178 G. 0. Smith — Government Geological Surveys. 



years later Doctor Owen was strongly impressed with 

 the commercial promise of the region he surveyed. His 

 reports contain analyses of ores and statistics of produc- 

 tion; he compared the lead output of Wisconsin, Iowa, 

 and Illinois with that of Europe and foretold the value 

 of the iron, copper, and zinc deposits of the area; he 

 outlined the extent of the Illinois coal field ; and he laid 

 equal emphasis upon the agricultural possibilities of the 

 region. Indeed, so optimistic were Owen's general con- 

 clusions that he referred to his separate township plats, 

 with their detailed descriptions, as the basis for his san- 

 guine opinions, realizing that "the explorer is apt to 

 become the special pleader. " With equal breadth of 

 view and thoroughness of execution the surveys of Fos- 

 ter and Whitney laid the foundation for the development 

 of the copper and iron resources of the Lake Superior 

 region, and although these areas were largely wilderness 

 and not adapted to rapid traverse or easy observation 

 the reports on their explorations nevertheless compare 

 most favorably with the contributions of geologists work- 

 ing in the more hospitable regions in the older States. 



The period following the Civil War naturally became 

 one of national expansion, the faces of many were turned 

 westward, and exploration of the national domain for its 

 industrial possibilities took on fresh interest. Home- 

 seekers and miners largely made up this army of peace- 

 ful invasion, and the winning of the West began on a 

 scale quite different from that of the days of the military 

 path-finding expeditions of Fremont and other Army 

 officers. Thus the nation was aroused to the task of 

 investigating its public lands and Congress gave the sup- 

 port needed to make geologic exploration possible on a 

 large scale. 



Geologic surveys of a high order were continued 

 in the older States, as shown by the contributions 

 during this period of J. P. Leslev and G. H. Cook in 

 the East, W. C. Kerr, E. W. Hilgard, and E. A. 

 Smith in the South, and J. S. Newberry, C. A. 

 White, Raphael Pumpelly, T. C. Chamberlin, Alex- 

 ander Winchell, and T. B. Brooks in the Central States. 

 To the north the Canadian Survey, organized in 1841 

 under Logan, had continued under the same sturdy 

 leadership until 1869, when the experienced and talented 

 Doctor Selwvn became Director. As contrasted with the 



