History
On February 28, 1861, the Act Organizing the Territory of Colorado defined the western boundary of the new territory as the 32nd meridian of longitude west from Washington. The creation of the Colorado Territory moved the eastern boundary of the Territory of Utah west to this meridian.
Two years later on February 24, 1863, the Act Organizing the Territory of Arizona defined the eastern boundary of the new territory as the 32nd meridian of longitude west from Washington. This in turn moved the western boundary of the Territory of New Mexico east to this meridian.
These boundaries on the 32nd meridian of longitude west from Washington remained when Colorado became a state on August 1, 1876, Utah became a state on January 4, 1896, New Mexico became a state on January 6, 1912, and Arizona became a state on February 14, 1912. The point of intersection of these four states, known as the Four Corners, is the only place in the United States where four states touch.
Read more about this topic: 32nd Meridian West From Washington
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“We don’t know when our name came into being or how some distant ancestor acquired it. We don’t understand our name at all, we don’t know its history and yet we bear it with exalted fidelity, we merge with it, we like it, we are ridiculously proud of it as if we had thought it up ourselves in a moment of brilliant inspiration.”
—Milan Kundera (b. 1929)
“Look through the whole history of countries professing the Romish religion, and you will uniformly find the leaven of this besetting and accursed principle of action—that the end will sanction any means.”
—Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834)
“The history of medicine is the history of the unusual.”
—Robert M. Fresco, and Jack Arnold. Prof. Gerald Deemer (Leo G. Carroll)