GEOLOGICAL REPORTS 1838 .............................................................................29 of Report of a select committee of the Board of Regents of a Collection of the State Geologist...... 29 DOUGLASS HOUGHTON State account with Douglass Houghton ................ 29 First State Geologist of Michigan Report of the State Geologist ................................ 31 1837-1845 Communication from the State Geologist to the House of Representatives ..................................... 48 Edited by George N. Fuller 1839 .............................................................................49 Report of the State Geologist in relation to the improvement of State Salt Springs........................ 49 Report of the Committee on the State Geologist’s report in relation to the improvement of the State Salt Springs ........................................................... 52 Report of the State Geologist, in relation to the iron ore, &c., on the school section in town five south, Published by range seven west, in Branch County..................... 53 The Michigan Historical Commission Second Annual Report of the State Geologist....... 54 Lansing, 1928 Report of the committee of the Senate on MICHIGAN HISTORICAL COMMISSION manufacturers, to whom was referred the communication of the State Geologist, relative to A State Department of History and Archives salt springs and the salines of the state ..............111 Organized May 28, 1913 Communication from the State Geologist relative to Members the Geological Survey .........................................112 1840 ...........................................................................114 Fred W. Green, Governor of Michigan Report of the State Geologist, relative to the William L. Clements, B. S., Bay City, President improvement of Salt Springs ...............................114 Claude H, Van Tyne, Ph. D., Ann Arbor, Vice-President State Geologist’s account for the year 1839 .......116 Third Annual Report of the State Geologist.........120 Augustus C. Carton, Lansing Informal report of general progress .....................156 Clarence M. Burton, M. A., Detroit Report of contracts ..............................................159 William L. Jenks, M. A., Port Huron 1841 ...........................................................................159 Annual Report of the State Geologist..................159 William F. Murphy, S. T. D., Detroit Report of the State Geologist relative to the county Executive Officers and state maps ....................................................213 George N. Fuller, Ph. D., Secretary 1842 ...........................................................................215 Report of the State Geologist relative to the State Percy H. Andrus, Ass’t Secretary Salt Springs .........................................................215 Marie B. Ferrey, Curator Report of a Select Committee, in relation to the report of the State Geologist ...............................218 Annual Report of the State Geologist..................219 CONTENTS 1843 ...........................................................................221 Introduction........................................................................ 2 Annual Report of the State Geologist..................221 The Houghton Portrait....................................................... 3 Report of the State Geologist, relative to the State Salt Springs .........................................................222 Importance of Houghton’s work ........................................ 4 1844 ...........................................................................223 First Michigan Geological Expedition................................ 6 Annual Report of the State Geologist..................223 1846 ...........................................................................224 Lake Superior in 1840 ..................................................... 13 Report from Geological Department....................224 Summary and Synopsis of the work performed by the Geological Survey of Michigan under its first organization..................................................................... 22 ILLUSTRATIONS Geological Reports.......................................................... 26 Douglass Houghton. ....................................................... 3 1837............................................................................. 26 Douglass Houghton Monument at Eagle River. ........... 22 Report relative to progress and advantages of the Geological Survey..................................................26 Facsimile of Handwriting............................................... 48 Geological Reports of Douglass Houghton – Page 1 of 227 Map of Calhoun County ................................................89 office without being surrounded by a group of admiring friends. In his habits he was absolutely temperate. His Map of Jackson County...............................................106 mind was acute, disciplined, and ready,—not classical, Map of Lenawee County .............................................131 perhaps not polished, but open, frank, and truthful. Its culture had been scientific rather than classic or literary, Map of Washtenaw County.........................................165 and it was disciplined by writing and lecturing, and made Geological Section near Saginaw Bay........................192 ready and accurate by a wide and responsible intercourse with men, even before he was 20 years old. He read a great many books and played the flute with Introduction exceeding skill. OUGLASS HOUGHTON was born in Troy, N. Y., In 1887 he matured the scheme for a geological survey D Sept. 21, 1809. He graduated at the Van of Michigan. There were few persons then in the State Rensselaer Polytechnic school in that city in 1828, and whose acquirements fitted them to give counsel in a was soon after appointed assistant professor of scheme of this kind, hence the labor and responsibility of chemistry and natural history in that institution, then projecting and maturing such a survey fell almost wholly under the control of Prof. Amos Eaton. In 1830 General on him. He proposed to himself a system that should Cass, Major Biddle, Major Whiting, and others of Detroit comprise four departments; namely, biology, zoology, applied to Professor Eaton for a person qualified to botany, and topography, each having an official head, deliver a course of public lectures on chemistry and and all united under the general guidance of the State geology. Lucius Lyon, then a delegate in Congress from Geologist. The first thing was to bring the matter before the Territory of Michigan, on his return from Washington, the Legislature and get its approval. The members of called on Prof. Eaton to make the proper inquiries. that body were not familiar with the facts or the value of Eaton listened to Mr. Lyon’s request, then opened the geologic science, and zoology and botany would appear door to the laboratory, and introduced the boy Houghton to them, perhaps of even less practical importance. to the member of Congress, calling him by the familiar Michigan had just entered the great family of States. name “Douglass.” Mr. Lyon was astonished and could She was inexperienced in public works of all kinds. Her hardly believe Prof. Eaton to be in earnest. Young people were sparsely scattered over a wide field of Houghton did not hesitate, and while retaining his dense forests and oak openings. Through confidence in professorship at Troy, came to the border town of himself, a knowledge of men, tact, vigilance, courage, Detroit. Thus commenced the career of the brilliant and labor, Houghton went before the Legislature and Houghton in the State of his adoption. accomplished his purpose. Before he was 19 years old he had been admitted to Governor Mason, on the passage of a law establishing a practice medicine by the medical society of Chautauqua geologic department, appointed Houghton State County, N. Y. He landed at Detroit before he was 20, a Geologist. His able reports of his researches and total stranger save the letter he brought, and he had just discoveries are familiar to the public, but the arduous ten cents in money. He speedily made friends, and his duties and sacrifices which he imposed on himself in lectures aroused great enthusiasm. Only a few months developing the geology and the mineral wealth of after his arrival in Michigan he received the appointment Michigan can never be known. of physician and botanist to the expedition for the As an illustration of his intrepidity in time of danger, Prof. discovery of the source of the Mississippi, organized Bradish relates the following incident, which happened in under the direction of Henry R. Schoolcraft. Houghton’s 1840 or 1841. In that open Mackinac sail-boat (the labors with that expedition were skillfully performed, and same that was subsequently dashed to pieces) he was his researches did much to extend our knowledge of the making his way along the rock-bound coast of Lake flora of the northwest. Superior. Night was approaching. Black clouds Mich. Hist. Colls., IV, 97-99. suddenly overcast the heavens and the darkness of midnight approached. He was opposite the celebrated From 1832 to 1836 he practiced as a physician and “pictured rocks,” well out to sea, some 15 miles from his surgeon in Detroit. He was also a skillful dentist. He destination. His men, obedient to his will, tried hard to gained an extensive practice, but never relaxed his keep the boat