The attached map covers both CO-NM-OK and NM-OK-TX. This message
pertains only to the upper half of the map, CO-NM-OK. The
pictures are of the Preston Monument at the tripoint plus one of
the Chaney Monument. Pictures were taken on Sept. 19 and 20, 2002.

In 1857, the southern boundary of Kansas Territory was surveyed by
a party under the command of Lt. Col. Joseph E. Johnston of the
U.S.Army. The astromomer for the party was John H. Clark. Clark
measured west from the west boundary of Missouri along the 37th
parallel and set a monument calculated to be on 103 deg. 00'W.
This became known as the Johnston Monument. Later Clark determined
that the monument was too far west.

In 1859 Capt. J. N. Macomb was directed to correct the error and he
erected a new marker known as the Macomb Monument farther east on the
103rd meridian. Macomb was still too far west as determined by Levi
S. Preston in 1890. Preston had been directed to determine the true
positions of the Johnston and Macomb monuments and to establish the
northeast corner of New Mexico. The Preston Monument was later determined
to be at Lat. 37deg 00'00."473 N., Long. 103deg 00'06."631 W., NAD 1927.

In 1881 Richard O. Chaney and William W. Smith surveyed the Cimarron
Meridian on the 103rd Meridian from the 36deg 30' to 37deg parallel.
They erected a corner monument on the 37th N Latitude and 103rd W
Longitude which is gray sandstone 12"x12"x6.5' set 3.5' in the ground
marked Colorado on North face, 103WL on South face, 37NL on East face
and 1881 on West face. This is known as the Chaney Monument and is
located about 300 yds north of the Preston tripoint marker.

Source of most of this information is C. Albert White's book,
"Initial Points of the Rectangular Survey System," Produced for
Professional Land Surveyors of Colorado, Inc. by The Publishing
House, P.O. Box 215,Westminster, CO 80030. Price is $96 including
S & H. It is intended for surveyors and is not easy reading, but
has a wealth of information on the early surveys. Mr White comments
that from his research it became obvious that the determination of
longitude was a difficult task prior to the advent of telegraph
lines and accurate time. Observations made over a period of more than
a month on the moon, stars and Jupiter gave results that were close
but not precise. Observations of lunar culminations over a period of
about two months gave results that were not as accurate and resulted in
larger errors in longitude.

Mr. White has visited all of these monuments, but I visited only the
Chaney and Preston markers. To the west it is rough terrain with no
good roads. With a 4W drive or ATV they could probably be reached
fairly easily.

Part III will be concerned with NM-OK-TX and will be coming soon.

Jack