Monthly Archives: October 2011

Arkansas is two notches above

Posted on October 29, 2011 by

Arkansas began life as an almost rectangle that later had two notches carved out of it.  When Congress started to divide up the Louisiana Purchase, a couple of historic decisions played a part in the shape of Arkansas that stands … Continue reading →

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West Virginia breaks away

Posted on October 19, 2011 by

How did West Virginia get that goofy shape?  Is it possible that someone intentionally created a state that looks like this? Not exactly.  West Virginia was “spun off” from Virginia when residents on both sides of the Appalachian Mountains acknowledged … Continue reading →

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A river runs through it and around it

Posted on October 4, 2011 by

One of the more interesting side stories about states’ borders are the cases in which disputes about these borders continue long after the state is admitted into the union.  Surveying errors, disagreements about markers, and disputes about which state is … Continue reading →

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