Washington Meridian

Washington Meridian (WASH MER)

Also Known As: "AMERICAN MERIDIAN"

1) The Act of September 28, 1850 (9 Stat. 515), provided for the adoption of the meridian of the observatory at Washington, which passes through the old Naval Observatory at 24th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C., as the American Meridian for all astronomic purposes. The meridian of Greenwich was, under this act, adopted for all nautical purposes. The act was repealed August 22, 1912 (37 Stat. 342). During the nearly 62 years the act was in force, the meridional boundaries of the Territories and States of Arizona, Colorado, Dakota, Idaho, Montana, Nevada and Wyoming and the States of Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico and Utah were referred to the Washington Meridian, which is 77o03'02".3 west of Greenwich, according to Geological Survey Bulletin 1212. Aaron L. Shalowitz, LL.M., Coast and Geodetic Survey, says it is 77o02'06".276. 2) The principal meridian, adopted in 1803, which governs surveys in the southwestern part of Mississippi is also named the Washington Meridian.

1980

Coal Lease News From The Coal Fields™

Learn more about the Bureau of Land Management, Public Land Survey System, and coal leases.

Understanding Lease Ownership

We receive lots of emails from people who find their name or a relative’s name on our site and want to know if this means they have some right to the land listed under that name.
Understanding BLM Administrative Areas

Whether it is filing a lease or researching one, the administering BLM office is going to be the definitive source.
Understanding Location Data

Lease handled by the Bureau of Land Management are not mapped by latitude and longitude, instead, these leases harken back to the Public Land Survey System.
Understanding Townships

A “township” can refer to two different things. Both are part of the PLSS measurement system but have different uses.