Studying Wisconsin : the life of Increase Lapham, early chronicler of plants, rocks, rivers, mounds and all things Wisconsin / Martha Bergland and Paul G. Hayes ; designed by Nancy Warnecke.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bergland, Martha, 1945- author.

Hayes, Paul G., author.

Contributor:

Warnecke, Nancy, designer.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Lapham, Increase Allen, 1811-1875.

Lapham, Increase Allen.

Natural history--Wisconsin.

Natural history.

Botanists--Wisconsin--Biography.

Botanists.

Naturalists--Wisconsin--Biography.

Naturalists.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (425 p.)

Place of Publication:

Madison, Wisconsin : Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2014.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

"With masterful storytelling, Bergland and Hayes demonstrate how Lapham blended his ravenous curiosity with an equable temperament and a passion for detail to create a legacy that is still relevant today. -John Gurda In this long overdue tribute to Wisconsin's first scientist, authors Martha Bergland and Paul G. Hayes explore the remarkable life and achievements of Increase Lapham (1811-1875). Lapham's ability to observe, understand, and meticulously catalog the natural world marked all of his work, from his days as a teenage surveyor on the Erie Canal to his last great contribution as state geologist. Self-taught, Lapham mastered botany, geology, archaeology, limnology, mineralogy, engineering, meteorology, and cartography. A prolific writer, his 1844 guide to the territory was the first book published in Wisconsin. Asked late in life which field of science was his specialty, he replied simply, "I am studying Wisconsin." Lapham identified and preserved thousands of botanical specimens. He surveyed and mapped Wisconsin's effigy mounds. He was a force behind the creation of the National Weather Service, lobbying for a storm warning system to protect Great Lakes sailors. Told in compelling detail through Lapham's letters, journals, books, and articles, Studying Wisconsin chronicles the life and times of Wisconsin's pioneer citizen-scientist"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

""Contents""; ""Preface""; ""1. A Habit of Observation""; ""2. The Difficulty of Youth""; ""3. “A Journal of Science & Arts with Miscellaneous Nonsense�""; ""4. Natural History and the Lapham Brothers""; ""5. First Year on His Own""; ""6. Until a Better Opportunity Presents""; ""7. A Man�s Estate""; ""8. Acquainted with Everybody but Intimate with None""; ""9. In the Capitol""; ""10. Leaving Ohio""; ""11. Begin We Then at Milwaukee""; ""12. The Milwaukee and Rock River Canal""; ""13. The Botanist""; ""14. The Uses of Writing and Publishing""; ""15. Civic Life in the New State""

""16. The Antiquities of Wisconsin""""17. Disappointments and False Starts""; ""18. A Quaker in Wartime""; ""19. Prophetic Thinking and Forecasts""; ""20. A Complete Survey""; ""21. So Calm and Peaceful""; ""Notes""; ""Note on Sources""; ""Bibliography""; ""Acknowledgments""; ""Index""

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-87020-649-4