Mapping the Four Corners: Narrating the Hayden Survey of 1875
304
Mapping the Four Corners: Narrating the Hayden Survey of 1875
304Paperback
-
PICK UP IN STORECheck Availability at Nearby Stores
Available within 2 business hours
Related collections and offers
Overview
In 1875, a team of cartographers, geologists, and scientists under the direction of Ferdinand V. Hayden entered the Four Corners area for what they thought would be a calm summer’s work completing a previous survey. Their accomplishments would go down in history as one of the great American surveying expeditions of the nineteenth century. By skillfully weaving the surveyors’ diary entries, field notes, and correspondence with newspaper accounts, historians Robert S. McPherson and Susan Rhoades Neel bring the Hayden Survey to life. Mapping the Four Corners provides an entertaining, engaging narrative of the team’s experiences, contextualized with a thoughtful introduction and conclusion. Accompanied by the great photographer William Henry Jackson, Hayden’s team quickly found their trip to be more challenging than expected. The travelers describe wrangling half-wild pack mules, trying to sleep in rain-soaked blankets, and making tea from muddy, alkaline water. Along the way, they encountered diverse peoples, evidence of prehistoric civilizations, and spectacular scenery—Hispanic villages in Colorado and New Mexico; Mesa Verde, Hovenweep, and other Anasazi sites; and the Hopi mesas. Not everyone they met was glad to see them: in southeastern Utah surveyors fought and escaped a band of Utes and Paiutes who recognized that the survey meant dispossession from their homeland. Hayden saw his expedition as a scientific endeavor focused on geology, geographic description, cartographic accuracy, and even ethnography, but the search for economic potential was a significant underlying motive. As this book shows, these pragmatic scientists were on the lookout for gold beneath every rock, grazing lands in every valley, and economic opportunity around each bend in the trail. The Hayden Survey ultimately shaped the American imagination in contradictory ways, solidifying the idea of “progress”—and government funding of its pursuit—while also revealing, via Jackson’s photographs, a landscape with a beauty hitherto unknown and unimagined.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780806169217 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | University of Oklahoma Press |
| Publication date: | 10/21/2021 |
| Series: | American Exploration and Travel Series , #83 |
| Pages: | 304 |
| Sales rank: | 749,437 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.68(d) |
About the Author
Robert S. McPherson is Professor of History Emeritus at Utah State University–Blanding Campus. He is the author or coauthor of numerous books on Navajo history and the history of the Southwest, including Under the Eagle: Samuel Holiday, Navajo Code Talker (with Samuel Holiday) and Viewing the Ancestors: Perceptions of the Anaasází, Mokwic, and Hisatsinom.
Susan Rhoades Neel is Associate Professor of History at Utah State University–Eastern; she specializes in modern U. S. history and the environmental history of the American West.
Read an Excerpt
Mapping the Four Corners
Narrating the Hayden Survey of 1875
By Robert S. McPherson, Susan Rhoades Neel
UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA PRESS
Copyright © 2016 University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Publishing Division of the UniversityAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-8061-5679-8
CHAPTER 1
An "Outfit of Special Character"
Denver to Los Pinos Indian Agency
JUNE 7–JULY 27
PREPARATIONS FOR THE HAYDEN SURVEY'S 1875 FIELD season began at its headquarters in Washington, D.C., on the top two floors of a large office building on the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Eleventh Street. New York Times correspondent Cuthbert Mills, who was to accompany the Survey that season, visited the busy offices in April to learn more about the "outfit of special character" destined for the trip west. He declared the Survey men he met that day to be "just the sort of fellows one would most desire for comrades in a mountain expedition." Mills found the Survey offices busy. William Henry Jackson was sorting images from his trip to Mesa Verde the previous year, and William Henry Holmes was preparing maps from the 1874 work. This activity reflected Hayden's commitment to quick publication of the Survey's work, but processing the information from one field season was also critical to preparing for efficient deployment of the divisions for the future undertaking. This year-round effort, distinctive to the Hayden Survey, was one of the keys to Hayden's success.
With a rapidity and comfort unthinkable only a few years before, the Hayden scientists left their East Coast homes and traveled by train to the bustling western city of Denver. A. C. Peale, who came from Philadelphia, had shopped with his mother in New York City on May 27 and, after passing through Niagara, Detroit, and Kansas City, reached Denver by June 2. As in previous seasons, the Hayden scientists rendezvoused with their western counterparts, the packers and cooks, at a camp outside Denver. For a week, everyone engaged in a flurry of activity, sorting equipment and supplies for each of the Survey's divisions. Then, to the delight of the city's residents, the whole expedition marched through the streets, separating at the edge of town toward their differing routes over the Rockies and on to their months-long labors in southwestern Colorado. The Gardner and Gannett Divisions were headed toward the Los Pinos Indian Agency, a journey that would take them nearly a month.
GETTING ORGANIZED IN DENVER
The eastern scientists met in Denver, where the Hayden Survey maintained an office. They spent a week riding back and forth between camp and town, where they shopped for last-minute necessities; the packers and cooks were busy at the camp six miles away on Clear Creek, where the men from the separate divisions organized supplies, checked equipment, and prepared the mules for the long journey over the Rockies to western Colorado. F. V. Hayden did not arrive in Colorado until later in the summer, so it was James T. Gardner who supervised the preparations. A. C. Peale, about to embark on his fifth field season with the Hayden Survey, recorded the comings and goings in the concise, matter-of-fact tone of someone who had been through it all before. Cuthbert Mills, about to begin his first trip with the Survey, was more taken up by the excitement of the pending travel and the hustle and bustle of preparations. In the first of more than a dozen articles he would post to the New York Times over the coming months, Mills shared with his readers the challenges of getting men and mules on the road.
A. C. Peale * Denver, Colorado Territory, June 2
Had a good breakfast at Wallace this morning and a miserable dinner at Hugo. Spent the day reading Wilkie Collins' "Moonstone." We got to Denver about half past five o'clock and went to Charpiots and found Gannett and all the boys except Bechler and Chitt there. Aldrich is here. I came with Gannett to the boarding house he stays at and am in the room with him at Mrs. Powers. ... Sent postals to Mother and Ellie.
June 3rd. Spent most of the day at the office and shopping. Saw Mrs. Jackson, who has not been well, and drove her from the office of her sister's, Mrs. Chalfant. Afterwards went to camp in a carriage with Jackson. Saw Judge and all the old men. Atkinson, Gannett's assistant, is in camp.
June 4th. Spent the day in Denver, shopping most of the time. Gannett was out at camp. This afternoon I wrote to Mother, to Ellie, Ed Hubly and to Taggart. Bechler came tonight. Wrote to Dr. Hayden.
June 5th. Spent the day in town finishing shopping. Wrote to Uncle John. This evening we had a dance here at the house but I did not go down. I called on Mrs. Jackson but did not see her, as she was not well enough to come downstairs. Chittenden came in tonight. Had my trunk brought to the office today.
Sunday, June 6th. Camp No. 1. Clear Creek. This morning dawned cold and wet, spoiling the plans of the ladies at the boarding house, who had intended paying us a visit at camp. It was cold enough for a fire. We went to the office, where I changed clothes and packed my trunk. I wrote to Emilie, to Dr. Mills and to Fred Jackson.
Billy, my mule, was sent in, and I rode to camp with Jackson and Holmes. Jackson is the only one who did not stay out. We will all leave in the morning. Adams came from the east tonight. He is the last one to come, except the Dr.
Peale Diary, June 2–6, 1875, Howell Papers.
Cuthbert Mills * Camp Hayden near Denver, June 5
That bewildering confusion in which the survey expedition seemed involved a few days ago has disappeared. Order reigns and system appears. The six messes into which the survey corps is divided according to the plans for this season are set off, each with its own cook, its tables and its tents, and instead of one general camp, there are half a dozen separate ones. The work of selection, repair, refurnishing, and provisioning has been going on busily for the past two days, and on Monday our little army of thirty-five or forty men and eighty odd animals will pull up stakes and start for the mountains. We shall probably all travel together the first day; our line of march will carry the whole cavalcade through the principal street of Denver. After that each division commander will take the route previously assigned to him.
The selection and apportionment of the mules and horses was done yesterday afternoon under Mr. Gardner's direction. There were a few new arrivals among them, but the herd was in the main composed of old acquaintances, which had been in the service of the survey for several years. Nine mules out of ten seem to have all the stubborn perversity of the ass, with the spirit of the horse; very few become thoroughly tractable under favorable conditions, and in this country, the conditions are extremely unfavorable for domestication, either of horses or mules. When not in use they run at large on the prairie, kept together by mounted herdsmen; in the winter they run loose. Very little consideration is shown them, a kick in the ribs being the most common method of starting. Under this system they are all pretty wild and catching them for use is lively work, as we find it.
When time for selection came, the herd was driven into an old barnyard enclosed by crumbling adobe walls which are dignified with the name of corral and nearly all the camp followed. The packers were provided with halters and ropes, and two or three who could use them, carried lariats. The afternoon was a broiling hot one and the cloud of dust soon raised by the rushing and trampling of the frightened animals became almost choking. Accompanied by the stock-master, Mr. Gardner looked over the herd and indicated each animal to be caught. Then commenced a lively chase. Round and round the corral went the whole lot, kicking, jumping, and snorting, while half a dozen men and everybody in turn, tried to separate the particular animal required, to allow the lariat man to make his throw.
... When all of the herd had been caught and apportioned off, the fitting of the aparejos commenced. An aparejo, as everybody knows, is simply two great leather cushions stuffed with hay which are slung across the mule and act as pads on which the load is packed. ... I saw a fine, spirited animal brought up to have the aparejo fitted and it stood perfectly still until the "cinching" commenced. Then when two powerful men commenced with knee and arm to draw tight and tighter the broad band which holds the aparejo on, it protested. To say it kicked would be mild. For a few moments it seemed to be all legs. The packers let go everything and jumped around lively. Then they tied up one foreleg and commenced again, and still on three legs it bucked and jumped, reared and fell over backward, and it was only after ten minutes' hard work, when the animal lay on the ground almost exhausted, that the cinching was completed. Instead of a sleek and shapely mule it appeared then to have a stomach like an hourglass. All the mules were not so vigorous in their protests as this one, but it was probably not because they disliked their treatment the less. Of course the riding animals are not subjected to this rough usage. There is no occasion for it. They are selected for their good walking powers, a walk being the usual marching pace in the mountains, and freedom from bucking tendencies. Every man in the party has his own riding mule, and the choice of these is a matter of some moment. When a man gets a good one he generally tries to stick to it.
"The Western Surveys," New York Times, June 13, 1875.
Cuthbert Mills * Camp One, south of Denver, June 7
With a punctuality not surpassed by that of the best regulated armies, the Hayden Expedition broke camp this morning and soon after breakfast the whole force was on the move. ... It was about 4 o'clock when the earliest risers began to emerge from their tents to call out those who were still sleeping. By two's and three's these also came out, shaking themselves and pulling their coats more closely around them for the morning was chilly. Every one fell to work and for the next three hours the glade presented a scene of picturesque and lively activity. There were ninety animals to be packed or saddled, and all the immense variety of articles necessary for a five-month's journey through the mountains to be stowed away fit for packing.
While the small army of packers were fitting on the apparatus and packing on that portion of the general cargo which had been made ready — the mules meanwhile protesting with voice and feet, and the men in much the same way — other members of the force were striking their tents, rolling them up, strapping their blankets, selecting the most indispensable articles of clothing for their war bags and saddle pockets, examining rifles and pistols, saddling their riding animals, or possibly taking a wash in the stream as a cooler preparatory to the march. The last articles to be packed were the mess kits, which the cooks had been busily washing and getting together since breakfast. Several shouted "Good mornings" from the end of the glade, giving notice that Mr. Jackson's division was the first to go.
It was 8 o'clock when the little train began to file out of the grove. The other packers redoubled their exertions to make ready and shortly Mr. Gardner's and Mr. Holmes' divisions followed the first departures. There was a general handshaking and bidding of adieus with the members of the remaining divisions, which were to go different ways then at last we found ourselves fairly on the road. Our line of march led us directly south through Denver. When we reached the ridge which overlooks the town, there was Mr. Jackson's party and several gentlemen who had come out from Denver to meet us, awaiting our arrival. A general halt was called, the united trains brought up together, and in good shape the whole body filed down the hill, across the Platte [River] bridge, and up through the principal street of the town. It was a beautiful, sunny morning. Our fellows were in the highest spirits, the mules behaved astonishingly well, the townspeople exhibited the greatest good feeling, and everyone seemed to feel that our march through Denver was a great success.
"The Hayden Survey: Breaking Camp," New York Times, June 20, 1875.
THE GARDNER DIVISION HEADS TO WESTERN COLORADO
With preparations completed, divisions organized, and supplies packed, the various groups headed west along different routes toward the Four Corners region, where their primary work would begin. Jackson and Holmes were headed for the La Plata Mountains, with plans to make photographs and establish triangulation stations along the way. (The westward travel of these divisions is described in chapter 2.) The Gardner and Gannett Divisions started for a planned rendezvous at the Los Pinos Agency on the Ute Reservation by late June. Gardner himself remained behind to finish some tasks in Denver and then left for the Trinidad coalfields. He spent most of June there, engaged in a private survey of coal and iron resources on lands owned by backers of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. He rejoined his crew at the Los Pinos Agency. Cuthbert Mills reported the progress of the Gardner Division as it moved westward from Denver. Robert Adams also posted on the group's progress to the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Rocky Mountain News.
Cuthbert Mills * June 7
Leaving the pretty little town behind us — and Denver is as pretty a town as one can find in the country — we struck into the Plum Tree Creek road en route for Colorado Springs. A railroad runs down to this place, which is rapidly becoming a fashionable summer resort, but transportation is so costly that for this and other good reasons it was thought advisable to march there rather than to take the railroad. Our division (Mr. Gardner's) was under orders to march the whole distance; the others were to turn off some miles down and cross the country to the east, pursuing the routes assigned to them.
We marched about fifteen or sixteen miles close beside the railroad line, and between three and four [o'clock] turned aside into a gulch and camped beside a dry creek. On the opposite side of it was a small frame house of the roughest description. Here we obtained water which, being from a well, tasted strongly of the alkali with which the soil is impregnated. With some difficulty we also obtained milk at ten cents a quart. The settler had not much to spare. I asked him how his crops had faired. He said the grasshoppers had eaten almost everything he had put in.
"The Hayden Survey: Breaking Camp," New York Times, June 20, 1875.
Robert Adams * On route from Denver, [n.d.]
It is nearly two weeks since we broke camp at Denver and the parties are by this time scattered in all directions. It will therefore be impossible for me to follow their doings, except such reports as we may from time to time receive, so I will take up the route of our party, viz., the geographical division, under Mr. Gardner. Leaving Denver, we followed the river Platte south along the main road to Colorado Springs. Good ranches lined the way on each side, and the miles of fences and passing trains told us we were still in the land of civilization. The pack animals, too, fretted under their newly-imposed burdens, and our skillful packers were kept busy in tightening their loads. A night's sleep in the open air of Colorado refreshes one after the greatest fatigue; half past four in the morning found us up with good appetites and ready for the march.
This second day's ride furnished new beauties in scenery. Crossing the divide we left the waters of the Platte and followed those of Plum Creek. Leaving the road with my companion, we made a detour to the right, passing through Pleasant Park, the home of Mr. Perry, President of the Kansas Pacific Railroad. He has, indeed, chosen a lovely spot. Shut in by foothills with the new peaks crowning the wall, this protected valley is covered with verdure and flowers. Large boulders of red and white sandstone rise, solitary and grand, through the park, while the full-blooded Alderneys and Durhams, grazing on the banks of the mountain stream or resting under the shade of the forest pine, lend a domestic character to the wildness of the landscape. The park is several miles long; we rode through enraptured with its beauties, looking back with regret as we turned towards the dusty road to rejoin the pack train.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Mapping the Four Corners by Robert S. McPherson, Susan Rhoades Neel. Copyright © 2016 University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Publishing Division of the University. Excerpted by permission of UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA PRESS.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
List of Illustrations,Preface,
Acknowledgments,
Introduction,
1. An "Outfit of Special Character": Denver to Los Pinos Indian Agency, June 7–July 27,
2. "Grand and Beautiful Scenery": Denver to Parrott City, June 7–July 27,
3. "The View from the Top": Parrott City to the San Juan River, July 27–August 8,
4. "Making Stations": Los Pinos to La Sal Mountains, July 3–August 14,
5. Vestiges of Bygone Ages: San Juan River to Hopi Mesas, August 3–29,
6. "Something Serious Had Occurred": La Sal Mountains to Parrott City, August 15–19,
7. Getting Everyone In: Parrott City and Southeastern Utah, August 21–September 5,
8. Back to the Other Side: Los Pinos Agency and Washington, D.C., August 22–October 20, 1875,
Conclusion,
Postscript,
Notes,
Bibliography,
Index,