Oregon Historical Quarterly/Volume 37/The Oregon State Boundary

by Lewis Ankeny McArthur

THE OREGON STATE BOUNDARY

By Lewis A. McArthur

It will be the purpose of this article to mention in some detail the various steps that have been taken to describe officially and to mark on the ground the boundaries of the present state of Oregon. No attempt will be made to consider the situation that existed before the formation of Oregon Territory.

Oregon Territory was organized August 14, 1848, with boundaries described as follows:

all that part of the Territory of the United States which lies west of the summit of the Rocky Mountains, north of the forty-second degree of north latitude, known as the Territory of Oregon, shall be organized into and constitute a temporary government by the name of the Territory of Oregon.

In 1853 the territory was reduced by the formation of Washington Territory, and on February 14, 1859, it was admitted as a state with its present limits. The boundaries were described in the state constitution of 1857 as follows:

Beginning one marine league at sea, due west from the point where the forty-second parallel of north latitude intersects the same; thence northerly, at the same distance from the line of the coast lying west and opposite the State, including all islands within the jurisdiction of the United States, to a point due west and opposite the middle of the north ship channel of the Columbia River; thence easterly to and up the middle channel of said river, and, where it is divided by islands, up the middle of the widest channel thereof, and in like manner up the middle of the main channel of Snake River to the mouth of Owyhee River; thence due south to the parallel of latitude forty-two degrees north; thence west along said parallel to the place of beginning, including jurisdiction in civil and criminal cases upon the Columbia River and Snake River concurrently with States and Territories of which those rivers form a boundary in common with this state. But the Congress of the United States, in providing for the admission of this State into the Union, may make the said northern boundary conform to the act creating the Territory of Washington.

The congress did not adopt the boundary set forth in the Oregon constitution of 1857. A change was made which resulted in cutting off from the new state that part of Washington now embraced in Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield and Asotin counties, or, in other words, all that part of Washington south of Snake River. This was done by changing that part of the description in the constitution which follows the expression "up the middle of the widest channel thereof" to these words:

to a point near Fort Walla-Walla, where the forty-sixth parallel of north latitude crosses said river; thence east on said parallel to the middle of the main channel of the Shoshones or Snake River; thence up the middle of main channel of said river, to the mouth of the Owyhee River; thence due south, to the parallel of latitude forty-two degrees north; thence west, along said parallel, to the place of beginning …

This change was made in order to make the north boundary of Oregon conform to the act of congress which organized Washington Territory in 1853. The debates in the constitutional convention indicate that that body wrote the original clause about the north boundary in conflict with the act creating Washington Territory because they considered the Snake River boundary "not only natural in itself, but natural in uniting the political destinies and social feelings of a people residing in the same valley," that is, the Walla Walla valley. However, congress adopted the 46th parallel instead of the river.

The Oregon-Washington boundary on the 46th parallel, between Snake and Columbia rivers, was surveyed and marked in 1863-64 under the direction of the United States general land office. The latitude used was derived from more than 500 observations with the sextant. Two observation stations were occupied, one near the foot of Cathedral Rock on the Columbia River, the other near Cottonwood Creek on the west side of the Blue Mountains. A random line was run between them, which showed an apparent difference of latitude of 4 seconds, or about 400 feet. The final line was run on the mean latitude. Marks were set at mile intervals for 42 miles east from the Columbia River, then at irregular intervals over the Blue Mountains. The measured length of the line was 96 miles 57 chains. The easternmost mark, which was placed 3 chains from the west bank of Snake River was a 7½-foot post 12 inches in diameter, marked "W" on the north, "O" on the south, and "46 L 1868" on the east side, and set in a 6-foot pile of stones.

The boundary line between Oregon and California was established in 1868-69. To determine the proper position for the northeast corner of California (latitude 42 degrees, longitude 120 degrees) an astronomic station was established at Camp Bidwell, where more than 3000 measurements of lunar distances were said to have been made for longitude in 1868-69. The position for the corner was computed to be 9 miles 56 chains north and 4 miles 78 chains east of the observatory. From the corner thus found the line was run west a distance of 212 miles 28 chains to a terminal mark 12 chains from the shore of the Pacific Ocean. The marks consisted of wooden posts or small stones with "O" cut on the north side, "C" on the south, and the mile number and date on the other sides.

The terminal mark on the west end of this line was a Port Orford cedar post, about 8 inches square at the base and about 4 inches square at the top, lettered "42 L 1869 212 M 28." In 1870 the United States coast and geodetic survey connected this post to the triangulation net of the United States. Its correct position, based on the 1927 standard North American datum is 41° 59' 55" .15 in north latitude and 124° 12' 28" .48 in west longitude. This boundary monument is therefore about 5" of latitude south of the 42nd parallel, or an error of nearly 500 feet.

Some time prior to 1918 a resurvey was made of the western part of the line between Oregon and California. This survey was largely a retracement, rather than attempt to establish a line on the correct position of the 42nd parallel, although in some places gross errors were discovered in the old work which had to be corrected. The new line began at the Pacific Ocean and extended easterly about 105 miles to a point east of Klamath River. It was marked by iron posts with bronze caps. The survey was accepted by the general land office in 1918.

The cedar post at the west terminal of the line was moved very slightly and replaced with a bronze cap on a 3½-inch iron pipe, in exactly the same position. The cap is stamped with substantially the same information as that cut on the original post. In 1925 the cedar post was still standing beside the iron post, but by 1936 the old post had disappeared. The iron post has been surrounded by a concrete jacket to protect it from damage. It stands about 200 feet west of the Oregon coast highway and just east of an old road. The revised and marked line diverges considerably in places from the 42nd parallel, and in southwest Jackson County it is about 5 mile north of the real line. In other places it is too far to the south.

The meridian boundary between Idaho and Oregon from the middle of the main channel of Snake River at the mouth of the Owyhee southward to the calculated position of the 42nd parallel, was surveyed and marked in 1868 under the direction of the general land office. The latitude of the north end of this line was determined from more than 300 sextant observations as 43° 48' 41" .1. The position for the south end was also determined from sextant observations. The measured length of the line was 124 miles 17.2 chains. The marks consisted of wooden posts, small stones, or mounds of stone.

In 1915 the United States coast and geodetic survey determined the geographic position of a point near the northern end of this line, about 10 miles south of Nyssa. The point is 43° 43' 21" .338 in latitude and 117° 01' 32" .699 in longitude, based on the 1927 North American datum. Additional triangulation was carried on along this boundary in 1934, and the longitude of various monuments was determined. The values in seconds were computed for three stations as follows: 31".96; 31".78; 32".290. These values are reasonably in accord with the value for the point near Nyssa, and it seems probable that this boundary line is fairly straight.

The north boundary of Nevada was surveyed in 1873 from an initial point on the Utah-Nevada line, whose latitude had been carefully determined in 1871, westward to a post set in 1868 for the northeast corner of California. The measured distance was 310 miles 48 chains. The marks placed on the line were mounds of earth, wooden posts, or small stones. This line passed the meridian boundary between Idaho and Oregon at 152 miles 72 chains from the northeast corner of Nevada and 4 chains south of the south terminal mark of the 1868 survey of the Oregon-Idaho boundary.

In 1934 the United States coast and geodetic survey determined the latitude of a general land office iron post on the Oregon-Nevada boundary just west of the Idaho line as 42° 0000".84. This seems to indicate that at this point at least, the boundary is very nearly on the correct line.

The corner post between Oregon, California and Nevada, which is presumed to be on the 120th meridian, has been changed at least three times. This meridian between Nevada and California was first marked between 1860 and 1863. A new line farther west was surveyed and marked in 1868 at the time of the establishment of the intersection of this meridian with the 42nd parallel for the Oregon-California boundary previously mentioned. A third line was run in 1872, and this time a wooden post was placed on the 42nd parallel at a point about 3 miles east of the corner established in 1868. This line is the one which still governs, although it is said to be west of the true position.

The Oregon-California-Nevada corner of 1868 is known as Major's Initial Point, as it was established by Daniel G. Major, United States land surveyor, for the starting point of the Oregon-California boundary on the 42nd parallel of north latitude, previously mentioned in this article. It is about 3 miles west of the presently accepted joint corner common to the three states. Major's report to the United States general land office contains details about the location of the Initial Point, and how it was marked. It is on the north side of a long, rocky hill, 13 chains north of Twelvemile Creek and 10 chains north of the then recently constructed military road from Camp Bidwell and Surprise Valley to Fort Warner. Incidentally Twelvemile Creek was so named because it was that distance from Camp Bidwell.

The following quotation describes in detail the Initial Point:

Made deep excavations near rocky ledge; deposited three large block glass bottles, also charred cottonwood stakes, 30 ins. long and 6 ins. circumference; built about it a monument of large stones, well shapen, circular, 9 ft. diam., and 7 ft. high, and 4 ft. diam, at top, surmounted by dressed sandstone, 20 x 20 x 10 ins., mkd. as follows in deeply cut characters:

on N. face, OREGON

on S. face, LONG. 120°, LAT, 42°

on E. NEVADA

on W. CALIFORNIA

on top, D. G. MAJOR, U.S.Astr., 1868.

dist. to large rock (4 ft. x 4 ft.), 30 Iks. direction SW. To large rock (3 ft. x 3 ft. x 3 ft.) dist. 22 lks., direction N. Planted a juniper post, 6 ft. long, 8 ins. sq., at beveled top, mkd. on side facing SE., "N.", on side facing Sw. "C." on NW. face "O," and on NE. face "1868 1200 L 42° L." Blazed and mkd. many trees in creek bottom.

The position of the 6-foot juniper post is not quite clear from the report, but apparently it is concentric with the stone monument, because about 1922 a retracement was made of a section of the boundary in the vicinity of the Initial Point and a juniper post within a stone monument was recovered and described.

The only important boundary difficulty that has as yet involved the state of Oregon has to do with the ownership of Sand Island, in the mouth of the Columbia River. Here the dispute is with the state of Washington to the north.

In November, 1915, the United States coast and geodetic survey issued a bulletin giving the length, in statute miles, of the various shore lines of the United States, as represented on the best available maps, including the shore lines of bays and other bodies of water the width of whose entrance is greater than 1 mile, to points where these waters narrow to 1 mile, and also including the shore lines of bodies of tidewater more than 1 mile wide which lie close beside the main waters, even though the width of the entrance is less than 1 mile. The published figures indicate that the tide shore lines of Oregon are 429 miles for mainland, and 60 miles for islands, making a total of 489 miles. Information concerning figures for other states may be found in the United States geological survey bulletin 817, by Edward M. Douglas, page 248. There are seven counties in Oregon that border on the Pacific Ocean. These are, from north to south: Clatsop, Tillamook, Lincoln, Lane, Douglas, Coos and Curry.

The length of the south boundary of Oregon may be computed with reasonable accuracy, although it must be assumed that the boundary and the 42nd parallel of north latitude are the same for the purpose of the computation. In fact, however, the lines are not exactly the same, as the actual boundary diverges in several places. The United States coast and geodetic survey has a triangulation station near the west end of the south boundary and one near the east end. By computation, they are 7° 10' 45".73 apart. This difference of longitude, at the 42nd parallel, amounts to 594,832.343 meters, or 369.61 miles. The westerly station is about 792 feet east of the Pacific Ocean and the easterly station is about 897.60 feet west of the southeast corner of the state, so to the length in miles between triangulation stations must be added 1689.60 feet, or .32 mile. The total length of the southern boundary, assuming it to be on the 42nd parallel, is therefore 369.93 miles.

There is at present no accurate measure of the length of the east boundary of the state, nor of the north boundary, which is between Oregon and Washington. The total length of the tide shore lines of Oregon, mentioned in a preceding paragraph, must not be confused with the length of the westerly shore line of the state bordering on the Pacific Ocean. The total length of the tide shore lines includes some of the shores of the Columbia River.

The most westerly point in Oregon is Cape Blanco. The triangulation station Cape, which is situated about 400 feet west of the lighthouse and very close to the edge of the bluff, is 42° 5012".422 in latitude and 124° 33'50".678 in longitude, on the 1927 datum. Cape Alava in northwest Washington is a little further west in longitude than Cape Blanco, and has the distinction of being the most westerly point in continental United States.