ΜΟΝΤΑΝΑ.

The Territory of Montana was organized May 26, 1864, from a portion of Idaho. Its limits, which have been changed but slightly, are given in the following extract from the organizing act:

That all that part of the territory of the United States included within the limits to wit: Commencing at a point formed by the intersection of the twenty-seventh degree of longitude west from Washington with the forty-fifth degree of north latitude; thence due west on said forty-fifth degree of latitude to a point formed by its intersection with the thirty-fourth degree of longitude west from Washington; thence due south along said thirty-fourth degree of longitude to its intersection with the forty-fourth degree and thirty minutes of north latitude; thence due west along said forty-fourth degree and thirty minutes of north latitude to a point formed by its intersection with the crest of the Rocky Mountains; thence following the crest of the Rocky Mountains northward till its intersection with the Bitter Root Mountains; thence northward' along the crest of said Bitter Root Mountains to its intersection with the thirty-ninth degree of longitude west from Washington; thence along said thirty-ninth degree of longitude northward to the boundary line of the British possessions; thence eastward along said boundary line to the twenty-seventh degree of longitude west from Washington; thence southward along said twenty-seventh degree of longitude to the place of beginning, be, and the same is hereby, created into a temporary government by the name of the Territory of Montana. (Thirtyeighth Congress, first session.)

In 1873 Congress, under the erroneous impression that a portion of Dakota remained west of Wyoming, and adjoining Montana, passed an act to attach it to Montana. As, however, no such detached area could by any possibility have existed, the compilers of the Revised Statutes sought to give the act effect by shifting a portion of the southern boundary of Montana from the parallel of 44° 30' to the continental watershed, thereby reducing Montana's area. The following is the act referred to:

AN ACT to readjust the western boundary of Dakota Territory.

That all that portion of Dakota Territory lying west of the one hundred and cleventh meridian of longitude which, by an erroneous definition of the boundaries of said Territory by a former act of Congress, remains detached and distant from Dakota proper some two hundred miles, be, and the same is hereby, attached to the adjoining territory of Montana. (Forty-second Congress, third session.)

The boundaries of Montana are as follows: Beginning at the intersection of the twenty-seventh meridian of longitude with the boundary line between the United States and the British possessions, it follows said meridian south to the forty-fifth parallel of latitude, thence west on this parallel to the thirty-fourth meridian, south on the thirty-fourth meridian to the point where that meridian intersects the continental watershed, thence westward and northwestward, following the line of the continental watershed and the summit of the Bitter Root range, to its intersection with the thirty-ninth meridian; thence north on the thirty-ninth meridian to the boundary line between the United States and British possessions and east on that boundary line to the point of beginning.

The east boundary of Montana was surveyed and marked in 1885, and the south boundary in 1879-80, under the General Land Office. That portion of the west boundary between the crest of the Bitterroot Mountains and the Canada line was surveyed and marked in 1898–99, under the United States Geological Survey.

Montana was admitted as a State on November 8, 1889, with the above boundaries.

WYOMING.

Wyoming was organized as a Territory on July 25, 1868, from an area previously comprised in the Territory of Idaho. Its limits, which are the same as originally constituted, are defined in the following clause from the act creating the Territory:

That all that part of the United States described as follows: Commencing at the intersection of the twenty-seventh meridian of longitude west from Washington with the forty-fifth degree of north latitude, and running thence west to the thirtyfourth meridian of west longitude, thence south to the forty-first degree of north latitude, thence east to the twenty-seventh meridian of west longitude, and thence north to the place of beginning, be, and the same is hereby, organized into a temporary government by the name of the Territory of Wyoming. (Fortieth Congress, second session.)

Wyoming was admitted as a State on July 10, 1890, with the above boundaries.

The south and west boundaries were surveyed and marked in 1873, under the General Land Office.

COLORADO.

Colorado was organized as a Territory on February 28, 1861, with the limits which it has at present, being made from portions of Utah, New Mexico, Kansas, and Nebraska.

On August 1, 1876, it was admitted as a State.

The following clause from the enabling act gives its limits:

AN ACT to enable the people of Colorado to form a constitution and State government, and for the admission of such State into the Union on an equal footing with the original States.

SEC. 2. That the said State of Colorado shall consist of all the territory included within the following boundaries, to-wit: Commencing at a point formed by the intersection of the thirty-seventh degree of north latitude with the twenty-fifth degree of longitude west from Washington; extending thence due west along said thirty-seventh degree of north latitude to a point formed by its intersection with the thirtysecond degree of longitude west from Washington; thence due north along said thirty-second degree of west longitude to a point formed by its intersection with the forty-first degree of north latitude; thence due east along said forty-first degree of north latitude to a point formed by its intersection with the twenty-fifth degree of longitude west from Washington; thence due south along said twenty-fifth degree of west longitude. (Thirty-eighth Congress, first session.)

The south boundary of Colorado was run and marked in 1868 and 1874, and the west boundary in 1878-79. The latter line was retraced and re-marked in 1885. All this was under the General Land Office.