PAN- 
AMERICAN GEOLOGIST 
VoL. XXXVIII November, 1922 No. 4 
PIONEER GEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS OF 
EDWIN JAMES 
By Charles Keyes 
In the glow of recent advances in international geology memory 
goes back to a pioneer accomplishment long since neglected, lost, 
and forgotten, that deserves rescue from under the accumulated 
dusts of the decades and that calls for proper setting among the 
larger New World achievements in earth science. Like Thomas 
Nuttairs contributions, Edwin James’ service to botany are so 
signally important and so voluminous that the fact that he pro¬ 
duced truly notable results in the field of geology entirely dis¬ 
sipates. Although so long passed beyond ken this really dis¬ 
tinguished New York physician has clear title to high and honor¬ 
able niche among the pioneers and fathers of American geology. 
Lured by fatal call of the wild, the free, and the remote. 
Doctor James, without slightest hesitation, gave up his lucreative 
medical practice in New York to attach himself to the famous 
Long Exploratory Expedition to the Rock Mountains. This 
was just a century ago. With Thomas Say as zoologist. Doctor 
William Baldwin as botanist, and a Mr. A. E. Jessup as 
mineralogist, Edwin James served as geologist. After the death 
of Baldwin early in the journey. Doctor James also assumed the 
botanical duties. In both of these fields he made many novel and 
fundamental observations. On the return of the exploratory 
