^'°'i9lO^^^] Deane, In Memoriam: Charles Aldrich. 121 



1SG4. In 1875 he was unofficially connected with the United States 

 Geological Survey under Dr. F. V. Hayden, which was engaged 

 that year in Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. While in 

 the field he wrote frequent letters to the 'Chicago Inter-Ocean' 

 which were widely read and often copied. 



For many years ]\Ir. Aldrich devoted his time, energy and money 

 to the building up of the Historical Department of Iowa, and that 

 this has become one of the monuments of the State is principally 

 due to his untiring zeal and influence, and most of the valuable 

 relics deposited there he has personally gathered and donated. 



In early youth Mr. Aldrich acquired a taste for the collecting 

 of autograph letters, portraits and other mementos of distinguished 

 persons, and in this he was constantly assisted by his wife. The 

 collection had grown to such magnitude that in 1884 he presented 

 it to the State, on condition that it should be kept by itself in suitable 

 cases in the State Library, where it has since been known as the 

 'Aldrich Collection,' and he was made curator and secretary of 

 his treasures, constantly adding to them up to the time of his death. 



This collection, comprising thousands of signed autograph 

 letters, a large proportion being accompanied by portraits, repre- 

 sent our presidents, statesmen, officers of the Army and Navy, 

 scientists, and men and women of title, literature and art from all 

 over the world. Among the ornithologists represented is a letter of 

 J. J. Audubon, dated New York, July 9, 1841, in which he speaks 

 of "number 34" of his 'Birds of America,' which was then being 

 published; and a letter of Alexander Wilson, dated Pittsburgh 

 Penn., February 22, 1810, and addressed to Alexander Lawson, 

 his engraver. Wilson describes his journey through Pennsylvania, 

 is much gratified at his success in obtaining nineteen subscribers 

 to his work in Pittsburgh, and writes that he has purchased a skiff 

 which he has named the 'Ornithologist,' and of his intention to 

 paddle down the Ohio River, over 500 miles, to Cincinnati. 



Other letters are from Charles Lucian Bonaparte, Titian R. 

 Peale, Ord, Baird, Kennicott, and Coues, besides such naturalists 

 as Linnffius, Darwin, Owen, Wallace, Belt, Seeley, Waterton and 

 many others. In addtion to these relics the Historical Department 

 comprises an extensive collection of books, pamphlets and files of 

 early State newspapers. In the museum dej.artment is a collection 



