HISTORY OF THE MUSEUM 



form under the direction of a remarkable group of men, including 

 Messrs. Putnam, Boas, Saville, Bandelier, Lumholtz, Smith, Jochelson, 

 and Bogoras and others. The financial and scientific cooperation of 

 Messrs. Hyde, Loubat, Villard, and others was enlisted, and the Museum 

 sprang into the front rank, both of exploring and of special institutions 

 in the field of archaeology and ethnology. British Columbia, the Plains 

 region, the Southwest, Mexico, Colombia, and Peru were visited by 

 special parties and rich collections brought back. 

 North The central feature of this great work was the North Pacific Expedi- 



Pucif ic 



Expedition. tion, which began in 1897 and which bore Mr. Jesup's name. In his 

 annual report of that year, Mr. Jesup says: "In closing my reference 

 to the work of this Department it is proper to add a few words regard- 

 ing a subject of great interest, not only to the student of Anthropology, 

 but also to persons interested in scientific research in other fields. I 

 refer to the theory that America was originally peopled by migratory 

 tribes from the Asiatic continent. The opportunities favorable for 

 solving this problem are rapidly disappearing, and I would be deeply 

 gratified to learn that some friends of the Museum may feel disposed 

 to contribute means for the prosecution of systematic investigation 

 in the hope of securing the data to demonstrate the truth or falsity 

 of the claims set forth by various prominent men of science. A map 

 of the localities which should be covered by such system of research 

 appears in this report." His interest in this purely scientific problem 

 of the origin of American races, like that in the discovery of the Polo, 

 illustrates Mr. Jesup's enthusiasm for pure scientific investigation and 

 exploration. 



During the closing years of Mr. Jesup's administration, he was 

 relieved of much detail and his labors were lightened by the appoint- 

 ment of Professor Hermon C. Bumpus of Brown University as Scientific 

 Director of the Museum. The institution of this office had been 

 strongly urged by Professor Osborn, who for some years had been 

 closely associated with the President in the administration of the 

 Museum. 



[36] 



