58 SURVEY OF IDAHO-MONTANA BOUNDARY LINE. [bull, no 
THE INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY WEST OF THE SUMMIT 
OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS, AND THE MOOYIE TRAIL 
MONUMENT. 
On August 11, 1856, a law was passed by Congress authorizing the 
appointment of a commission to unite with a similar commission to be 
appointed by Great Britain for the purpose of carrying into effect the 
first article of the treaty of June 15, 1846, that is to determine and 
mark the boundary line between the United States and British pos- 
sessions westward from the summit of the Rocky Mountains. In 
February, 1857, Mr. Archibald Campbell was appointed commissioner 
for the United States, and Lieut. John G. Parke, United States Army, 
was appointed chief astronomer and surveyor. Three commissioners 
were appointed by Great Britain. Captains Prevost and Richards, of 
the Royal Navy, were first and second commissioners, respectively, 
their duties being limited to the determination of the water boundary 
referred to as " the channel which separates the Continent from Van- 
couver's Island." In the summer of 1858, Col. J. S. Hawkins, Royal 
Engineers, appointed by the British Government commissioner to 
determine the boundary line along the forty-ninth parallel, arrived 
in the United States prepared for field operations. At a meeting of 
the joint commission the following agreement relating to the plan of 
work was entered into : 
After discussing plans for determining and marking the line as far eastward as 
the Cascade Mountains, it was concluded to be inexpedient at the present time, 
in consequence of the great expense, consumption of time, and the impracticable 
nature of the country, to mark the whole boundary by cutting a track through 
the dense forest- 
It was therefore agreed to ascertain points on the line by the determination of 
astronomical points at convenient intervals on or near the boundary and to mark 
such astronomical stations, or points fixed on the parallel forming the boundary, 
by cutting a track of not less than 20 feet in width on each side for the distance 
of half a mile or more, according to circumstances. Farther, that the boundary 
be determined and similarly marked where it crosses streams of any size, perma- 
nent trails, or any striking natural feature of the country. 
In the vicinity of settlements on or near the line it is deemed advisable to cut 
the track for a greater distance and to mark it in a manner to be determined 
hereafter. 
Under this plan it seems that the work was prosecuted through the 
field seasons of 1858, 1859, and 1860, but owing to the war between 
the States, which followed soon after, all operations were suspended, 
and no detailed report was ever published. 
The following is an extract from a short report by Mr. Archibald 
Campbell, United States commissioner, published in House Executive 
Document No. 86, Fortieth Congress, third session: 
The work of running and marking the land boundary was carried on through a 
country previously almost unknown. The forty-ninth parallel extends over rug- 
ged and precipitous mountains that attain great elevation, and in the Cascade 
