The boundaries of the county of Bernalillo are as follows: drawing a direct line toward the east toward the Bosque de los Pinos, touching the Canon Infierno, and terminating with the boundaries of the territory, drawing a direct line from the Bosque de los Pinos, crossing the Rio del Norte in the direction of the Quelites del Rio Puerco, and continuing in the direction of the canon of Juan Tafoya, until it terminates with the boundaries of the territory; on the north by the boundaries of Santa Ana and San Miguel; on the east and west by the boundaries of this territory.

History: Laws 1851-1852, p. 292; C.L. 1865, ch. 42, § 9; C.L. 1884, § 250; C.L. 1897, § 516; Code 1915, § 1062; C.S. 1929, § 33-101; 1941 Comp., § 15-101; 1953 Comp., § 15-1-1.

Compiler's notes. — The county of Santa Ana, which is referred to in this section, was created by Act of Jan. 9, 1852, p. 292 (C.L. 1865, ch. 42, § 8), which read: "The boundaries of the county of Santa Ana are as follows: on the east and north by the boundaries of the county of Santa Fe; on the south from a point above the last houses of Bernalillo, where the lands previously known as those belonging to the Indians of Santa Ana are divided, drawing a direct line toward the east over the mountain until it reaches the parallel dividing the counties of San Miguel and Santa Fe, from said dividing point of the lands of the Indians of Santa Ana, drawing a line westward crossing the Rio del Norte, and terminating with the boundaries of the territory, are the boundaries of this county."

The county of Santa Ana was abolished by Laws 1876, ch. 8, § 1, which read: "The county of Santa Ana in this territory is hereby abolished; and all that portion of the territory of New Mexico heretofore embraced and included within the limits of the said county of Santa Ana, is hereby incorporated into and made a part of the county of Bernalillo."

Bernalillo county, which originally touched both the east and west borders of the territory, has been greatly reduced in size since its creation.

The present boundaries of Bernalillo county may be as follows: commencing at the southwest corner of section 34, township 8 north, range 5 east; thence east [description from 4-30-1 NMSA 1978] on the township line between townships 7 and 8 north to the southeast corner of township 8 north, range 7 east; thence north on the range line between ranges 7 and 8 east to the northeast corner of township 8 north, range 7 east, on the second standard parallel north; thence west on said standard parallel to the southeast corner of township 9 north, range 6 east; thence north on the range line between ranges 6 and 7 east [description from 4-30-1 NMSA 1978 and 4-26-1 NMSA 1978] to the northeast corner of township 11 north of range 6 east; thence west [description from 4-23-1 NMSA 1978] on the township line between townships 11 and 12 north to the boundary line of Valencia county [described in 4-1-1 NMSA 1978 as being on the straight line running from the Quelites del Rio Puerco (an old community on the Rio Puerco just below its junction with the Rio San Jose) in the direction of the Canon of Juan Tafoya]; thence in a south-southeasterly direction along said boundary line to its intersection with a line directly west from the Bosque de los Pinos (township line between townships 7 and 8 north); thence east along said township line toward the Bosque de los Pinos to the center of the Rio Grande; thence following the thread of the river upstream in a northeasterly direction to a point immediately west of a point [description from 4-1-2 NMSA 1978] on the east bank of the Rio Grande where the southern foot of the Loma de Isleta strikes the Rio Grande; thence easterly to the Canon del Infierno; thence following up the Canon del Infierno to the point where it crosses the section line between sections 27 and 28 in township 8 north of range 5 east; thence, south along section line to the point of beginning. [The Bernalillo-Valencia line from the Canon del Infierno (Hell canyon) to the old boundary between the two counties is not defined by law. The accepted boundary seems to be that described in the last two clauses above.]

A change in the boundary between Santa Fe and Bernalillo counties was also made by Laws 1891, ch. 55 (Code 1915, § 1063; C.S. 1929, § 33-102; 1941 Comp., § 15-101, n.) which read: "After February 25, 1891, the dividing line between the counties of Santa Fe and Bernalillo shall be as follows: commencing at the southeast corner of township 9 north, of range 11 east, on the second correction line north, according to the United States public land surveys in New Mexico; thence running west along said correction line between townships 8 and 9 north, to the southwest corner of township 9 north, range 7 east, and from thence north along the dividing line between ranges 6 and 7 east to a point due west of the northwest corner of the tract of land known as the Mesita de Juana Lopez grant, as established by the surveys made by the government of the United States; thence due east to said northwest corner; thence due north 1 mile to a point; thence due west to the said dividing line between ranges 6 and 7 east; thence north along said dividing line to the northwest corner of the county of Santa Fe as at present established; it being understood that all of the country adjacent to the above-described lines, from the point of commencement on the south side and the west side thereof as far north as the present northern boundary of the county of Bernalillo, shall hereafter be a part of the county of Bernalillo."

The sections in this article were compiled respectively in art. 1 and art. 25 of ch. 24 of the 1915 Code. They were not reenacted by their inclusion therein, but were compiled for convenience. See the 1915 Code, p. 1665.

Cross references. — For boundaries of San Miguel county, see 4-25-1 NMSA 1978.

For creation or change of counties, see 4-33-1 NMSA 1978 et seq.

For change of county seats, see 4-34-1 NMSA 1978 et seq.

For prohibition against local or special laws locating or changing county seats or changing county lines, except in creating new counties, see N.M. Const., art. IV, § 24.

For removal of county seats, see N.M. Const., art. X, § 3.