MAJOR POWELL AND HIS WORK. 



A FRIEND DESCRIBES HIS SERVICE TO WESTERN AMERICA. 



THERE 'is a certain natural order of exploration 

 and conquest of new land which has been followed 

 in many countries. The first stage is geographic ex" 

 ploration, commonly accompanied by the execution 

 of reconnoisance maps; in later stages the fauna and 

 flora, and the primitive peoples, if such there be, re- 

 ceive attention; still later comes geologic reconnois- 

 ance, and finally detailed geologic surveys, with the 

 development of agricultural, mineral and other re- 

 sources. 



The order of explorations, researches and surveys 

 by the pioneer geologist and ethnologist of Western 

 America, J. W. Powell, has conformed singularly to 

 the general standard. True, it was the inspiration 

 of ethnologic research that led him into the then un- 

 known mountain land in the later Ws and earlier 

 '70's; but the earliest work was geographic research, 

 and its first fruits were reconnoisance maps. The 

 descent of the Colorado canyon, the most adventurous 

 bit of exploration in the annals of American history, 

 was projected and successfully accomplished with 

 the view of extending geographic knowledge ; the 

 estimates of distances, the determination of courses, 

 and the measurements of altitude along the stupend- 

 ous canyon walls were made with a view of construct- 

 ing maps on which facts relating to plants, animals, 

 aborigines and material resources might be shown 

 and with each stage in the exploration and mapping 

 new and important facts came to light, and thus the 

 scientific horizon of the explorer constantly broad- 

 ened. Beginning a trained botanist, the unique 

 flora and the varied relations between life on the 

 one hand and soil and climate on the other, stimulated 

 study and led to rich collections of plants and the 

 construction of forest maps. The peculiar climate 

 and its relations to the distinctive geography of the 

 Rocky mountain region soon attracted observation, 

 and thus the germ of the most important American 

 generalizations concerning irrigation was warmed 

 into life. Before, during and after the exploration 

 of the canyon, the explorer came into intimate rela- 

 tions with the aborigines, acquired their tongue, and 

 by their own firesides listened to their legends and 

 myths. The echo of the guns of Sumter transformed 

 the teacher into the soldier, but the roar of the cata- 

 racts in the canyons witnessed the more brilliant 

 transformation of the soldier into the man of sci- 

 ence. 



The earlier explorations under the auspices of the 

 Smithsonian Institution soon blossomed into the more 

 systematic surveys of the U. S. Geologic and Geo- 



graphic Survey of the Rocky mountain region, under 

 the auspices of the federal government. During the 

 progress of this work Major Powell more fully de- 

 veloped his plans for geologic research and mapping, 

 for the development of the mineral resources of the 

 Rocky mountain region, and for interpreting the 

 forest areas as indices of possible agriculture. At 

 the same time the irrigation problem was more fully 

 developed. Up to the date of the absorption of this 

 survey many important reports were published by 

 Powell and his collaborators; his report on the arid 

 lands first made known the actual agricultural con- 

 dition and possibilities throughout avast region; his 

 report on the Unita mountains brought together in 

 summary form a vast body of original observation 

 and inference relating to geologic processes, set forth 

 new principles by which the entire science was revo- 

 lutionized, and suggested vast mineral resources 

 which have since been utilized. His chief collabora- 

 tors, Button and Gilbert, produced monographs 

 recognized throughout the world as among the 

 classics of geology. The survey marked the begin- 

 ning of the American era in the development of 

 geology. The idea of baselevel, which is now fun- 

 damental in all countries, the definite recognition of 

 cause and effect in mountain-making, Button's law 

 of isostasy, and the funamental principles of vul- 

 canism were developed in the progress of the survey. 

 Powell's own recognition of and insistence on the 

 existence of vast coal beds in the cretaceous was at 

 first regarded as heterodox and incredible, but his 

 conclusions were long ago verified. 



GEOLOGICAL RESEARCHES. 



When the survey of the Rocky mountain region 

 was merged, with other governmental explorations 

 and surveys, into the present U. S. Geological Survey, 

 Powell was in the possession of a larger body of facts 

 and principles relating to Western America and its 

 resources than any other man ; and when placed in 

 charge of the new organization, this knowledge was 

 utilized. The new survey was rapidly extended and 

 modified. One feature of the plan was the extension 

 of the surveys over the entire public domain, and this 

 has been carried out with signal success. Another 

 feature was the extension of topographic surveys over 

 the country and the preparation of topographic maps 

 to serve as a basis for the geologic researches and 

 maps ; and this feature, which was at first regarded as 

 chimerical, was put into execution, and already more 

 than one-fifth of the public domain has been surveyed 

 and mapped with greater refinement than was thought 



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