G. 0. Smith — Government Geological Surveys. 171 



Art. V. — A Century of Government Geological Surveys; 

 by George Otis Smith, Director of the United States 

 Geological Survey. 



Even a Federal bureau must be considered a product 

 of evolution: the past of the United States Geological 

 Survey far antedates March 3, 1879. The scope of 

 endeavor, the refinement of method, and especially the 

 personnel of the newly created service of that day were 

 largely inherited from pioneer organizations. There- 

 fore a review of the country's record of surveys under 

 Government auspices becomes more than a grateful 

 acknowledgment by the present generation of geologists 

 of the credit due to those who blazed the way; it shows 

 the sequence and progress in the contributions made by 

 geologic science to industry. 



The earlier stages in industrial evolution mentioned by 

 Hess 1 — exploitation, development, and maturity — deter- 

 mine a somewhat similar progressive development in 

 geologic investigation, so that geographic exploration 

 and geologic reconnaissance of the broadest type are the 

 normal contribution of exact science whenever and 

 wherever a nation is in the state of exploitation and 

 initial development of its mineral and agricultural 

 resources. The refinements of detailed surveys and 

 quantitative examinations belong rather to the next stage 

 of intensive utilization, or, indeed, they are the essentials 

 preliminary to full use. Thus regrets that the results of 

 present-day work were not available fifty years ago are 

 largely vain : the fathers may not have been without the 

 vision; they simply did the work as their day and gener- 

 ation needed it done. 



Twenty years ago S. F. Emmons, in a presidential 

 address before the Geological Society of Washington, 

 divided the history of Governmental surveys in this 

 country into two periods, separated in a general way by 

 the Civil: War. The first of these was the period of geo- 

 graphic exploration, the second that of geologic explora- 

 tion. Mr. Emmons of course regarded this subdivision 

 as not hard and fast, yet his dividing line seems logical, 

 for not only did the military activities in the East neces- 

 sarily suspend exploration in the West, but after the war 



1 Hess, E. H., Foundations of National Prosperity, p. 100. 



