The New Mexico meridian intersects the principal baseline, i.e. the
initial point, above the
Rio Grande, about ten miles (16 km) below the mouth of the
Rio Puerco, on Black Butte just southeast of the village of
San Acacia, New Mexico.[3]
This meridian was established in 1855 by
John W. Garretson, a surveyor for the U.S. government.[3]
^Lands in the
San Luis Valley were surveyed as part of New Mexico prior to the Civil Expenses Appropriation act of 2 March 1867 which provided for the survey of the
37th parallel north. 39th Congress, Session II, Chapter 167 (1867) 14
Statutes at Large466 New Mexico had lost approximately 14,948 square miles, as all of the territory north of the 37th parallel was given to Colorado when it was created in 1861. 36th Congress, Session II, Chapter 59 (28 February 1861) 12 Statutes at Large172 See Baldwin, P.E. (1930) "A Historical Note on the Boundaries of New Mexico" New Mexico Historical Review 5(2): pp. 117-137, p. 132 and map facing p. 128