A Stop At Four Corners Monument

Above, the Four Corners Monument. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The trip is now over and I am back home.

I took a different route from Monument Valley. It was a bit longer, but it allowed me to stop at Four Corners Monument and then directly to Gallup, New Mexico so I could pick up my meds at the pharmacy.

Above, the approach to Four Corners Monument. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Four Corners Monument (I guess it is called "National Monument" in some places) but it appears to be run by the Navajo tribe. It cost $8.00 per person for admission.

The monument is a lot more elaborate than it was when I went there back in the 1980s. The last time I was there was in 1985.

Above, the monument. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The monument is surrounded on all sides by vendor stalls. The vendors are Navajo tribal members selling jewelry, t-shirts, artworks and other things. 

Above, vendor stalls at left and background. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The monument marks the sport where four state corners meet: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. I heard that the monument's location is not accurate. 

According to Wikipedia:

Misplacement controversy

Since the early 20th century, controversies have arisen regarding the accuracy of the monument's placement. After the initial surveys, it was found that the borders did not always follow the lines of meridian and parallel (as had been intended) due to the primitive surveying technology available at the time. This discrepancy left the four states asking if the correct borders were the exact lines of meridian and parallel (and if new, more accurate, surveys needed to be done), or if the markers placed during the initial surveys were now the actual border.

New Mexico sued Colorado in 1919, and when the Supreme Court in 1925 ruled that the markers placed during the initial surveys were the actual borders, even if the markers were off in some locations (this includes the Four Corners Monument), the issue was resolved. Today's legal description of these border lines is based on the original markers, and not the written description of the borders created when the territories were formed. Because of this, the borders between these states are not perfectly straight and often zigzag.

One example is the border between Colorado and Utah, where in one area the border jogs west about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from where it was intended to be placed by the written description (i.e. the 32nd meridian west from Washington – 38°16′34″N 109°03′38″W). Because of the Supreme Court decision, the border set out by the markers remains the border between the two states.

This issue resurfaced briefly in 2009 with U.S. media reports that the monument was placed 2.5 miles (4.0 km) west of its intended location. This was soon found to be the result of a mistaken assumption: that the Prime Meridian, used in the United States since 1912, was used. In actuality, the 19th century surveys used the previous Washington meridian. A spokesperson for the U.S. National Geodetic Survey (USNGS) has stated that the USNGS has determined that the modern monument is located roughly 1,800 feet (550 m) east of where the Four Corners marker had originally been intended to be located by the US Congress in 1863. The spokesperson, however, reiterated that the 1875 survey was accepted by all states and therefore its markers, including the Four Corners Monument, are legally binding. Similar statements were issued by the Navajo Nation, defending their work in maintaining and promoting the monument.

Above, a plaque at the Four Corners Monument. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I guess that settled the matter.  

If anyone has in mind to scatter cremated remains at this or at other Tribal Park land, there is a sign at the monument calling cremation a "malicious desecration" in Navajo cultural belief. You've been warned!

Above, the sign forbidding scattering cremains on tribal lands. Photo by Armand Vaquer.