FIRST FIELD REPORT OF THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF COLORADO AND NEW MEXICO BY F.V. HAYDEN, ILLUSTRATED WITH THE HERETOFORE UNPUBLISHED SKETCHES BY HENRY ELLIOTT—A DIGITAL ARCHIVE

The first year that the Department of Interior Secretary directly funded a formal geological expedition was 1869. Because of the duration of fieldwork and the coincident timing of fiscal project reviews and proposals, Ferdinand V. Hayden issued his 1869 Report as “field notes” while still in Denver, Colorado. Contributions by participants are identifiable with the exception of the expedition artist, Henry Elliott. Hayden could not wait for woodcuts or engravings to be prepared. He was under pressure to release the report immediately to assure consideration for expedition funding the following year. The expedition began in Cheyenne, traveled south along the Rocky Mountain Front Range to Santa Fe and returned north via Fort Garland. Elliott sketched canyons, landscapes, and geological features along the way. Hayden indicated in the 1869 report that Elliott “made more than four hundred outlines of sketches, and about seventy finished ones for the final reports. Each one of these sketches illustrates some thought or principle in geology, and if properly engraved, will be invaluable.” Due to publication time constraints that faced Hayden the sketches were not included in the report, nor ever published. Elliott worked for Hayden during 1869 and 1870. Ensuing Hayden expeditions featured publications that were magnificently illustrated with the photographs by W. H. Jackson and with sketches by W. H. Holmes (Elliott’s replacement.)

Elliott’s original sketches were thoughtfully bound in elegant leather and set aside. Today they are stored in The US Geological Survey Denver Library Field Records. A new CD-ROM (USGS Open-File) combines Hayden’s 1869 report and Elliott’s sketches within the format of an electronic book.