The Collins–Valentine line, or Valentine–Collins line, is the boundary at approximately
45 degrees north latitude that separates the province of
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
from the states of
New York and
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
. It was surveyed and marked by
survey monument
Survey markers, also called survey marks, survey monuments, or geodetic marks, are objects placed to mark key survey points on the Earth's surface. They are used in geodetic and land surveying. A ''benchmark'' is a type of survey marker that i ...
s in 1771–3 by John Collins, surveyor-general of Quebec, and Thomas Valentine, a commissioner appointed by the government of New York.
Quebec had been governed by France until the conclusion of the
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754†...
in 1763, after which it was governed by Britain. In the 1760s, the region that would later become the state of Vermont was considered by authorities in Britain and New York to be a part of what was then called the
Province of New York
The Province of New York (1664–1776) was a British proprietary colony and later royal colony on the northeast coast of North America. As one of the Middle Colonies, New York achieved independence and worked with the others to found the Uni ...
, although that status was a matter of some dispute among New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and the inhabitants of the disputed territory. Thus the boundary was intended to be between Quebec and New York. In the ''Gazetteer of the State of New York'', we read that:
By royal proclamation, issued in Oct. 1763, the line 45° N. was fixed as the boundary between the provinces of Quebec and New York, and this was confirmed in council Aug. 12, 1768. The line was surveyed by Valentine and Collins, Oct. 20, 1774.
The
Treaty of Paris of 1783
A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal perso ...
, which established peace between Britain and the United States, said the boundary was to be the 45th parallel, and it was generally assumed that that is where the line marked by monuments is.
Joseph Bouchette
Lt.-Colonel Joseph Bouchette (May 14, 1774 – April 8, 1841) was the Canadian Surveyor-General of British North America. His book, ''Topographical Description of the Province of Lower Canada'' was published at London in 1815 and also translated i ...
, writing about the re-survey agreed upon in the
Treaty of Ghent
The Treaty of Ghent () was the peace treaty that ended the War of 1812 between the United States and the United Kingdom. It took effect in February 1815. Both sides signed it on December 24, 1814, in the city of Ghent, United Netherlands (now in ...
, states that:
In determining the geographical boundary between St. Regis and the Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island ...
, it was soon discovered that the original demarcation of the 45th parallel of north latitude widely deviated from the true course of that parallel, the position of which was carefully ascertained by the joint observations of the British and American astronomers employed on that service in 1818. It was found that the pre-existing line was drawn almost wholly north of the true geographical bearing of that circle of latitude . . . at St. Regis the old line was actually 1375 feet, statute measure, north of the 45° of north latitude, and that Ellicott's line urveyed the previous yearwas 30 feet too far north . . .
The
Webster–Ashburton Treaty
The Webster–Ashburton Treaty, signed August 9, 1842, was a treaty that resolved several border issues between the United States and the British North American colonies (the region that became Canada). Signed under John Tyler's presidency, it ...
of 1842 said that the measurement errors stand, so the boundary is where Collins and Valentine erected the monuments.
![HaskellFreeLibraryandOperaHouse](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/HaskellFreeLibraryandOperaHouse.JPG)
The Collins–Valentine line passes directly through a number of buildings, sometimes called
line house
A line house is a building deliberately located so that an international boundary passes through it. One such building on the boundary between the United States and Canada is the Haskell Free Library and Opera House in Stanstead, Quebec, and De ...
s. Most notable among these is the
Haskell Free Library and Opera House
, image = HaskellFreeLibraryandOperaHouse.JPG
, caption = Haskell Free Library and Opera House in 2012
, location = Stanstead, Quebec, CanadaDerby Line, Vermont, U.S.
, coordinates =
, area =
, architect = Nate Beach & James Ball
, a ...
. All of these were built before an international treaty forbade building within three meters (about ten feet) of the boundary without authorization from the
International Boundary Commission
The International Boundary Commission (french: Commission de la frontière internationale) is a bi-national organization responsible for surveying and mapping the Canada–United States border. The commission was created in 1908 and made permanen ...
. Today the Commission maintains
survey monuments along the Collins–Valentine line, as along the rest of the
Canada–United States border
The border between Canada and the United States is the longest international border in the world. The terrestrial boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: Can ...
, and keeps the line
clear of brush and vegetation.
See also
*
Mason–Dixon line
The Mason–Dixon line, also called the Mason and Dixon line or Mason's and Dixon's line, is a demarcation line separating four U.S. states, forming part of the borders of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia (part of Virginia ...
, surveyed in the 1760s, separating Pennsylvania from three states to its south
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins-Valentine line
Borders of Quebec
Borders of Vermont
Borders of New York (state)
Canada–United States border
Geography of Montérégie
Geography of Estrie
Geography of Franklin County, New York
Geography of Clinton County, New York
Geography of Franklin County, Vermont
Geography of Orleans County, Vermont
Geography of Essex County, Vermont
Eponymous border lines