10% off all books and free delivery over £40
Buy from our bookstore and 25% of the cover price will be given to a school of your choice to buy more books. *15% of eBooks.

Ferdinand V. Hayden

View All Editions

The selected edition of this book is not available to buy right now.
Add To Wishlist
Write A Review

About

Ferdinand V. Hayden Synopsis

By 1865 the American West had been thoroughly explored, but the knowledge obtained was by no means comprehensive. Though Americans generally agreed that the West was full of opportunities, exactly what those opportunities were and how they might best be exploited was not completely clear. Agriculture as it was then practiced was unsuitable for the rugged mountains and arid plains. Mining success depended upon identifying mineral deposits and developing effective means of extracting them. Science could contribute to answering these questions, but at the time there were no bureaus or agencies that could apply scientific expertise to these challenges. Ferdinand V. Hayden helped fill this gap beginning with his 1867 survey of Nebraska. The story of this and later Hayden expeditions illustrates the evolving relationship of government patronage and science in Gilded Age America. By sheer force of personality and persistence, Hayden succeeded in selling the federal government something it was not at all sure it wanted: science. In the process he created a secure niche for several branches of science within the federal bureaucracy. He was the one person most responsible for the creation of the United States Geological Survey as a civilian bureau. Most importantly, Hayden's surveys led to the production of detailed topographic maps and inspired--for good or ill--the intensive development of the West's resources.

About This Edition

ISBN: 9780803215078
Publication date: 1st September 2000
Author: James G. Cassidy
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Format: Hardback
Pagination: 389 pages
Genres: History
History of the Americas