198 A CENTURY OF SCIENCE 



of Tennessee and as the first State geologist of Indiana, 

 and he organized the new work promptly and effectively. 

 Although suffering from the handicap unfortunately 

 known by geologists of the present day the receipt late 

 in the season (August 17, 1839) of authority to begin 

 work within exactly a month he had his force of 139 

 assistants organized into 24 field parties, instructed in 

 "such elementary principles of geology as were neces- 

 sary to their performance of the duties required of 

 them. ' ' His plan of campaign provided for a northward 

 drive at a predetermined rate of traverse for each party, 

 with periodic reports to himself at appointed stations, 

 "to receive which reports and to examine the country in 

 person" he crossed the area under survey eleven times. 

 The result of such masterful leadership was the comple- 

 tion of the exploration of all the lands comprehended in 

 his orders in two months and six days, and his report on 

 this great area about 11,000 square miles bears date 

 of April 2, 1840. 



Eight years later Doctor Owen made a survey of an 

 even larger area, continuing his examination northward 

 to Lake Superior. Again his report was published 

 promptly, and he continued for several years his exam- 

 ination of the Northwest Territory, submitting his final 

 report in 1851. It is interesting to note that in his 

 earlier report Doctor Owen subscribed himself as "Prin- 

 cipal Agent to explore the Mineral Lands of the United 

 States," but that in the later report he was "U. S. Geolo- 

 gist for Wisconsin. ' ' The two surveys together covered 

 57,000 square miles. 



During the same period similar surveys were being 

 made in northern Michigan by Dr. Charles T. Jackson, 

 1847-48, and Foster and Whitney, 1849-51. These sur- 

 veys also had been hastened by the "copper fever" of 

 1844-46, with wholesale issue of permits and leases, Con- 

 gress in 1847 authorizing the sale of the mineral lands 

 and a geological survey of the Lake Superior district. 

 The execution of these surveys under Jackson and under 

 Foster and Whitney and the prompt publication in 1851 

 of the maps of the whole region materially helped to 

 establish copper mining on a more conservative basis. 



