| |
Last Remaining International Boundary
for The Republic of Texas8149
FM 31S
23 Miles SE of Carthage
Texas
Photos and Note by Gerald Massey |
Photographer's
Note:
"The marker
is located on the Louisiana / Texas state line on Louisiana Highway 765 and Texas
FM-31. This is only six miles from Logansport, Louisiana while it is ten miles
from Deadwood, Texas.
Only
a hundred yards or so from the marker is a sign saying "Galloway." This was the
birthplace of Country Musician Jim
Reeves. I believe that Galloway would technically be the closest "community"
to the marker, although it doesn't appear on the Texas state map while Deadwood
and Logansport both appear on their respective maps. - Gerald
Massey, February 2009
International
Boundary Marker Text |
| International
Boundary Republic of Texas-United States Marker |
A
Unique Historical Landmark
by Bob Bowman ("All
Things Historical" Column)
Travelers
who take the time to wander down Farm Road 31 between Deadwood, Texas, and Logansport,
Louisiana, will find a one-of-a-kind historical landmark.
A granite shaft
set into the ground on April 23, 1841, marks the only international boundary existing
within the continental United States... more |
| International
Boundary Historical Marker |
Historical
Marker TextInternational
Boundary MarkerIn
the early 1700s, France and Spain began disputing their New World international
boundary that included this area; each nation claimed what is now Texas.
When the U.S. purchased the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803, the boundary
was still in dispute. Leaders agreed to a neutral area between the Arroyo Hondo
and the Sabine River,
and the 1819 Adams-Onís
Treaty formally defined the border. When Texas became a republic in 1836,
it appointed a joint commission with the U.S. to survey and mark the established
boundary from the Gulf of Mexico up the Sabine
River and on to the Red River. John Forsyth represented the U.S., and Memucan
Hunt represented Texas in the work, which proved
to be long and difficult.
The survey crew began the demarcation process
on May 20, 1840 at the Gulf, placing a 36-foot pole in the middle of a large earthen
mound. Proceeding north, they placed eight-foot posts denoting the number of miles
from the 32nd parallel. Upon reaching the parallel, they placed a granite marker
on the west bank of the Sabine
River. From that point, they traveled due north to the Red River, completing
their work in late June 1841.
As a result of erosion, the first granite
marker on the Sabine fell into the river long ago, but a second granite marker
on the northward path of the surveyors had been placed here to mark the north-south
meridian. This is the only known marker remaining, and it is believed to be the
only original international boundary marker within the contiguous U.S. Today,
the border between Texas and Louisiana follows the
Sabine River to the 32nd parallel, at which point it connects to the boundary
established by Hunt and Forsyth. The Texas Historical Foundation purchased this
site to provide public access to the early boundary marker. |
 |
 |
International
Boundary Marker
Historical Landmark | |
|
