Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden | |
|---|---|
 Hayden in 1870 | |
| Born | September 7, 1829 (1829-09-07) Westfield, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | December 22, 1887(1887-12-22) (aged 58) |
| Other names | "Man Who Picks Up Stones Running"[1] |
| Known for | Survey expeditions of theRocky Mountains |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Geology |
Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden (September 7, 1829 – December 22, 1887) was an Americangeologist noted for his pioneering surveying expeditions of theRocky Mountains in the late 19th century. He was also a physician who served with theUnion Army during theCivil War.
Ferdinand Hayden was born inWestfield, Massachusetts.[2] As a young boy he was fascinated with all nature and wildlife, which led him into the field of medicine. He worked in Cleveland underJared Potter Kirtland and thereafter in Albany, NY, where he worked underJames Hall, of theGeological Survey of New York.[3]
He graduated fromOberlin College in 1850 and from theAlbany Medical College in 1853, where he attracted the notice of Professor James Hall, state geologist of New York, through whose influence he was induced to join in an exploration ofNebraska Territory,[2] withFielding B. Meek to study geology and collect fossils.[4]
Hall sent him on his first geological venture in the summer of 1853. Being of independent mind Hayden ended his commission with Hall, and with the encouragement of S. F. Baird, and a partial sponsorship from the Smithsonian Institution, he spent the remainder of the 1850s on various exploring and collecting expeditions in the northern Missouri River areas.[3]
In 1856 and 1857, Hayden accompanied exploration expeditions led by LieutenantGouverneur K. Warren and in 1859, theRaynolds Expedition of 1860 led by CaptainWilliam F. Raynolds, both of theTopographical Engineers. One result of the expedition was hisGeological Report of the Exploration of the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers in 1859–1860 (1869).[5]
During theCivil War he served as an army surgeon.[2] He rose to be chief medical officer of theArmy of the Shenandoah and received abrevet to lieutenant colonel.
After the American Civil War Hayden led geographic and geologic surveys of the Nebraska and Western Territories for the United States Government. In 1867 he was appointed geologist-in-charge of theUnited States Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories.[6]
In 1869, Hayden led an expedition along the Front Range to Denver and Santa Fe. In 1870 he received a $25,000 governmental grant to lead a 20-man expedition to South Pass, Fort Bridger, Henry's Fork, and back to Cheyenne.
About this time, he also became identified with theMegatherium Club at theSmithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.To measure distances during their journeys into the western frontier Hayden employed the use of anodometer, a device used by mappers to estimate distances traveled. The device was mounted on a mule-drawn cart that measured distances as the cart wheels rolled along. Because of rough terrain the device was accurate to within about 3%.[7]
In 1871, Hayden led America's first federally fundedgeological survey into theYellowstone region of northwesternWyoming, given directions by PresidentUlysses S. Grant's Secretary of InteriorColumbus Delano.[8] The survey consisted of some 50 men which included notables such as painterThomas Moran and famous frontier/Civil War photographerWilliam Henry Jackson. The following year, Hayden and his work,Preliminary Report of the United States Geological Survey of Montana and Portions of Adjacent Territories; Being a Fifth Annual Report of Progress[9] was instrumental in convincing Congress to establish Yellowstone as the first U.S.National Park, aided by Jackson's stunning large-format photographs and Moran's dramatic paintings. These publications also encouraged the westward expansion of the United States.
Hayden was elected to theAmerican Philosophical Society in 1860.[10] He was made professor of geology at theUniversity of Pennsylvania in 1865 with the help of Leidy.[5][11] Hayden was elected a member of theAmerican Antiquarian Society in 1873.[12] He was elected a Foreign Member of theGeological Society of London in 1879.[13] Upon the reorganization and establishment of theUnited States Geological Survey in 1879 he acted for seven years as one of the geologists. He died inPhiladelphia on December 22, 1887, and is interred atThe Woodlands Cemetery.
From his twelve years of labor and annual survey journeys there resulted a most valuable series of volumes in all branches of natural history and economic science; and he issued in 1877 hisGeological and Geographical Atlas ofColorado.[2] The last of the annual survey journeys was in 1878. As a result of Hayden's extensive geological work, he uncovered numerous dinosaur fossils which he brought back east with him for further scientific study. Much of what he brought back is still housed in the collection of theSmithsonian Institution. American paleontologistJoseph Leidy obtained most of his fossil specimens from Hayden.[5]
Hayden Valley in Yellowstone is named after him.[14] In 2018, Native American leaders have called for it to be renamed, because he "advocated for the extermination of tribal people who refused to comply with federal dictates".[15][16] The town ofHayden, Colorado, located in theYampa River valley, is named for him. Many mountain peaks bear his name as well.[7] The sedgeCarex haydeniana was named for him by Stephen Thayer Olney, in 1871. A subspecies of garter snake,Thamnophis radix haydenii, was named for him byRobert Kennicott in 1860.[17][18] A land snail,Oreohelix haydeni, was named for him byWilliam Gabb in 1869.[19] Hayden Hall at the University of Pennsylvania which formerly housed the dental school now houses the bioengineering and earth sciences departments.[20] Hayden was eulogized by United States Geological Survey DirectorJohn Wesley Powell in an annual report to the United States Secretary of the Interior in 1889.[21]
WithFB Meek, he wrote (Smithsonian Institution Contributions, v. 14. Art. 4) "Palaeontology of the Upper Missouri, Pt. 1, Invertebrate." His valuable notes on Native American dialects are inThe Transactions of the American Philosophical Society (1862) inThe American Journal of Science (1862) and in The Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society (1869). With ARC Selwyn he wrote North America (1883) for Stanford'sCompendium.[2]
[The famous tale of Hayden:] On a fossil-hunting trip to the Black Hills, the young geologist-paleontologist was intercepted by some suspicious Sioux. He was carrying a bag. The Sioux told him to empty it. Rocks tumbled to the ground. Culturally disposed to pity and respect for the insane, they gave one another looks and sent him on his way. Thereafter they called him Man Who Picks Up Stones Running.
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Hayden, Ferdinand Vandeveer".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 13 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 109.Among several shameful statements he made, Hayden advocated that Indigenous people be made into farmers, and if they did not comply with federal dictates, they should be exterminated. And the creation of Yellowstone National Park itself was an act of exclusion, as Indigenous people of the region were relocated from their home areas.
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