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The 1898 Field Season of CD Walcott

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Field work and fossils in southwestern Montana: the 1898 field season of C. D. Walcott Ellis L. Yochelson Research Associate, Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC 20013-7012 G. Zieg Senior Geologist, Teck Cominco American Inc., East 15918 Euclid, Spokane, WA 99216 INTRODUCTION In 1879, Charles Doolittle Walcott (1850- 1927) (Yochelson, 1998) joined the new U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) and July 1, 1894, became the third director of the agency. Shortly before that time the USGS had several field parties starting to investigate mining dis- tricts in Montana and Idaho. There was no overall stratigraphic succession, nor clear cor- relation from one mining district to another. In 1895, Walcott took a first quick trip through the Belt Mountains. In the vicinity of Neihart, Montana, he collected Middle Cambrian fossils (Weed, 1900). These fossils established that Lower Cambrian rocks were absent from the area and thus the Belt strata (or Algonkian, as USGS Walcott called them) were pre-Cambrian in age The unhyphenated usage and the lack of capi- ABSTRACT talization of “formation” are relatively late de- velopments in stratigraphic nomenclature. The diary of Charles Doolittle Walcott pro- vides a brief daily account of his investigations For more than fifty years, Walcott used a small of Cambrian and Precambrian rocks, mainly in pocket diary and with his comments one can the Belt Mountains during one field season. trace his route and gain some notion of how These entries also give some notion of the tri- field work was conducted before the days of als of field work before the development of the rapid automobile transportation. Sundays motels and internal combustion engines. A are marked with an asterisk (*), but in the field key result of that season’s work was the dis- “Sunday” was controlled by the weather and covery of organic remains in Belt strata. Al- what had to be accomplished, not by the calen- though by present day standards, these forms dar. Inconsistencies in capitalization, spelling were misinterpreted, Walcott’s publication on and punctuation are rendered as accurately as Precambrian fossils laid a solid basis for fur- they can be interpreted from the diary. ther investigations and made the search for fos- sils in such ancient rocks a respectable scien- tific pursuit. Northwest Geology, v. 33, 2004, p. 1-14 1 The Journal of the Tobacco Root Geological Society THE FIELD SEASON OF 1898 After a month of tent living, one can appreciate Walcott left Washington, DC. on Saturday, how the group, and especially Helena, must July 30, accompanied by his wife Helena, and have appreciated being under a roof. their oldest child, Charles, Junior; the younger children were left at home. The next day they September 5 - Rainy morning. were in Chicago and headed west to see his Packed up fossils & rocks and at 145 P.M. left on the freight train for brother in La Crosse, Wisconsin. After a quick Bozeman. Stopped at Bozeman visit, Wednesday night they were in Living- House 530 P. M. Helena & Chas are ston, Montana, spending the night on the train. well & strong. Mr. F. B. Weeks & Ar- thur Brown busy with camp outfit for August 4 - Mr. F. B Weeks met us at trip down Gallatin. [River]. Livingston & after attending to er- rands we drove out to camp 8 mi Throughout his diary entries, Walcott showed south. Out on the hills P. M. with Mr. great concern for times and distances. Insofar Weeks looking for Cambrian section. as one can check entries more than a century 1) Source Creek Camp. old, he was always accurate on distances and railroad schedules, so presumably his times in To begin annotations of the diary entries, F. B. connection with field work are also accurate. Weeks was a nearly constant field companion The distinction in usage between Mr. Weeks during the time when Walcott was director. and Arthur Brown probably is attributable to When he was not in the field, Weeks was a li- Arthur Brown being a mulatto, as classified by brarian-bibliographer and was responsible for the U. S. Census. On the other hand, Arthur several of the early USGS compilations of was very nearly a member of the family American geological literature. The camp was (Yochelson, 1998a) and when Walcott referred run by Arthur Brown, officially a “messenger” to him by only his first name, it was never in a with the USGS. This season, as with many, paternalistic manner. So far as Mr. Weeks is Walcott numbered the camp sites. concerned, except in rare times of haste in writing when only a last name was used, with The Walcotts drove to camp in either a buck- the exception of one person - “Joe,” that is Jo- board or a buggy, and probably the latter for seph Paxton Iddings - Walcott’s diary entries Helena to use during the trip. Walcott spent almost always use a formal title with a person, the next day searching for Cambrian fossils no matter how long the relationship. and then the party moved south. On Sunday August 7 they were at Mammoth Hot Springs September 6 - Called on President in Yellowstone National Park. They continued Rich, Dr. Lafhagen a.m. - Writing let- south to the Jackson, Wyoming, before return- ters etc. P.M. ing. Walcott’s official duties were to examine the new forest reserves - though he also exam- The gentlemen mentioned must have been con- ined Cambrian outcrops - and to make an offi- nected with the state college in Bozeman. No cial inspection of the National Park for the works by Lafhagan are listed in the bibliogra- Secretary of the Interior. Camp 21, on Septem- phy of North American geology. In 1897, the ber 3, was named by Walcott as “Terminal Federal forest reserves had been established. camp.” Although Walcott was in the field, official mail always followed him. With both the USGS *September 4 - Broke camp & and the forest reserves to administer, Walcott packed up early + going to Living- never lacked for letters which required a reply. ston. Stopped at the Albemarle Ho- tel. A cl[ou]dy - cold day. Snow fell at night.- September 7 - Left Bozeman 830 A. M. & drove buckboard to forks of E & 2 W Gallatin rivers. Camped at ranch of Alex Proffutter [?]. Dr Lafhagen The number of Walcott publications help to accompanied party. 22) Gallatin quantify just how much of a workaholic he river camp. was, yet by all measures he was also a devoted and caring husband and father. This was a drive of about 30 miles to west northwest, quite a respectable distance with a September 12 - Broke camp 745 a.m. buckboard. The route must have been near & moved to near mouth of Deep Montana highway 205, to the north of Inter- creek via Logan, Three Forks & Tos- state 90. If they arrived, say by 4:00 PM, in ton. 35 miles over good roads. 24) time to set up a tent and begin cooking before Road side camp. Lost camp kitten. dark, they would have averaged about four miles per hour. Although no details are given, The three men would have traveled more or it seems reasonable that Helena, Charles Jr. less parallel to Interstate 90 and at Three and all the camp gear was in the buckboard, Forks, turned north north-east, about where US with Arthur Brown driving. Whether the other 287 is today. They crossed the Missouri River four were on horseback or there was another just before reaching Toston. 35 miles is a vehicle is unknown. good day’s travel with a buckboard. September 13 - Moved camp up Deep Creek to about 11/2 mi below September 8 - Out all day on the glendening’s house at mouth of can- Cambrian rocks rock north of the E. yon. After lunch went out on hills Gallatin river. Collected a lot of Cam- south of Deep Creek to see Cam- brian fossils. brian rocks. Found them altered & with very few fossils. 25)Brook Camp. This is a classic locality and though no precise age is given, almost certainly the fossils were The Cambrian rocks on the western edge of the from Middle Cambrian shales. Big Belt Mountains are somewhat altered and poorly exposed. The area is a broad pediment, September 9 - [ Walcott’s diary con- covered with gravels shed from the Big Belt tains ditto marks for the day’s entry, a Mountains to the east., dissected by Deep rare practice for him when out in the field] Creek and its tributaries. Cambrian exposures are limited to a few places along the edges of September 10 - Moved camp to a Deep Creek. fine camping ground across the river from Logan. Out P. M. on Cambrian US highway 12 bisects the Big Belt Mountains rocks with Mr. Weeks. Collected a lot and Walcott’s party essentially followed its of fossils from the M.[iddle] - C route. [ambrian] shales. 23) Logan Camp. September 14 - Drove up Deep Logan is on highway 205 and the camp move Creek Canyon about ten miles to ex- would have put the party on the north side of amine rocks. On return took photo- the Gallatin River about 3-4 miles east of the graphs of conglomerate & near confluence of the two forks of the river. mouth of canyon found traces of fos- sils in the silicious [sic] Belt shaly *September 11- In camp writing etc. slates. At 1117 a.m. Helena & Cha’s left for Helena [Montana] on freight train to Many years later, in 1914 when he was secre- return at night en route to St.
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