Samuel Franklin Emmons 



the geology of the East with that 

 of the West by making, under Gov- 

 ernment auspices, a survey across the 

 whole Cordilleran system at its wid- 

 est point. 



There had been considerable appre- 

 hension during the dark days of the 

 Civil War lest California, physically 

 isolated as she was at that time, should 

 separate from the other States and set 

 up an independent government. The 

 subsidizing of the transcontinental 

 railroads was the first step towards 

 overcoming this isolation and bind- 

 ing her more closely to the East. In 

 King's judgment a second, hardly less 

 important one, would be the develop- 

 ment of the mineral resources of the 

 country thus to be opened up ; and 

 this could best be accomplished by 

 making a thorough geological survey 

 of that region. 



During the winter of 1 866-67, which 

 he spent at Washington, he was so 

 265 



