History Channel Series on Shape of the States

I have been watching the series on the history channel about how the states got their shapes, which reveals a lot of fascinating history about our country. One of the most interesting things is the former borders of the states and territories, and why they are in their present form.

One thing I learned is the story of the shape of Nevada. It turns out Arizona as a territory had helped the South in the Civil War. When Nevada was applying for statehood, it had no source of water. So, Congress took part of the Arizona territory that is now the tip of Nevada and gave it to Nevada, which is the present site of the Hoover Dam.



There was also the problem with the northern border of Maine, and how Maine is about to split in half today. I never realized northern Maine was so frontier like compared to the south part. Also, the fact that Ohio forgot to receive a proclamation for its statehood in 1803 until President Eisenhower signed it in 1953.

Any other former border facts and history would be interesting to hear about.

 

While you are at it, tell us about the State of Franklin, please.

 

Well, according to the series, it has to do with a frontier mentality up north to a more cosmopolitan mentality down south. Up north, over half the land has no roads or named towns. The biggest industry is logging. There is no cell phone service in many parts up there. North Maine would be called Maine and South Maine would be called Northern Massachusettes. Here is another article:

A state lawmaker from Aroostook County wants to see Maine divided into two states. Representative Henry Joy says it would let the people of northern Maine decide their own destiny.

His two state idea comes after a plan was announced to turn over some 10-million acres of northern Maine woodlands to the federal government as early as next month.

Joy says that means the land would not be able to be developed and he fears private property could be seized without compensation.

Joy's proposal calls for northern Maine to be called Maine, while the southern half of the state would be called Northern Massachusetts.

"It would a chance for the people in this area of Maine to decide their own future and not have a group of 22 people deciding their future for them," says Rep. Joy.

Joy's bill has to first clear a 10-member legislative council which he admits that's unlikely. "Some people think dividing Maine into two states is a joke," says Rep. Joy, now serving his eighth term in the Maine House. "It won't seem very funny when the enviromental extremists get their way, and we see a forced relocation of the population of Northen Maine. That is exactly the plan of the 1992 Biodiversity Treaty, run by the United Nations. They want half of the United States to be returned to wilderness. Northern Maine would become part of the Northern Forest Bioregion, some 26 million acres of timberland running from New York to eastern Maine."

 

When ruled by the Spanish, the peninsula of Florida went all the way over to present day Louisiana.



Here is an interesting article on a recent border dispute between Tennessee and Georgia.

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/feb/26/tennessee-draws-line-border-dispute/