He Reached the Prairie Dog Town River Which He Reported As the Longest Tributary of the Red River
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he reached the Prairie Dog Town River which he reported as the longest tributary of the Red River. Captain Marcy and McClellan made a serious mistake in their maps which accompanied the report. They located the 100th meridian just one degree too far east.27 This error was discovered by Jones and Brown, United States surveyors in Indian Territory, soon after the Marcy Report was published in 1853. The surveyors found that by the mistake there were about two million acres claimed by Texas that belonged to the United States Government. In order to make it clear that this territory belonged to the United States it became necessary to show changes in the boundary. Believing that the treaty of 1819 meant the North Fork of the Red River, they could not claim the Prairie Dog Town River as the boundary. However in all their reports, letters and maps to the government they called the Prairie Dog 25Senate Executive Document, no. 54, 32nd Congress, 2nd Session. 26Ibid. 27Ibid. Page 150 Town River, "Main Red River," "Main Branch of Red River," and South Fork of Red River.28 Up to this time, Texas thought the boundary line undisputed but with reports of the two surveyors, it became necessary that something must be done to defend their territory. Governor E. M. Pease in 1854 got the Texas delegation in Washington to demand a joint commission to run the boundary line between the United States and Texas. But it was four years later, June 5, 1858 before the law was passed, for the appointment of such a commission.29 The joint commission was organized and Honorable Jacob Thompson, Secretary of the Interior, was appointed to see that the law was carried out. The commission began work in 1858 but instead of beginning on Red River as the law intended, Thompson directed John H. Clark, the United States Commissioner and Surveyor, to commence on the Rio Grande and gave instructions to first run the boundary defined by the 32nd parallel of latitude: then the 103rd meridian; then the boundary defined by 36 degrees, 30 minutes north latitude. After marking this boundary, then take the 100th meridian, west longitude, as marked by Jones and Brown. After observing the 100th meridian at its intersection with the Creek boundary proceed rapidly over the remaining part of the meridian to Red River.30 From these instructions it does not appear that the commissioners were to determine which was the main Red River or to designate the 100th meridian. They were eighteen months on the survey which they failed to complete and separated without making a joint report. From this time on the dispute involved the territory known as Greer County, which was between two forks of the Red River. In March 1860, the Secretary of Interior, Thompson, wrote to Governor Sam Houston that a commission would be at Fort Arbuckle in May to start marking the boundary line between the United States and Texas and asked him to have a boundary commissioner from Texas there. On April 28, 1860, Governor Houston appointed William H. Russell, with instructions, "to insist on the North Fork as the main Red .