King of the 40th parallel
Subtitle: discovery in the American West
By: James Gregory Moore.
Publisher: Stanford General Books
Published: 2006
Place of publication: Stanford, Calif
Language: eng
Number of pages: 387
Subjects: King, Clarence, 1842-1901; Geological Survey (U.S.) -- Biography; Geologists -- United States -- Biography; Explorers -- United States -- Biography; West (U.S.) -- Discovery and exploration
Genres: Biography.
Other titles: King of the fortieth parallel
Description: "This book recounts the life and achievements of Clarence King, widely recognized as one of the most gifted Americans of his era. King's genius, singular accomplishments, and near-death adventures unfold in a narrative centered on his personal relationship with his lifelong friend, James Gardner. The two, upon completing their studies at Yale, traveled by wagon train across the continent and worked a few years with the California Geological Survey. King went on to establish the Geological Exploration of the 40th Parallel, a government mapping program that stretched across the western mountain chains from California to Wyoming. This was the precursor to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

Founded in 1879, with Clarence King as its architect and first director, the USGS became the most important and influential science agency in the nation." "The adventurous aspects of conducting geological fieldwork in the West, much of it documented by letters written by King and Gardner, punctuate a book illustrated with historic maps and photographs showing the localities and people important to the story."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction : a bird of paradise; title: A youthful alliance; title: Ablebodied men; title: Gold and guns; title: Almost inaccessible to man; title: Grand cold fury of the Sierra; title: Mirage and blizzard; title: Fever on the desert; title: True ice and false summit; title: An unparalleled fraud; title: Pushed with the utmost vigor; title: Rocky triangulation; title: A grand fusion; title: Epilogue.