Four Corners Monument

May 22, 2011

In our last webpage entry we said that our next stop was to be Mesa Verde National Park. We lied. Since our route from Canyon de Chelly to Mesa Verde passed near the Four Corners Monument, it seemed silly not to stop and see it. The monument is on native American land, so they charge admission. The fee was reasonable, and it is a way to help their economy. The Four Corners Monument marks the only spot in the United States where four states (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah) meet at right angles.







The actual Four Corners marker. The two diagonal lines mark the state boundaries. Utah is at the top of the image, Colorado is to the right, New Mexico at the bottom, and Arizona is to the left.








The marker is surrounded by the state flags of the four states. Around the edge are covered stalls where native American vendors sell arts, crafts, and souvenirs. It is the only place in the U.S. where you can go shopping in four states in a 15 minute stroll.










A plaque in each quadrant gives some of the history of how the state boundaries were established and surveyed. The initial surveying was done in 1868.









The technology of surveying has changed since 1868. In 1903. a resurvey found that east - west state boundary was significantly south of where it was supposed to be. In 1908 Congress voted to relocate the state boundary, but Teddy Roosevelt vetoed it, so the original state boundary established by Ehud Darling continues to be recognized as the official boundary.

Next Stop: Mesa Verde National Park - for sure.