceeded to run the line
due west on what they supposed was
the 35th parallel. After running and
blazing out the line about :. miles
to where 1t struck the Charles Town
Salisbury road they failed to find the
eastern line of the Catawba reserva-
ton, which had beee run out the pre-
ceding year. and sat down to calcu
late the position Of the 35th parallel
and found they were between IL and
IL miles south thereof. The surveyor
of 1875 had stopped short Of the 35th
parallel.
They reported their trouble to
Governor Bull, who ordered them to
stop the survey. He stated that the
line which they had just completed
and straight line connecting the
western end thereof. whereat the sur
Veyors had set up a stone which Is
there today, with the southeastern
corner of the Catawba sereryation
would be considered temporarily as
the boundary between the two prov
| mces
In 1772 each province appointed
commissioners and surveyors to meet,
agree upon and run out the line from
the end OF the line Of 1885. These
| commissioners, in accordance with in
eructions from the crown, agreed
| .hat the line Of 1854 be a part OF the
| o'"ciai line; that the straight line
rom its western extremity to the
eouthcastern corner of the Catawba
reservation. the eastern boundary OF
'he Catawba reservation, and the
northern boundary Of the reserva-
tion 10 Its intersection with the Ca
tawba river be an additional part Of
ehe oinciai boundary and that North
.arohha take the strip of land be-
tween the line OF 1854 and the 35th
parahel and west of the Catawba
river, thereby also allowing tho entire
Sa'awoa reservation to South Caroli-
na From the intersection of the 36tb
parallel with the Catawba river. tho
middle OF the river to its copf,uence
OF It's two principal forks was fixed as
the line. From this last point due
west to the intersection of the Chero-
kee boundary line was fixed as the
rest of the line.
This arra n0ap,aot U~1a.s =.