One of Colorado’s Most Popular Monuments is Inaccurate

The Four Corners Monument, which marks the point at which four states, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona, meet, is the only place in the United States in which a person can physically be in four states at once.

Get our free mobile app

The monument is a popular destination for tourists and residents of all four states alike, but over the years, there has been some controversy surrounding exactly where the states meet, with some claiming that the monument was inaccurately installed.

Is Colorado’s Four Corners Monument Inaccurate?

The boundaries that form the Four Corners became official after New Mexico and Arizona became states in 1912, though territories were established much earlier, in 1896.

Shortly thereafter, it was reported that the actual place where the four states intersect was not actually located in the same spot where the original marker was placed. In fact, the original rumors that floated around on the topic of the Four Corners and the alleged inaccuracy stated that the actual place in which the boundaries intersected was roughly 2.5 miles away.

However, in 1925, another survey was conducted, and it was discovered that while still inaccurate, the point at which the four states met was much closer to the monument than originally reported.

How Close is the Four Corners Monument to the Actual Four Corners?

The subsequent survey revealed that, yes, the Four Corners Monument was installed in a part of the area that is not, in fact, where the four states intersect, but the discrepancy is reportedly only about 1,800 feet.

Regardless, the Four Corners Monument remains a fun destination to visit, and people of all ages still sprawl out onto what was initially believed to be the point at which the four states meet.