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

The following are the principal and guide meridians and base lines of the United States, with the year established and a brief summary of what areas' land surveys are based on each.

List of meridians

Primarily from the United States Government Printing Office Style Manual. State names usually signify only parts of each listed state, unless otherwise indicated.

Based on the BLM manual's 1973 publication date, and the reference to Clarke's Spheroid of 1866 in section 2-82, coordinates appear to be in the NAD27 datum.

Principal Meridians

Meridian	Longitude	Associated Baseline	Latitude	Adopted	Area surveyed
First principal	84°48′11″W		40°59′22″N	1819	Ohio (NW)
First principal	84°48′11″W		40°59′22″N	1819	Indiana (sliver of SE)
Second principal	86°27′21″W		38°28′14″N	1805	Illinois (far E)
Second principal	86°27′21″W		38°28′14″N	1805	Indiana (almost all)
Third principal	89°08′54″W	Centralia	38°28′27″N	1805	Illinois (most)
Fourth principal	90°27′11″W	Beardstown	40°00′50″N	1815	Illinois (W of Illinois River and 3rd principal meridian)
Fourth principal (extended)	90°25′37″W	Illinois–Wisconsin border	42°30′27″N	1831	Minnesota (NE)
Fourth principal (extended)	90°25′37″W	Illinois–Wisconsin border	42°30′27″N	1831	Wisconsin (all)
Fifth principal	91°03′07″W		34°38′45″N	1815	Arkansas (all)
					Iowa (all)
					Minnesota (most)
					Missouri (all)
					North Dakota (all)
					South Dakota (E half)
Sixth principal	97°22′08″W		40°00′07″N	1855	Colorado (most)
					Kansas (all)
					Nebraska (all)
					South Dakota (some of S)
					Wyoming (most)
Black Hills	104°03′16″W	Black Hills	43°59′44″N	1878	South Dakota (W)
Boise	116°23′35″W		43°22′21″N	1867	Idaho (all)
Chickasaw	89°14′47″W		35°01′58″N	1833	Mississippi
Choctaw	90°14′41″W	Choctaw	31°52′32″N	1821	Mississippi
Cimarron	103°00′07″W		36°30′05″N	1881	Oklahoma (panhandle)
Copper River	145°18′37″W		61°49′04″N	1905	Alaska
Fairbanks	147°38′25.949″W		64°51′50.048″N	1910	Alaska
Gila and Salt River	112°18′19″W		33°22′38″N	1865	Arizona (most)
Humboldt	124°07′10″W		40°25′02″N	1853	California
Huntsville	86°34′16″W		34°59′27″N	1807	Alabama
Huntsville	86°34′16″W		34°59′27″N	1807	Mississippi
Indian	97°14′49″W		34°29′32″N	1870	Oklahoma (most)
Kateel River	158°45′31.014″W		65°26′16.374″N	1956	Alaska
Louisiana	92°24′55″W		31°00′31″N	1807	Louisiana
Michigan	84°21′53″W		42°25′28″N	1815	Michigan
Michigan	84°21′53″W		42°25′28″N	1815	Ohio
Montana	111°39′33″W		45°47′13″N	1867	Montana
Mount Diablo	121°54′47″W		37°52′54″N	1851	California
Mount Diablo	121°54′47″W		37°52′54″N	1851	Nevada
Navajo	108°31′59″W	Navajo	35°44′56″N	1869	Arizona (NE)
Navajo	108°31′59″W	Navajo	35°44′56″N	1869	New Mexico (NW, formerly)
New Mexico principal	106°53′12″W		34°15′35″N	1855	New Mexico
New Mexico principal	106°53′12″W		34°15′35″N	1855	Colorado (SW)
St. Helena	91°09′36″W		30°59′56″N	1819	Louisiana
St. Stephens	88°01′20″W	St. Stephens	30°59′51″N	1805	Alabama
St. Stephens	88°01′20″W	St. Stephens	30°59′51″N	1805	Mississippi
Salt Lake	111°53′27″W		40°46′11″N	1855	Utah (most)
San Bernardino	116°55′48″W		34°07′13″N	1852	California
San Bernardino	116°55′48″W		34°07′13″N	1852	Arizona (some townships)
Seward	149°21′26″W		60°07′37″N	1911	Alaska
Tallahassee	84°16′38″W		30°26′03″N	1824	Florida
Tallahassee	84°16′38″W		30°26′03″N	1824	Alabama
Uintah	109°56′06″W		40°25′59″N	1875	Utah (part of NE)
Umiat	152°00′04.551″W		69°23′29.654″N	1956	Alaska
Ute	108°31′59″W		39°06′23″N	1880	Colorado
Washington (Mississippi)	91°09′36″W		30°59′56″N	1803	Mississippi
Willamette	122°44′34″W	Willamette	45°31′11″N	1851	Oregon
Willamette	122°44′34″W	Willamette	45°31′11″N	1851	Washington
Wind River	108°48′49″W		43°00′41″N	1875	Wyoming (part of W)

Guide Meridians

Meridian	Longitude	Associated Baseline	Area surveyed	Notes
Ashley guide meridian			Utah
Beaverhead guide meridian			Montana
Belt Mountain guide meridian			Montana
Big Hole guide meridian			Montana
Bitterroot guide meridian			Montana
Boulder guide meridian			Montana
Browning guide meridian			Montana
Buffalo Creek guide meridian			Montana
Carson River guide meridian			Nevada
Castle Valley guide meridian			Utah
Colorado guide meridian			Utah
Columbia guide meridian			Washington
Colville guide meridian			Washington
Coulson guide meridian			Montana
Deer Lodge guide meridian			Montana
Deschutes meridian			Oregon
Emery Valley guide meridian			Utah
Flathead guide meridian			Montana
Fort Belknap guide meridian			Montana
Fremont Valley guide meridian			Utah
Grand River guide meridian			Utah
Grande Ronde guide meridian			Oregon
Green River guide meridian			Utah
Haystack Butte guide meridian			Montana
Helena guide meridian			Montana
Henry Mountain guide meridian			Utah
Horse Plains guide meridian			Montana
Humboldt River guide meridian			Nevada
Jefferson guide meridian			Montana
Judith guide meridian			Montana
Kanab guide meridian			Utah
Kolob guide meridian			Utah
Little Porcupine guide meridian			Montana
Maginnis guide meridian			Montana
Musselshell guide meridian			Montana
New Mexico guide meridian			New Mexico and Colorado
Panguitch guide meridian			Utah
Passamari guide meridian			Montana
Pine Valley guide meridian			Utah
Red Rock guide meridian			Montana
Reese River guide meridian			Nevada
Ruby Valley guide meridian			Nevada
Sevier Lake guide meridian			Utah
Shields River guide meridian			Montana
Smith River guide meridian			Montana
Snake Valley guide meridian			Utah
Square Butte guide meridian			Montana
Sweet Grass guide meridian			Montana
Teton guide meridian			Montana
Valley Creek guide meridian			Montana
Wah Wah guide meridian			Utah
Whatcom County guide meridian	122°30'	Willamette Meridian	Whatcom County, Washington	12 miles east of Willamette Meridian, much of which is in Salish Sea at this latitude. Followed by Guide Road / Old Guide Road / Washington State Route 539 in Whatcom County, Meridian Street in Bellingham, Washington.
Willow Springs guide meridian			Utah
Yantic guide meridian			Montana
Yellowstone guide meridian			Montana

Ohio Lands

Some parts of the Ohio Lands (now Ohio) were laid out in survey townships, but based on other points not listed above:

Base Line of the United States Military Survey (1797)
Great Miami River baseline (1798)
Ohio River (1785) — also part of Indiana
Muskingum River baseline (1800)
Scioto River baseline (1799)
Twelve Mile Square Reserve (1805)

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 "18. Geologic Terms and Geographic Divisions". Style Manual (29th ed.). United States: Government Printing Office. 2000. p. 346. Archived from the original on August 31, 2008. GPO stock number 021-000-00178-3 (paper).
1 2 3 4 5 6 "pob". blm.gov. Archived from the original on February 22, 2013. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
1 2 "5thpmnorth". blm.gov. Archived from the original on December 13, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
1 2 3 "6pm". blm.gov. Archived from the original on August 14, 2012. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Part 5: Public Land Survey System". National Mapping Program Technical Instructions: Standards for USGS and USDA Forest Service Single Edition Quadrangle Maps (PDF) (Draft for Implementation ed.). March 2003. pp. 5A-2–5A-4. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 3, 2007. Retrieved October 31, 2008.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "missalalou". blm.gov. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
1 2 "oklahoma". blm.gov. Archived from the original on February 22, 2013. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
1 2 3 4 5 "alaska". blm.gov. Archived from the original on December 20, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
1 2 "arizona". blm.gov. Archived from the original on December 10, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
1 2 3 "Calneva". blm.gov. Archived from the original on April 26, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
↑ "Monatana". blm.gov. Archived from the original on March 15, 2015. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
↑ Hubbard, Bill, Jr. (2009) "Navajo meridian, 1869" American Boundaries: The nation, the states, the rectangular survey University of Chicago Press, Chicago, p. 338, ISBN 978-0-226-35591-7
↑ "newmexico". blm.gov. Archived from the original on December 10, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
1 2 "utah". blm.gov. Archived from the original on May 18, 2010. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
↑ "orewash". blm.gov.
↑ Bruce Ayers, Professional Land Surveyor, "Surveying terms: Willamette Meridian", official website, Bellingham, Washington: Ayers Consulting, retrieved February 25, 2021

[gposm-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 "18. Geologic Terms and Geographic Divisions". Style Manual (29th ed.). United States: Government Printing Office. 2000. p. 346. Archived from the original on August 31, 2008. GPO stock number 021-000-00178-3 (paper).

[POB-2] 1 2 3 4 5 6 "pob". blm.gov. Archived from the original on February 22, 2013. Retrieved January 3, 2012.

[5PM-3] 1 2 "5thpmnorth". blm.gov. Archived from the original on December 13, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2012.

[6PM-4] 1 2 3 "6pm". blm.gov. Archived from the original on August 14, 2012. Retrieved January 3, 2012.

[5s503-5] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Part 5: Public Land Survey System". National Mapping Program Technical Instructions: Standards for USGS and USDA Forest Service Single Edition Quadrangle Maps (PDF) (Draft for Implementation ed.). March 2003. pp. 5A-2–5A-4. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 3, 2007. Retrieved October 31, 2008.

[MS-6] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "missalalou". blm.gov. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved January 3, 2012.

[OK-7] 1 2 "oklahoma". blm.gov. Archived from the original on February 22, 2013. Retrieved January 3, 2012.

[AK-8] 1 2 3 4 5 "alaska". blm.gov. Archived from the original on December 20, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2012.

[AZ-9] 1 2 "arizona". blm.gov. Archived from the original on December 10, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2012.

[CA-10] 1 2 3 "Calneva". blm.gov. Archived from the original on April 26, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2012.

[MT-11] "Monatana". blm.gov. Archived from the original on March 15, 2015. Retrieved January 3, 2012.

[Hubbard-12] Hubbard, Bill, Jr. (2009) "Navajo meridian, 1869" American Boundaries: The nation, the states, the rectangular survey University of Chicago Press, Chicago, p. 338, ISBN 978-0-226-35591-7

[NM-13] "newmexico". blm.gov. Archived from the original on December 10, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2012.

[UT-14] 1 2 "utah". blm.gov. Archived from the original on May 18, 2010. Retrieved January 3, 2012.

[WM-15] "orewash". blm.gov.

[16] Bruce Ayers, Professional Land Surveyor, "Surveying terms: Willamette Meridian", official website, Bellingham, Washington: Ayers Consulting, retrieved February 25, 2021