1850 TO 1865 373 
Since I last wrote you various things have come to pass with me. 
All last summer I lay idly at home (at the Grove) hibernating 
like a siffleur.2® Toward fall I tried desperately hard to write good 
letters to you all but did not succeed to my satisfaction. 
You have sometimes heard me speak of my wish to establish a 
good museum of Natural History in Chicago which should enable 
me to work more effectually at what I consider my vocation—the 
making popular of Natural History, and its advancement. At present 
the only good museums in America are along the Atlantic States and 
in eastern Canada, therefore a good museum where naturalists can 
study at the west is a great desideratum. 
Since last fall I have devoted myself almost exclusively to this 
matter. A young friend of mine, Mr. George C. Walker of Chicago, 
who has superior business capacity, took great interest in the matter 
and a place of operations was formed—an association organized, and 
the citizens of Chicago have donated a considerable sum of money to 
the object—enough to secure a hall and laboratories for the museum 
and to provide for the care and public exhibition of the collections— 
open and free to all students of natural history of course. I have been 
appointed curator in charge of the museum, so that henceforth I shall 
be in charge of a sort of “Young Smithsonian.” I of course can’t 
expect to make a Baird of myself, but having him for a close ally in 
all matters I hope to make our Chicago museum “give track”’ to the 
progress of science. It is a harder train to drive than that I had at 
the North, and will keep me very closely at work, but it is all in a 
good cause. One matter worthy of consideration is that I shall be 
paid a regular salary, which, if not large, will still keep me respectably, 
and enable me hereafter to devote myself wholly to natural history 
and to the creation of a great museum. 
I received the appointment of curator of the museum a couple 
of weeks since, and am now engaged in getting out such collections 
of natural history as are given us by the S. I. and my own private 
collections—all the collections belonging to me which I have made 
during the last ten years I give to the new museum, and we are 
promised assistance from many parties. 
The names of you gentlemen at the North will figure pretty 
largely in our museum from what you have already collected, as the 
30 The hoary marmot of the north. 
