1-76 G. 0. Smith — Government Geological Surveys. 



his orders in two months and six days, and his report on 

 this great area — about 11,000 square miles — bears date 

 of April 2, 1840. 



Eight years later Doctor Owen made a survey of an 

 even larger area, continuing his examination northward 

 to Lake Superior. Again his report was published 

 promptly, and he continued for several years his exam- 

 ination of the Northwest Territory, submitting his final 

 report in 1851. It is interesting to note that in his 

 earlier report Doctor Owen subscribed himself as "Prin- 

 cipal Agent to explore the Mineral Lands of the United 

 States," but that in the later report he was "U. S. Geolo- 

 gist for Wisconsin.' ' The two surveys together covered, 

 57,000 square miles. 



During the same period similar surveys were being 

 made in northern Michigan by Dr. Charles T. Jackson, 

 1847-48, and Foster and Whitney, 1849-51. These sur- 

 veys also had been hastened by the "copper fever" of 

 1844-46, with wholesale issue of permits and leases, Con- 

 gress in 1847 authorizing the sale of the mineral lands 

 and a geological survey of the Lake Superior district. 

 The execution of these surveys under Jackson and under 

 Foster and Whitney and the prompt publication in 1851 

 of the maps of the whole region materially helped to 

 establish copper mining on a more conservative basis, 

 and the development of the Lake Superior region 

 was rapid. 4 , 



These land-classification surveys, with their definite 

 purpose, represent the best geologic work of the time. 

 The plan necessitated thoroughgoing field work with con- 

 siderable detail and prompt publication of systematic 

 reports, and in the working up of the results specialists 

 like James Hall and Joseph Leidy contributed, while 

 F. B. Meek was an assistant of Owen. It is worthy of 

 note that had not Doctor Houghton, the State geologist of 

 Michigan, met an untimely death in 1847, effective coop- 

 eration of the State Survey with the Federal officials 

 would have combined geologic investigation with the 

 execution of the linear surveys. 5 



Belonging to the same period of geologic exploration 

 was the service of J. D. Dana, as United States Geologist 



4 Whitney, Mineral Wealth of the United States, pp. 248-250. 



5 Foster and Whitney, 31st Cong., 1st session, House Doc. 69, pp. 13-14, 

 1850. 



