Navajo meridian and baseline

The Navajo meridian, established in 1869,^[1] is one of the two principal meridians for Arizona, the other being the Gila and Salt River meridian. Its initial point was stated as latitude 35° 45' north, longitude 108° 32' 45" west from Greenwich,^[2] but has been revised as 35°44′56″N 108°31′59″W^[3] The Navajo meridian and baseline were used to set townships and ranges in a special survey for the original Navajo Reservation,^[4][5] and was set at the eastern boundary of that reservation.^[4] The Arizona lands surveyed using the Navajo meridian and baseline were ranges six west to ten west and townships one north to fourteen north,^[5] and included Canyon de Chelly National Monument.^[6]

While the above-mentioned Arizona lands still reference the Navajo meridian and baseline,^[5] in New Mexico the surveys of lands originally surveyed under it were canceled in 1936,^[4] and have since been resurveyed using the New Mexico meridian and baseline.^[5] In Arizona, only the portions of the Navajo Reservation that are east of the Hopi Reservation were surveyed using the Navajo meridian and baseline.^[5][7]

See also

• List of principal and guide meridians and base lines of the United States