For 761 miles, the 37th Parallel is the border between Utah, Colorado and Kansas in the North and Arizona, New Mexico and Oklahoma in the South. It was first established as a border line in 1861, when Kansas joined the United States and was extended further west in 1863 with the establishment of the Arizona Territory.
The most prominent place to observe the line is "Four Corners," the only "Quadripoint" - a point where four states meet - in the United States. West of 109° 02.710, the 37th parallel is the border between Utah and Arizona; east of the line it is the border between Colorado and New Mexico. The first marker was put here in 1912.
In April 2009, a new survey was carried out and it turned out that the surveyors in 1861 and 1912 missed the parallel by 365 feet. Instead of a costly reassessment of the border line, the states affected and the US Supreme Court amended the definition of the state's border, so now, the border between Utah, Colorado and Kansas in the North and Arizona, New Mexico and Oklahoma in the South it no longer at 37°N but at 36°59'56.34''N.
Since 1992, a granite marker embedded with a large circular bronze disk marks the point, surrounded by smaller, appropriately located state seals and flags. Here I am with my left hand in New Mexico, my right hand in Arizona, my left foot in Colorado and my right foot in Utah.
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