The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1877-02-25
1he eeYernment sursY,.

In 1867, when Nebraska was admit
ted as a state, Congress set apart the
u~nexpended balance of the %appropria-
ton for legislative expenses Of the
territory for a geological survey Of the
new state. This sum amounted to
$1,000, and its expenditure marked the
beginning of the geological survey. In
1868 IS. 900 were appropriated, and the
work was carried westward into this
territory. The reports of 1867 and
1868 were made to the commissioner of
the general land Office.
In 1869 the survey received its pres
ent form and was placed under the
Secretary of the Interior, and an in
creased appropriation vas made for q
reconnaissance along the eastern edge of
the Rocky mountains, from Cheyenne
to Santa Fee, New Mexico. Reports
were made upon the geology and min
ing and agricultural resources of the
country passed over.
In 1870 the appropriation was again
increased, and the area explored COM
prised g belt of country in Wyoming
along the line of the Union Pacific rail-
road, The report for the yearis made
up of papers on the geology, natural
history, meteoro'ogy, agricultural and
material of the territory,
besides special reports on its fossil
plants, fish and reptiles.
In 1871 a portion of the region at the
source of the Yellowstone and Missouri
rivers was explored. The party organ
lied at Cheyenne, and proceeded by
rail to Ogden, Utah. Thence a wagon
train was taken to Boilers ranch, on
the Yellowstone river, thirty-fve miles
from Fort Ellis. A belt of country
along the line of travel was explored.
From Boilers ranch a trip of six weeks
duration, with a pack train, vas made
to Yellowstone lake and the Geysers
and hot springs of the Fire Hole or
Upper Madison river. The results of
that trip have become known through
out the civilized world. Descriptions
of the wonders of that region have
been published in American and Eng
lish journals and translated into several
foreign languages. A portion of the
region visited was set apart by Congress
the following winter as a Irrational
park'' for the benefit and enjoyment of
the people. The report of 1871 m
tains 63S pages and is abundantly illus
trated, The general divisions of the
report are, geology, agricultural re-
sources, paleontology, zoology and bot
any, and meteorology.
In 1872 the corps for the field work
was divided into two parties, each pro-
vided with a ~geologist, topographer,
meteorologist, naturalist, assistants,
collectors and labprers. One division
started from Fort Ellis, in Montana
territory, and explored the headwaters
of the Yellowstone, Gallatin and Madi-
son rivers in more detail than during
the previous year.. The second division
visited the sources of the Snake river,
or Lewis fork of the Columbia in Idaho
and Wyoming, a region which before
was only partially known. The Teton
mountains, a prominent range, was
discovered to be thirty miles out of
place on all pre-existing maps Of the
region. From the work of 1872 two
geological maps were prepared which,
although somewhat imperfect from the
fact that the whole area could not be
visited, are a great advance on the
previous maps of the country then ex-
plored. The report for 1872 has S44
octave pages and contains papers on
geology, mineralogy. and physical
geography; and special reports on geol-
ogy and paleontology, zoology and
botany, and astronomy and hypsometry,
and is illustrated with maps, sections,
diagrams and plates, numbering nearly
ninety in all.