DOCSLIB.ORG

August 2003, Vol. 29 No. 3

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
August 2003, Vol. 29 No. 3 Contents Letters: Lewis’s air gun and Shannon; Eagle Feather; Nez Perces 2 From the Directors: Thanks to all for a great year 6 From the Bicentennial Council: Beauty, values, legacy 8 Lewis and Clark and the Louisiana Purchase 11 It wasn’t the expedition’s purpose, but exploring the new U.S. territory further validated the Corps of Discovery’s mission By Bard Tennant Journey’s End for the Iron Boat 14 Evidence suggests it ended up as scrap metal in North Dakota By H. Carl Camp Louisiana Purchase, p. 11 Empty Kettles in the Bitterroots 18 The captain’s assumptions about Rocky Mountain geography and the availability of game proved a recipe for near starvation By Leandra Holland Portable Soup: Ration of Last Resort 24 “Veal glue” helped stave off disaster in the Bitterroots By Kenneth C. Walcheck Mathew Carey: First Chronicler of Lewis and Clark 28 He reported on the expedition as history in the making By Doug Erickson, Jeremy Skinner, and Paul Merchant Reviews 36 Moulton’s one-volume abridgment; Saindon’s three-volume Jefferson and Lewis, p. 19 anthology; another look at Tailor Made, Trail Worn Soundings 41 Clark’s signature found on book that may have gone on expedition By John W. Jengo L&C Roundup 43 New librarian; L&C trains; David Lavender From the Library 48 New developments in the library and archives On the cover Lewis and Clark in the Bitterroots, John F. Clymer’s oft-reproduced painting, aptly illustrates the rigors of the explorers’ passage across some of the most forbidding terrain in the continental United States. Two of the articles in this issue—Leandra Holland’s “Empty Kettles in the Bitterroots” and Kenneth Walcheck’s “Portable Soup: Ration of Last Resort” (pages 18 and 24, respectively)—deal with that harrowing episode in the Lewis and Clark saga. Courtesy Doris Clymer and The Clymer Museum of Art, Ellensburg, Wash. Mathew Carey , p. 28 August 2003 We Proceeded On ! 1 Letters Lewis’s air gun and the lost George Shannon August 2003 • Volume 29, Number 3 There is a question related to Meriwether prime reason they were used for poach- We Proceeded On is the official publication of Lewis’s air gun that I didn’t discuss in my ing game—so Lewis’s air gun would have the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, article on that subject (WPO, November been a poor choice for signaling Shannon. Inc. Its name derives from a phrase that appears 2002) but that might be of interest to read- My guess is that Whitehouse had a bit of repeatedly in the collective journals of the ers: Did Lewis use his air gun to signal mental confusion in his journal rewrite expedition. 2003 Private George Shannon when he became and made a mistake in connecting the E. G. Chuinard, M.D., Founder lost near the junction of the Beaverhead shots with the absence of Shannon. ISSN 02275-6706 and Wisdom (today’s Big Hole) rivers? Lewis strongly implies that he fired the The second of two August 7, 1805, jour- air gun in order to test the repairs made Editor J. I. Merritt nal entries by Private Joseph Whitehouse to it. If he had wanted to signal Shannon, 51 N. Main Street says the gun was used for that purpose, the captain could have used a number of Pennington, NJ 08534 but this is doubtful. other, much louder, weapons at his dis- 609-818-0168 Shannon had been sent out hunting the posal—including blunderbusses, mus- [email protected] day before and had failed to return. kets, rifles, and horse pistols. Art Direction Lewis’s journal entry for August 7 states, The vagueness and ambiguity so of- Margaret Davis Design “Dispatched Reubin Fields in surch of ten found in the journals gives us retired Princeton, New Jersey Shannon. … my air gun was out of order guys something to do in our spare time. Printed by James Printing & Design, and her sights had been removed by some MIKE CARRICK Trooper, Pennsylvania accident[.] I put her in order and regu- Turner, Ore. Editorial Board lated her. she shot again as well as she ever did.” There is no indication that the two Gary E. Moulton, Leader matters—Shannon’s whereabouts and Lincoln, Nebraska problems with the air gun—are related. Eagle Feather’s resting place Robert C. Carriker Sergeant John Ordway’s entry for the Readers of my ar- Spokane, Washington same day states, “Capt. Lewis … Shoot ticle in the May WPO Robert K. Doerk, Jr. the air gun. the man G. Shannon not re- about Eagle Feather, Fort Benton, Montana turned yet. the morning cool, but the day the Arikara chief Glen Lindeman warm.” Whitehouse in his first journal who died in Wash- Pullman, Washington entry that day writes, “Capt. Lewis took ington, D.C., in an observation & Shot the air gun. the lost 1806, after journey- Membership Information man not returned. the day warm, the large ing there at the urg- Membership in the Lewis and Clark Trail horse flyes troublesome &c.” ing of Lewis and Heritage Foundation, Inc. is open to the public. Neither Ordway nor Whitehouse Clark, might be in- Information and applications are available by connects the air gun and Shannon’s situ- terested in a photo- writing Membership Coordinator; Lewis and ation; nor, as noted, does Lewis. But in a graph I recently Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, P.O. Box second entry dated August 7, Whitehouse took of the site where he was most prob- 3434, Great Falls, MT 59403. apparently rewrote and expanded upon ably buried. It shows S Street N.W. be- We Proceeded On, the quarterly magazine of his initial observations, saying the shots tween 19th and 20th streets, near what is the Foundation, is mailed to current members were meant to attract Shannon’s atten- now Dupont Circle. This was once in February, May, August, and November. Articles appearing in this journal are abstracted tion: “Captain Lewis ... fired off his air Holmstead’s Cemetery. The two buildings and indexed in HISTORICAL ABSTRACTS and gun several times in order that the Man in the photo appear to be from the mid- AMERICA: HISTORY AND LIFE. that went out a hunting ... Yesterday & 19th century and were probably among who we suppose is lost might hear the the first built on the site of the former Annual Membership Categories report.” burial ground. By coincidence, Eliott Student $30 This is curious, since anyone who has Coues lived in the same Dupont Circle Individual/Library/Nonprofit $40 shot air guns knows they don’t make area when he was working on his 1893 Family/International/Business $55 Heritage Club $75 much noise. I have never heard an air rifle edition of the Lewis and Clark journals. Explorer Club $150 of Lewis and Clark’s day fired, but I have MARK CHALKLEY Jefferson Club $250 read an article about firing an original (ca. Baltimore, Md. Discovery Club $500 1810) Staudenmayer breechloading air Expedition Club $1,000 rifle. The author does not say whether the Leadership Club $2,500 shots were loud, but in a passing descrip- Nez Perce envoys The Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, Inc. tion of air guns generally he says they are is a tax-exempt nonprofit corporation. Individual “almost silent.” In the literature of air- I was delighted to read Robert R. Archi- membership dues are not tax deductible. The portion gun history, the “quietness” of the shot bald’s column in the February WPO, “New of premium dues over $40 is tax deductible. is almost always mentioned—that is the grave marker in St. Louis to honor Nez 2 ! We Proceeded On August 2003 Letters Perce envoys who died there.” Those four Native Americans are heroes of mine. While studying at Western Evangelical Seminary, in Portland, Oregon, I wrote a paper that discussed their visit to St. Louis in the winter of 1831-32. My research in- dicated that three were Nez Perce and the fourth was Salish (Flathead). William Walker, Jr., a Christian who was half Wyandot Sioux, had been sent from Ohio to Missouri to select land for a Wyandot Todd Schmidt reservation, and he arrived in St. Louis at the same time. The story that these four 1/3 sq. Indians desired to learn the way to eter- nal life so impressed Walker that he wrote materials in envelope to G.P. Disosway, a Methodist merchant in New York who underwrote mission- ary work among the Wyandots. Disosway in turn sent Walker’s letter to The Christian Advocate & Journal and The Zion’s Herald with an appeal for sup- port of missionaries west of the Rockies. The letter was published in March 1833. In his letter, Disosway said the Indi- ans told of witnessing the white man’s religious ceremonies. One white hunter, they said, told them that the Indian mode of worship was wrong and displeasing to the Great Spirit, that the white man’s re- ligion was better, and that those who did not embrace it would be lost. The hunter said the white man had a book that told of the ways to learn of the One Great Spirit. The Indians called a council and agreed: “If this be true, we must know more about it; it is a matter than cannot be put off.” For more on all this, see Albert Atwood, The Conquerors (Boston, Jennings and Graham, 1907), pp. 17-18; James W. Bashford, The Oregon Mission- aries (New York, Abington Press, 1918), pp. 19-21; and John M.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • A Carey and Patterson Exchange Barbara S
    The Kentucky Review Volume 6 | Number 3 Article 5 Fall 1986 A Carey and Patterson Exchange Barbara S. McCrimmon Follow this and additional works at: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/kentucky-review Part of the United States History Commons Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits you. Recommended Citation McCrimmon, Barbara S. (1986) "A Carey and Patterson Exchange," The Kentucky Review: Vol. 6 : No. 3 , Article 5. Available at: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/kentucky-review/vol6/iss3/5 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the University of Kentucky Libraries at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Kentucky Review by an authorized editor of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Library Notes tisiana A Carey and Patterson Exchange Barbara S. McCrimmon A letter recently donated to the library contains autographs of two noted Americans of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries: Mathew Carey (1760-1839), publisher and writer of Philadelphia; and William Patterson (1752-1835), shipping merchant of Baltimore. Both were Irishmen who had emigrated as young men and were enthusiastic supporters of the new United States. Carey, born in Dublin, was a printer who had worked with Benjamin Franklin at Passy and was an ardent Irish nationalist. In his two Dublin publications, the Freeman 's Journal (1780) and the Volunteer's Journal (1783) he had challenged British government policy toward Ireland and had been imprisoned for his audacity. In 1784 he was condemned for a second time, but escaped to America.
    [Show full text]
  • PRESERVING FOOD on the TRAIL What Did the Corps of Discovery Do with Its Leftovers?
    Lewis in Georgia Company Records Patrick Gass Ludwig and Lewis The Official Publication of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, Inc. August 2001 Volume 27, No. 3 PRESERVING FOOD ON THE TRAIL What did the Corps of Discovery do with its leftovers? THE SALT MAKERS, BY JOHN CLYMER Boiling seawater for salt on the shores of the Pacific, winter 1806. PLUS: JEFFERSON’S WEST, KAREEM HONORS YORK, AND MORE Contents Letters: Chinook Point; John Ordway; iron boat 2 From the Directors: A special thanks to all 4 Bicentennial Report: Ambrose pledges $1 million 5 Preserving Food on the L&C Expedition 6 What the Corps of Discovery did with its leftovers By Leandra Holland Getting Out the Word 12 Preserving food, p. 6 Patrick Gass’s role in publicizing the expedtion’s return By James J. Holmberg Company Books 18 What they tell us about the Corps of Discovery By Bob Moore Lewis’s Georgia Boyhood 25 His brief but formative sojourn in the Deep South By James P. Hendrix, Jr. Trail Notes: Minimizing impact on Lemhi Pass 29 Reviews: Ronda on Jefferson; the Trail by kayak and mule 30 Jefferson, p. 30 L&C Roundup: Kareem honors York; Chapter News 33 From the Library: New librarian sought 34 Soundings 36 A Lewis & Clark Symphony? By Skip Jackson On the cover We chose The Salt Makers, John Clymer’s dramatic painting of Lewis and Clark’s men making salt under the curious gaze of Pacific Coast Indians, to illustrate Leandra Holland’s story on food preservation (pages 6-11).
    [Show full text]
  • Mathew Carey's Douay-Rheims Bible
    Mathew Carey’s Douay-Rheims Bible by Nicholas Mario Bruno1 Penniless and exiled, a young printer, disguised as a woman to avoid arrest by the English, sailed to Philadelphia with the Marquis de Lafayette. When the ship arrived in Philadelphia, Lafayette introduced Carey to George Washington and other influential Americans who lent him $400 to set up a printing shop. This young printer, Mathew Carey, would be very influential in early American printing. This paper will examine his life and some of his most influential work both as an American printer, dedicated to creating a nationalistic literary identity, and his work as a Catholic, printing the Mathew Carey Bible during an important era for the Catholic Church in America. Background of Mathew Carey Although known mainly for his work in America, Carey was not born in America; he was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1760. He started his career as a journalist in Ireland. At the age of 19, Carey advocated the repeal of the British Penal Code against Irish Catholics in an anonymous pamphlet. When the British government offered a reward for the author of the pamphlet, Carey fled for France where he met Benjamin Franklin. After a year in France, Carey returned to Ireland but again got into trouble with political authorities – this time for his views on economic policy. Carey, who supported tariffs, published a cartoon of a British official who opposed a tariff bill being hanged for treason. Fortunately for Carey, Franklin had introduced him to the Marquis de Lafayette and arranged for Lafayette to 1 Nicholas Bruno won 1st place in the 2011 “A Piece of the Past” museum essay contest.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Mathew and Henry Carey, Archibald Constable, and the Discourse
    1 Mathew and Henry Carey, Archibald Constable, and the Discourse of Materiality in the Anglophone Periphery Joseph Rezek, Boston University A Paper Submitted to “Ireland, America, and the Worlds of Mathew Carey” Co-Sponsored by: The McNeil Center for Early American Studies The Program in Early American Economy and Society The Library Company of Philadelphia, The University of Pennsylvania Libraries Philadelphia, PA October 27-29, 2011 *Please do not cite without permission of the author 2 British and American literary publishing were not separate affairs in the early nineteenth century. The transnational circulation of texts, fueled by readerly demand on both sides of the Atlantic; a reprint trade unregulated by copyright law and active, also, on both sides of the Atlantic; and transatlantic publishing agreements at the highest level of literary production all suggest that, despite obvious national differences in culture and circumstance, authors and booksellers in Britain and the United States participated in a single literary field. This literary field cohered through linked publishing practices and a shared English-language literary heritage, although it was also marked by internal division and cultural inequalities. Recent scholarship in the history of books, reading, and the dissemination of texts has suggested that literary producers in Ireland, Scotland, and the United States occupied analogous positions as they nursed long- standing rivalries with England and depended on English publishers and readers for cultural legitimation. Nowhere is such rivalry and dependence more evident than in the career of the most popular author in the period, Walter Scott, whose books were printed in Edinburgh but distributed mostly in London, where they reached their largest and most lucrative audience.
    [Show full text]
  • Jeffersons Rivals: the Shifting Character of the Federalists 23
    jeffersons rivals: the shifting character of the federalists roberf mccolley Our first national political association, after the revolutionary patriots, was the Federalist Party, which controlled the Federal government for twelve years, and then dwindled rapidly away. Within its brief career this Federalist Party managed to go through three quite distinct phases, each of which revealed a different composition of members and of principles. While these are visible enough in the detailed histories of the early na­ tional period, they have not been clearly marked in our textbooks. An appreciation of the distinctness of each phase should reduce some of the confusion about what the party stood for in the 1790's, where Jeffersonians have succeeded in attaching to it the reactionary social philosophy of Hamilton. Furthermore, an identification of the leading traits of Feder­ alism in each of its three phases will clarify the corresponding traits in the opposition to Federalism. i. federalism as nationalism, 1785-1789 The dating of this phase is arbitrary, but defensible. Programs for strengthening the Articles of Confederation were a favorite subject of political men before Yorktown. In 1785 a national movement began to form. Several delegates met in that year at Mount Vernon to negotiate commercial and territorial conflicts between Virginia and Maryland. In­ formally but seriously they also discussed the problem of strengthening the national government. These men joined with nationally minded lead­ ers from other states to bring on the concerted movement for a new Constitution.1 The interesting questions raised by Charles Beard about the motives of these Federalists have partly obscured their leading concerns, and the scholarship of Merrill Jensen has perhaps clarified the matter less than it should have.
    [Show full text]
  • The Federal Era
    CATALOGUE THREE HUNDRED THIRTY-SEVEN The Federal Era WILLIAM REESE COMPANY 409 Temple Street New Haven, CT 06511 (203) 789-8081 A Note This catalogue is devoted to the two decades from the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783 to the first Jefferson administration and the Louisiana Purchase, usually known to scholars as the Federal era. It saw the evolution of the United States from the uncertainties of the Confederation to the establishment of the Constitution and first federal government in 1787-89, through Washington’s two administrations and that of John Adams, and finally the Jeffersonian revolution of 1800 and the dramatic expansion of the United States. Notable items include a first edition of The Federalist; a collection of the treaties ending the Revolutionary conflict (1783); the first edition of the first American navigational guide, by Furlong (1796); the Virginia Resolutions of 1799; various important cartographical works by Norman and Mount & Page; a first edition of Benjamin’s Country Builder’s Assistant (1797); a set of Carey’s American Museum; and much more. Our catalogue 338 will be devoted to Western Americana. Available on request or via our website are our recent catalogues 331 Archives & Manuscripts, 332 French Americana, 333 Americana–Beginnings, 334 Recent Acquisitions in Americana, and 336 What I Like About the South; bulletins 41 Original Works of American Art, 42 Native Americans, 43 Cartography, and 44 Photography; e-lists (only available on our website) and many more topical lists. q A portion of our stock may be viewed at www.williamreesecompany.com. If you would like to receive e-mail notification when catalogues and lists are uploaded, please e-mail us at [email protected] or send us a fax, specifying whether you would like to receive the notifications in lieu of or in addition to paper catalogues.
    [Show full text]
  • America's Battle for the General Welfare
    Click here for Full Issue of Fidelio Volume 10, Number 2, Summer 2001 BOOKS America’s Battle for the General Welfare f history is a battleground for ideas, standard against which all the other Iand ideas are embodied in individual ideas and personalities should be personalities—both of which proposi- judged. tions I believe to be true—then historian Ellis organizes his presentation Joseph J. Ellis made an appropriate around a series of six “turning point” choice in deciding to present this book events, four of which are indeed crucial on America’s Revolutionary period to the subsequent history of the nation. through vignettes of the interactions between the early United States’ leading The Turning Points personalities. For the most part, Ellis The first turning point is “The Duel,” chose the most significant actors—John an account of what went into the 1804 Adams, Aaron Burr, Ben Franklin, assassination of revolutionary hero and Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, first Treasury Secretary Alexander James Madison, and George Washing- Hamilton by Aaron Burr. This truly ton. The major omission, on the positive was a determining event, because it Founding Brothers: side, was Mathew Carey, the Irish emi- eliminated Hamilton, the genius who The Revolutionary Generation gré recruited by Benjamin Franklin, was continuing Franklin’s fight to turn by Joseph J. Ellis whose story would provide the direct the United States into a great manufac- New York, Alfred A. Knopf, 2000 288 pages, hardcover, $26.00 bridge into the next generation of true turing republic, from the political scene. American patriots. But Ellis’s rendition is disturbing in its The problem with this book, in my equivocation on Burr, who should be were aired on this occasion, leading to a view, lies in the level on which Ellis presented as the British traitor he was, satirical response from Franklin, on the presents the ideas which were at war but who appears instead as an arrogant rights of Muslims to enslave Christians.
    [Show full text]
  • Cultural Quiz
    Cultural Quiz 1. Which of the following refers not only to a dish 8. Which of the following is considered a "a true but also to the pot in which it’s cooked? British national dish"? a. Poutine (Canada) a. Chicken tikka masala b. Smorgasbord (Sweden) b. Chicken parmigiana c. Tagine (northwest Africa) c. Peking Duck d. Goulash (Hungary) d. Souvlaki 2. What item is on the table at every Ethiopian 9. In Myanmar, a stew called ________ is a meal? common breakfast item. a. Curried chickpeas a. Mohinga b. Steamed rice b. Suan la tang c. Pickled carrots c. Tom kha gai d. Injera bread d. Dashi 3. The world’s most expensive spice is native to 10. Which of the following is a dish that you can Southwest Asia. What is it? find almost everywhere in Brazil? a. Cardamom a. Feijoada b. Saffron b. Salteñas c. Vanilla c. Fasolada d. Star anise d. Chicken tagine 4. Durian, a spiky fruit grown in Indonesia and 11. According to legend, the Margherita pizza was Malaysia, is best known for what? invented in which Italian city? a. Its sweet milk a. Margarita b. Its terrible smell b. Naples c. Its edible husk c. Rome d. All of the above d. Pisa 5. The world’s largest fish market is in what capital 12. Tarte tatin, a classic French dessert, is typically city? made with what fruit? a. Tokyo, Japan a. Cherries b. Canberra, Australia b. Pears c. Mexico City, Mexico c. Apples d. Beijing, China d. Plums 6. What is traditionally served alongside haggis, 13.
    [Show full text]
  • The Private and Public Responses to Yellow Fever In
    Living in fear of the pale faced messenger : the private and public responses to yellow fever in Philadelphia, 1793-1799 by Anita Marie DeClue A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Art in History Montana State University © Copyright by Anita Marie DeClue (2001) Abstract: When yellow fever struck Philadelphia—the premier city of the New Republic— it was the political, cultural, economic, social, and medical capital of America. When the pale faced messenger unleashed itself, with unbelievable ferocity in 1793, this charming and prosperous nerve center of the nation almost crumpled under the weight. This thesis analyses how private citizens, physicians, and governments dealt with the overwhelming problems caused by the almost annual visitation of yellow jack to the Quaker City between 1793 and 1799. While society practically disintegrated under that first ferocious onslaught, the great tradition of citizen involvement saved the city. While thousands fled, often leaving behind sick loved ones, a volunteer committee took over the administration of the city and a group of black Americans assisted, playing a key role in the recovery of the city. In subsequent epidemics, citizens continued to volunteer their services, but only in ancillary capacities. Although the real source of yellow fever—the Aedes aegypti mosquito—remained unknown for another one hundred years, physicians argued vociferously over every aspect of the disease. The medical community split into two camps. One group believed in local generation, its noncontagious nature, and a direct-heroic intervention treatment approach. The other group believed it was imported, contagious, and supported gentle-natural healing methods.
    [Show full text]
  • Owens Illinois Cook Book-1871.Pdf
    LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 641 o 5 Ow2m I.H.S. If* ADVERTISEMENT. The undersigned having examined the manuscript copy of Mrs. " T. J. V. OWEN'S ILLINOIS COOK BOOK," heartily recommend it to the patronage of all housekeepers. The original and selected receipts are the choicest we have ever seen, and the materials called for are within the reach of all, and can be had, as a general thing, in any of our western towns. The greatest objection to the cook books now published is that the receipts call for material rarely to be obtained outside of the larger cities. Mrs. B. S. EDWARDS, 'Springfield, Illinois. " JACOB BUNN, " " CHARLES RYAN, " " J.- C. ROBINSON, " " VIRGIL HICKOX, " N. M. BROADWELL, " " " JOHN S. BRADFORD, " " " J. A. McCLERNAND, " " " WM. A. TURNEY, " W. F. KlMBER, " " " " J. A. CHESNUT, " " CHAS. D. HODGES, Carrollton, " Dr. WHITE, Bloomington, " ALEX. MOREAN, Brooklyn, New York. Miss CARRIE HURST, Jacksonville, Illinois. Mrs. P. B. PRICE, " " JACK WRIGHT, Petersburg, orders addressed to Mrs. T. J. V. OWEN, Springfield, Illinois, will receive prompt attention. PRICE, $2if$per copy. MRS. OWEN'S ILLINOIS COOK BOOK, BY MRS. T. J. V. OWEN, A PRACTICAL HOUSEWIFE. "Whatever is worth doing is worth doing well." SPRINGFIELD, ILL.: JOHN H. JOHNSON, PRINTER 1871 PREFACE. " IN coming before the public with the ILLINOIS COOK BOOK" I do so because years ago I felt the necessity of a book of this kind; one that would be a guide to young housekeepers, as well as a great con- venience to older ones. There are a great many receipts published from time to time, that in all proba- bility are very good; but we are often loth to try any- thing entirely new, through fear, not only of the disappointment, if it should not prove good, but the waste of material, which by a careful housekeeper should be a first consideration.
    [Show full text]
  • The Identity of the Enigmatic ''Black Shrew'' (Sorex Niger Ord, 1815)
    PROCEEDINGS OF THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 126(1):1–10. 2013. The identity of the enigmatic ‘‘Black Shrew’’ (Sorex niger Ord, 1815) Neal Woodman United States Geological Survey Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012, U.S.A., e-mail: [email protected] Abstract.—The scientific name Sorex niger Ord, 1815 (Mammalia, Soricidae) was originally applied to a North American species that George Ord called the ‘‘Black Shrew.’’ The origin of the name ‘‘Black Shrew,’’ however, was obscure, and Samuel Rhoads subsequently wrote that the species represented by this name could not be determined. The names Sorex niger Ord and Black Shrew have since been mostly forgotten. Two of Ord’s contemporaries, however, noted that Ord’s use of these names probably alluded to Benjamin Smith Barton’s Black Shrew, whose discovery near Philadelphia was announced by Barton in 1806. Examination of two unpublished illustrations of the Black Shrew made by Barton indicates that the animal depicted is Blarina brevicauda (Say, 1822). Had the connection between Ord’s and Barton’s names been made more clearly, one of the most common mammals in eastern North America would bear a different scientific name today. This connection also would have affected the validity of Sorex niger Horsfield, 1851. While Sorex niger Ord remains a nomen nudum, the animal it referenced can now be identified. Keywords: Eulipotyphla, Guthrie’s Geography, nomenclature, Soricidae, Soricomorpha, Suncus montanus, taxonomy,
    [Show full text]
  • View 722 Chestnut Nomination
    NOMINATION OF HISTORIC BUILDING, STRUCTURE, SITE, OR OBJECT PHILADELPHIA REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES PHILADELPHIA HISTORICAL COMMISSION SUBMIT ALL ATTACHED MATERIALS ON PAPER AND IN ELECTRONIC FORM ON CD (MS WORD FORMAT) 1. ADDRESS OF HISTORIC RESOURCE (must comply with a Board of Revision of Taxes address) Street address: 722 Chestnut Street Postal code: 19106 Councilmanic District: 1st 2. NAME OF HISTORIC RESOURCE Historic Name: Charles H. Lea Building Common Name: 3. TYPE OF HISTORIC RESOURCE Building Structure Site Object 4. PROPERTY INFORMATION Condition: excellent good fair poor ruins Occupancy: occupied vacant under construction unknown Current use: Ground floor retail, upper floor residential 5. BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION SEE ATTACHED 6. DESCRIPTION SEE ATTACHED 7. SIGNIFICANCE SEE ATTACHED Period of Significance (from year to year): 1897- c.1960 Date(s) of construction and/or alteration: 1897; c.1960 Architect, engineer, and/or designer: Collins & Autenrieth Builder, contractor, and/or artisan: Original owner: Henry Charles Lea Other significant persons: CRITERIA FOR DESIGNATION: The historic resource satisfies the following criteria for designation (check all that apply): (a) Has significant character, interest or value as part of the development, heritage or cultural characteristics of the City, Commonwealth or Nation or is associated with the life of a person significant in the past; or, (b) Is associated with an event of importance to the history of the City, Commonwealth or Nation; or, (c) Reflects the environment in an era characterized
    [Show full text]