Four Corners
It’s well known that the Four Corners Monument is not located at the intersection of the Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico state lines. Now, tourists flock to this monument each year just to say they have stood in four states simultaneously, but most haven’t actually done so. Without getting into why the error exists, it’s a simple matter to show it does exist. If you have access to a portable GPS device you need only carry it to
the ornament that marks the monument’s heart (see picture left), and the error is so large it’s impossible to deny the brass plate is in the wrong place. So, the question is, where’s the real four corners?
Recently (November 13, 2009) my wife, daughter and I visited the Four Corners monument for the first time. Having heard about the error we wanted to find the real four corners and, if it should work out that way, even be the first to stand on that hallowed spot. We brought along our hand held “hiking” GPS and the portable GPS from our van and, sure enough, the beautiful brass ornament that marks the “four corners” is in the wrong place! So, that was where our adventure began.
Now, had we taken the time to calculate the error (in feet or miles east/west and north/south) we would have started in a westward direction; but, doing things in our long established haphazard manner, we started hiking north until we read a perfect 37.00000° latitude. Note: the coordinates of the states’ boundaries are 109° 3’ 00” west longitude (109.05000° as a decimal fraction) and a perfect 37° north latitude. Once we had the correct latitude it was apparent that walking straight west to the correct longitude was out of the question-the terrain dropped precipitously in that direction. What was apparent is that we had some pretty circuitous (and strenuous) hiking ahead. After climbing down and up a couple of hills we found ourselves out of sight of the monument but, finally, with GPS readings that were perfect (within the accuracy of our GPS devices).
Unfortunately, GPS devices are not perfect. In fact, they’re not even repeatable to within the last decimal place readout. We were already aware of this weakness and, to be completely forthcoming, had planned to use that weakness to be the first to find the real “four corners.” Now, our technique for finding the zero-zero readings was to walk, for example, north/south until we had a perfect reading in latitude, and then walk east/west until we had a perfect reading in both latitude and longitude (alternately starting first in the east/west direction to find the longitude and then north/south to get our perfect “zero-zero” reading). Sure enough, we found a different “perfect” location with virtually every attempt, each time carefully marking the spot with a pile of rocks.
To be specific our plan was to find a number of these measured locations and then use their geometric center as our perfect four corners. If we then faced either north/south or east/west we would surely have stood in all four states at once (perhaps the first human beings to ever have done so). We had imagined we would obtain a scattering of measured markers with a greater density near the true four corners but, to our disappointment, the measured points were scattered over several meters. As it turned out, however, after making less than a dozen measurements, we came to a “zero-zero” reading at a very large yellowish boulder. Standing on this boulder we looked back at all our piles of rocks and were surprised to find they lined up (more or less). One line ran north/south and the other ran east/west (pretty much). The intersection of these two lines was pretty nearly at this yellow boulder! After mulling this over for a moment we realized that, while this large yellow rock appeared to be here naturally, it stood out (somewhat) from the other boulders (just a little). Could someone, knowing the monument was in the wrong place, have already surveyed this point and marked it with this boulder? Nah! Not a chance. (We were the first!^)
We took turns standing on the yellowish boulder (first facing north/south and then east/west), took each other’s pictures holding our GPS devices on high, and then pronounced that we had stood in all four states at once…. Well, at least we were a lot closer than the millions of people who stood on the brass marker.
To get to our four corners, head west from the monument. It will make things easier if I tell you that on our return trip to the monument we found there’s a path traversing the slope (in a southerly direction) on the west side of the monument plateau (see picture above right). When you reach the bottom of this path turn west and you will see a 
“notch” between two large mounds (see picture left). Hike through this pass and then look west again. There’s a small white house in the distance from which you can take a bearing. Hike toward that house (i.e., turn about 10° to the north) for a couple of hundred yards and you will come to the place marked by the large yellowish (partially buried) boulder. If you’re standing on the correct boulder your GPS will tell you you’re pretty close to the correct latitude and longitude.
Okay, okay…we acknowledge our four corners is the exact location only by decree, but we found a posting on the internet that stated the problem of the misplaced monument had been solved in a very clever way. It would be expensive to move the monument and politically difficult to move the states’ borders (voters who had stood in the wrong place would be angered). They had cut through this Gordian knot by declaring the Four Corners Monument to be the official location of the Four Corners. Iiiiieee don’t think New Mexico would cede its real estate to Arizona (and Colorado to Utah) without so much as a whimper (I think I moved the state lines in the right direction?). But, if they didn’t really move the state lines, what does “official” mean? Anyway, if the brass marker is the “official” location then calling ours the “exact spot” doesn’t seem so bad.
It seems not unlikely that, if the Navajo who own this land were to ask, they could get a construction company to volunteer the equipment and labor to relocate the monument-the publicity from the plaque advertising their dedication to truth, beauty and justice would be priceless. On the other hand, it might be best if they just do nothing. Finding the real four corners wasn’t all that difficult. The path down the west side of the plateau, the gun-sight notch between the two mounds to the west, the well placed yellowish boulder…(these very convenient coincidences seem especially remarkable since we were the first to find the place). It’s a sort of treasure hunt-sort of an I.Q. test. For us it was an added attraction that made our visit considerably more fun. Most visitors won’t go to the trouble, of course, but some will. The hike is somewhere around a quarter/half mile (depending on the route you take) and it does take a little time and effort; but, for the few of us who still think the truth has some meager value, it’s worth it.
Maureen, Heather & Jim Burnett - Nov. 2009
