﻿Il8 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  Primitive, 
  an 
  extension 
  of 
  the 
  Transition 
  up 
  the 
  east 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  

   Hudson 
  into 
  Washington 
  county, 
  and 
  the 
  extension 
  of 
  the 
  green 
  

   strip, 
  representing 
  salt 
  and 
  gypsum 
  deposits, 
  as 
  far 
  north 
  as 
  Scho- 
  

   harie 
  county. 
  

  

  The 
  sections 
  accompanying 
  this 
  map 
  are 
  divided 
  into 
  the 
  same 
  

   formations 
  and 
  show 
  no 
  very 
  definite 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  correct 
  structure 
  

   of 
  the 
  region. 
  

  

  The 
  year 
  1816 
  brought 
  into 
  the 
  arena 
  of 
  geologic 
  work 
  a 
  man 
  

   whose 
  work 
  was 
  to 
  have 
  a 
  profound 
  influence 
  on 
  the 
  scientific 
  

   thought 
  of 
  his 
  time 
  and 
  country. 
  This 
  man 
  was 
  Amos 
  Eaton. 
  

   Born 
  in 
  Chatham 
  in 
  1776, 
  he 
  pursued 
  the 
  study 
  and 
  practice 
  of 
  law 
  

   till 
  the 
  year 
  1816 
  when, 
  although 
  40 
  years 
  of 
  age, 
  he 
  became 
  inter- 
  

   ested 
  in 
  the 
  teachings 
  of 
  Professor 
  Silliman 
  at 
  Yale, 
  relinquished 
  

   his 
  law 
  practice, 
  and 
  began 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  geology 
  and 
  mineralogy 
  

   under 
  Silliman. 
  Such 
  was 
  the 
  energy 
  and 
  enthusiasm-" 
  of 
  Eaton 
  

   that 
  in 
  a 
  year 
  or 
  so 
  he 
  had 
  mastered 
  the 
  science, 
  and 
  began 
  a 
  series 
  

   of 
  excursions, 
  on 
  foot, 
  throughout 
  New 
  England 
  and 
  New 
  York, 
  

   giving 
  short 
  lectures 
  on 
  natural 
  history 
  all 
  along 
  his 
  route. 
  He 
  

   also 
  delivered 
  a 
  course 
  of 
  such 
  lectures 
  at 
  Williams 
  College, 
  which 
  

   aroused 
  great 
  interest 
  in 
  natural 
  history 
  in 
  that 
  institution. 
  The 
  

   inspiration 
  of 
  this 
  scientific 
  teacher 
  attracted 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  Gov- 
  

   ernor 
  DeWitt 
  Clinton 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  State 
  and, 
  on 
  his 
  invitation, 
  

   in 
  181 
  8, 
  Professor 
  Eaton 
  delivered 
  a 
  course 
  of 
  lectures 
  before 
  the 
  

   State 
  Legislature. 
  The 
  interest 
  in 
  natural 
  history, 
  created 
  by 
  his 
  

   untiring 
  devotion 
  to 
  the 
  cause 
  and 
  by 
  his 
  numerous 
  lectures 
  and 
  

   writings, 
  specially 
  by 
  his 
  writings 
  and 
  maps 
  published 
  after 
  he 
  had 
  

   been 
  appointed 
  senior 
  professor 
  of 
  science 
  at 
  the 
  Rensselaer 
  

   Scliool 
  at 
  Troy, 
  were 
  destined 
  to 
  bring 
  about 
  the 
  organization 
  of 
  

   the 
  State 
  Natural 
  History 
  Survey. 
  He 
  may 
  justly 
  be 
  termed 
  the 
  

   father 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  State 
  geology, 
  for 
  to 
  him, 
  above 
  all 
  others, 
  the 
  

   State 
  owes 
  its 
  wonderful 
  achievements 
  in 
  geologic 
  work. 
  His 
  first 
  

   important 
  work 
  was 
  an 
  Index 
  to 
  the 
  Geology 
  of 
  the 
  Northern 
  

   States, 
  written 
  as 
  a 
  textbook 
  and 
  published 
  in 
  1818. 
  This 
  con- 
  

   tained 
  a 
  geologic 
  section 
  which 
  included 
  the 
  region 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  

   Catskills 
  and 
  extended 
  east 
  to 
  Boston. 
  This 
  was 
  followed 
  a 
  few 
  

   years 
  later 
  by 
  other 
  published 
  sections, 
  including 
  New 
  York 
  State, 
  

   but 
  all 
  were 
  very 
  crude 
  measured 
  by 
  present 
  standards 
  and 
  were 
  

   strongly 
  tinged 
  by 
  Wernerism. 
  

  

  During 
  this 
  period 
  a 
  new 
  means 
  for 
  the 
  publication 
  of 
  short 
  

   geological 
  papers 
  and 
  small 
  maps 
  was 
  brought 
  into 
  being 
  by 
  the 
  

   founding 
  of 
  Silliman's 
  Journal 
  in 
  1818 
  and 
  soon 
  papers 
  and 
  maps 
  

   of 
  a 
  geologic 
  nature 
  began 
  to 
  appear 
  in 
  its 
  pages 
  as 
  can 
  be 
  seen 
  

  

  