GOVERNMENT GEOLOGICAL SURVEYS 209 



Geological Survey, the Director speaks of the "most 

 important geological subjects" and "mining industries," 

 of "instructive geological structure" and "great bullion 

 yield" in the same sentences, so that the intent was plain 

 to make the geologic investigations both theoretical and 

 practical. 



It was expected that the field of operations of this 

 Federal Survey would be at once extended by Congress 

 over the whole United States, but the measure making 

 this extension, which would simply carry out the intent 

 of the framers of the legislation creating the new bureau, 

 passed the House alone, and it was only by subsequent 

 modification of the wording of appropriation items that 

 the United States Geological Survey became national in 

 scope as well as in name. The critical question of the 

 effective coordination of State and Federal geologic sur- 

 veys was met by Director King, who corrected an errone- 

 ous impression "industriously circulated" by stating 

 his policy to be to urge the inauguration and continuance 

 of State surveys. 9 This was the initial step in the 

 cooperation between State and Federal surveys which 

 became effective on a large scale in subsequent years. 



Though the Geological Survey has extended its opera- 

 tions over the whole United States, its largest activities 

 have always been directed toward the exploration and 

 development of the newer territory in the public-land 

 States. All four of its directors had their field training 

 in the West : the name of Major Powell, who succeeded 

 King in 1880, is inseparably connected with scientific 

 exploration ; Charles D. Walcott, who was Director from 

 1894 to 1907, the period of the Survey's greatest expan- 

 sion, made the largest contribution to the Paleozoic stra- 

 tigraphy and paleontology of the "West ; and the present 

 Director spent seven field seasons in the Northern Cas- 

 cades and one in a mining district in Utah. The scope of 

 the activities both East and West as developed during 

 the 39 years since the establishment of the new bureau 

 can be best described, perhaps, in terms of its present 

 functions as expressed in the organization of to-day. 



The growth of the Survey is measured in the increase 

 of annual appropriation from $106,000 in 1879-80 to the 

 amount available for the current year $1,925,520, not 



