744 C. H. HITCHCOCK NOTE ON ORGANIZATION OF THE SOCIETY 



The following is a copy of the report of what occurred at the Minne- 

 apolis meeting: 



"At the Minneapolis meeting of the American Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science an adjourned session of the geologists interested in the estab- 

 lishment of a geological society and a geological magazine was held, August 

 21, 1883. A letter addressed to the President of Section E from the Minera- 

 logical and Geological Section of the Philadelphia Academy of Sciences was 

 read, in which the formation of an American society of geologists was favored, 

 'provided that such action shall be generally concurred in by American geolo- 

 gists, and that its permanency and a liberal publication of professional papers 

 be insured by an ample endowment fund.' The letter was written by the 

 Secretary, Charles A. Ashburner. 



"After various discussions, it was voted that a committee be appointed to 

 confer with the Mineralogical and Geological Section of the Philadelphia 

 Academy of Natural Sciences with reference to the formation of an American 

 geological society and the establishment of a geological magazine. 



"The President and Secretary of Section E of the Philadelphia meeting of 

 the American Association for the Advancement of Science were named as 

 ex officio members of this committee, the others to be designated by the 

 President, N. H. Winchell. As finally constituted, the committee consisted of 

 N. H. Winchell, E. A. Smith, C. A. White, C. H. Hitchcock, and John Collett 



"The geologists present at the Minneapolis meeting were N. H. Winchell, 

 J. S. Newberry, T. S. Hunt, E. Orton, J. W. Spencer, E. T. Cox, J. W. Powell, 

 W. Upham, J. P. Lesley, E. W. Claypole, and C. H. Hitchcock. 



"A true report: 



"C. H. Hitchcock, 



"Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 22, 1883." Secretary. 



For various reasons, no meetings of this committee were held at Phila- 

 delphia in 1884, nor at the subsequent sessions of Section E at Ann 

 Arbor in 1885, at Buffalo in 1886, and at New York in 1887. 



Those who were interested in the establishment of a geological maga- 

 zine organized, and began with the year 1888 the publication of the 

 American Geologist, a monthly periodical, with seven editors and pro- 

 prietors, and the editorial office and management were located at Minne- 

 apolis. This was a private enterprise approved of but not supported by 

 the committee. 



It was now 1888. The officers appointed by the geologists in 1882- 

 1883 had apparently become discouraged at the outlook. Perceiving that 

 unless another effort was made very soon the project must fail, the 

 writer proposed to N. H. Winchell that they jointly issue a call for 

 another meeting of geologists to determine whether they might be ready 

 to organize. They felt called upon to assume this initiative because they 

 represented those who had been officially connected with the movement 

 originating at Cincinnati. 



II 



I 



