39th meridian west from Washington

The 39th meridian west from Washington is an archaic meridian based on the Washington meridian. The meridian is currently used as a boundary for two states.

The partition of the Idaho Territory which made the meridian a boundary

The first usage of the meridian as a boundary occurred in 1861, when Nevada Territory was created from the western part of Utah Territory. Initially, the eastern boundary of Nevada Territory was set at this meridian.[1] However, in 1862, that boundary was moved a degree east to follow the 38th meridian, and a few years later was moved still further east to the 37th meridian.

The 39th meridian was used again for a boundary in 1864. In that year, the Montana Territory was created from Idaho Territory with the meridian serving as its extreme northwestern boundary.[2] Montana became a state in 1889, with Idaho following the next year.[3][4]

References
  1. "Act of Congress (1861) Organizing the Territory of Nevada" (PDF). State of Nevada. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  2. 13 Stat. 85
  3. Holmes, Krys (2008). "Chapter 10 - Politics and the Copper Kings, 1889 - 1904". Montana: Stories of the Land (PDF). Helena: Montana Historical Society Press. p. 193.
  4. "History". State of Idaho. Archived from the original on May 19, 2014. Retrieved May 16, 2014.


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