GEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS IN MINNESOTA. 695 



G. W. Featherstonhaugh was the first professional geologist, 

 so far as known, who made the state a visit. He was an Eng- 

 lish gentleman and was commissioned "U. S. Geologist" by Col. 

 J.J. Abert, of the bureau of topographical engineers. He was 

 accompanied in 1835 by Mr. W. W. Mather who afterwards 

 became known as a geologist of the state surveys of Ohio and New 

 York, but they parted by reason of some disagreement, and 

 Mather returned alone from some point on the upper waters of 

 the Minnesota river. It is possible that Mr. Featherstonhaugh's 

 geological report suffered materially in thus being deprived of 

 the services of Mr Mather who retained his geological notes. 

 The manuscript of Mr. Mather, not published, was said to have 

 been in existence for some years after the report of Mr. Feather- 

 stonhaugh was issued, but for many years it has been lost. Mr. 

 Featherstonhaugh's report, published at Washington, was largely 

 a general treatise on geology, but contains many new and inter- 

 esting facts relating to the physical features of the country, 

 including an account of the Falls of St. Anthony. He visited 

 the place of Le Sueur's "copper mine," but concluded that the 

 discovery of copper, as reported by Le Sueur, was one of those 

 fables which the earlv French travelers sometimes invented in 

 order to grain influence at the court of France. The "Carbonif- 

 erous limestone" he supposed to extend as far as the bluffs of 

 the Minnesota at Mankato. He ascended the cotcau de prairie, 

 but he failed to visit the red pipestone quarry situated in the 

 extreme southwest corner of the state. 1 



It remained for George Catlin, in 1836, to bring awav from 

 its native place, a sample of the red pipestone. This was sub- 

 mitted to Dr. C. T. Jackson, of Boston, who after analvsis and 

 description, gave it the name of catlinite. 



Joseph Nicolas Nicollet, 2 from 1836 to 1843 prosecuted geo- 



1 Mr. Featherstonhaugh's report is entitled : " Report of a geological reconnoissance 

 made in 1835 from the seat of government by the way of Green Bay and Wisconsin 

 territory to the coteau des prairies, an elevated ridge dividing the Missouri from the St. 

 Peter's River," printed in 1836. 



2 Additional facts about Nicollet. H. V. Winchell, American Geologist, Vol. 

 XIII., p. 126, Feb., 1894. 



