ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCE OF ST. LOUIS. 629 



THE ACADEMY OF NATUKAL SCIENCE OF ST. LOUIS. 



By Prof. FREDERICK STAEK. 



I~N 1837 St. Louis was scarcely more than a small frontier town, 

 yet in that year there was organized, through the efforts of two 

 young men of foreign birth, what was perhaps the first society for 

 scientific research established west of the Alleghany Mountains. 

 The prime movers were George Engelmann and Frederick Adolphus 

 Wislizenus. The new society was called the Western Academy of 

 Science. It was progressive and enterprising, and even as early as 



Dr. George Engelmann 



P. SlIUMARD. 



1840 made an effort to establish a botanical garden at St. Louis an 

 effort that failed. Interruptions and discouragement came, and 

 finally the pioneer society ceased to exist. 



It was nearly twenty years later that the Academy of Science of 

 St. Louis was born. Organization must have taken place and some 

 things must have been done in 1856. In the list of organizers were 

 the two names of Engelmann and Wislizenus. In January, 1857, 

 the academy was incorporated. The list of incorporators reads: 

 " George Engelmann, Hiram A. Prout, Nathaniel Holmes, Benja- 

 min F. Shumard, Charles W. Stevens, James B. Eads, Moses M. 

 Pallen, Adolphus Wislizenus, Charles A. Pope, Charles P. Chou- 

 teau, William F. McPheeters, and others." 



The organization of the society, as shown by its standing com- 

 mittees, was sufficiently detailed and heavy to kill a modern society. 



