M&D & Old-time surveyors

[Steven Maas (CUTR)]

I always thought the southern extension of Arizona was due to the Gadsden
Purchase, the last addition to the lower 48, when the US bought some
Mexican real estate for RR right-of-way.  I like your teacher's 
explanation better.

On Mon, 13 Jan 1997, Mike Brehm wrote:

> Yeah, I had a grade school teacher one time who mentioned this fact. Seems
> that when surveyors were sent down here to stake lines for the great state
> of Arizona, they got drunk (and probably lost) in the middle of the desert,
> which
> lead to the fact that the southern border of Arizona (the border with
> Mexico) angles up to the northwest and ends at Yuma. It was supposedly
> planned that the border would continue straight east-west, giving Arizona
> some ocean-front property in the Gulf of California.
> 
> I've never ever been able to confirm this fact (and don't really care much
> one way or the other) but it always makes and interesting story...
> 
> Mike
>