AMER. ZOOL., 26:321-329 (1986)
Naturalists of the Pacific Shore: Early Explorer/Naturalists
of California1
LARRY T.SPENCER
Natural Science Department, Plymouth State College,
Plymouth, New Hampshire 03264
SYNOPSIS. Soon after the discovery of North America, Spain, Russia, Great Britain,
France and slightly later, the United States, vied to exert political control over its Pacific
coast. This article details the explorer/naturalists associated with those countries and the
observations they made in the time period from 1500 to 1850. Although the principal
concern is with observations made in California, some connection is made to Oregon.
The paper relates the background of observers, their purposes for being there and the
nature of their scientific contributions. Principal individuals mentioned (in chronological
order) include: David Douglas (Great Britain—1830), Thomas Nuttall (United States—
1834), the U.S. Exploring Expedition (United States—1841), William Gambel (United
States—1841), John C. Fremont (United States—1843), William H. Emory (United States—
1847). The account ends in 1850 because that is the year that California achieved statehood
and the next two decades mark the origin of local institutions that changed in the way in
which natural history observations were supported in California. Institutions begun in
this time period were: the California Academy of Natural Sciences, 1853; the California
State Geological Survey, 1860; and the University of California, 1868.
INTRODUCTION
did not encourage active Spanish interest,
little Spanish exploration took place along
the Pacific coast in the next 125 years.
The Spanish presence was first challenged by Sir Francis Drake, the English
"pirate," who reached the California coast
in 1579. Although it is difficult to place the
actual landing site, it is thought that he
beached his boat in the location presently
called Drake's Bay. Drake called the countryside Nova Albion. His journals include
a few observations of the local indians and
the environment of the bay where the
Golden Hine was beached but little else (CleEARLY EXPLORATION
land and Dumke, 1959; Johnson, 1970;
The Spanish explorers reached Califor- Speck, 1970).
In the mid-eighteenth century the Rusnia via Baja California, that peninsula discovered by Hernando Cortez in 1532. The sians began to explore southward from
first recorded Spanish explorer to reach Alaska. The North Pacific had been examCalifornia was Juan Rodriques Cabrillo who ined in 1741 by Vitus Bering (Pethick,
sailed along the California coast in 1542. 1976; Golder, 1968; Speck, 1970). Rising
He mapped and named the coastal features to the Russian challenge, King Carlos III
as far north as the Rogue River in southern of Spain reorganized colonial affairs. In
Oregon. He also made observations of the 1768 Jose de Galvez, Visitor-General of the
native inhabitants of the coast (Johnson, Kingdom of New Spain, ordered an
1970; Speck, 1970). Because the isolation exploring party northward along the Caland perhaps desolation of Baja California ifornia coast. The overland expedition,
headed by Don Gaspar de Portola and
Father Junipero Serra, reached San Diego
1
From the Symposium on Naturalists and Natural in 1769. From there they continued northHistory Institutions of the American West presented at theward. They reached Monterey Bay in
Annual Meeting of the American Society of ZooloOctober but did not recognize it as the port
gists, 27-30 December 1984, at Denver, Colorado.
California became a state in 1850 (Hafen
et al., 1970). In the decades preceding
statehood its natural wonders were discovered and examined by foreign born and
trained naturalists, as neither the local
indians nor the Spanish/Mexican settlers
had much interest in natural history studies. This paper examines the lives, training
and observations of the explorer/naturalists that visited the region before statehood. I begin with a brief history of the
discovery and exploration of California.
321
322
LARRY T. SPENCER
previously described by Sebastin Vizcaino were in Europe. Later he visited many ports
in 1602. A scouting party led by Sergeant on both coasts of South America. It was
Jose Francisco de Ortega observed "an there that the idea of a voyage to match
immense arm of the sea or estuary, which or transcend those ofJames Cook or Comte
extended inland as far as they could see to de La Perouse came to him. Cook had sailed
the southeast" (quoted in Cleland and along the coast of the Pacific northwest in
Dumke, 1959, p. 35). They reached the the 1770s. La Perouse had landed in Monwest shores of this bay, San Francisco Bay, terey in 1786 where his naturalist, Jeanthe 1st of November where Father Juan Nicole Collignon, had collected seeds which
Crespi observed that "not only all the navy were later grown in Paris. While in
of our most Catholic Majesty but those of Monterey, La Perouse "forwarded an
all Europe could take shelter" in the bay extended account of his voyage containing
(quoted in Cleland and Dumke, 1959, p. an enthusiastic description of California"
35). Crespi described the coastal redwoods to Paris (Cleland and Dumke, 1959, p. 48).
of California. The party went back to San Malaspina made careful preparations for
Diego that winter, but returned the fol- his expedition and solicited advise as to
lowing spring when they successfully what scientific instruments to take with him
reached Vizcaino's port.
as well as what dietary precautions to folIn 1773 the Spanish king directed his low. He was most intent on making it priviceroy to make preparations for another marily a scientific voyage. He took with
expedition along the Pacific coast. Juan him two botanists, Luis Nee and Tadeo
Perez, the senior naval officer on the West Haenke. Nee had previously worked at the
coast, was assigned the duty. The voyage Garden of the Priory of the Royal Apothleft in January 1774. After stops at San ecary. He returned with the expedition to
Diego and Monterey, the voyage contin- Spain. Haenke remained behind in Bolivia
ued northward and by summer had reached and over a 23-year period sent thousands
the Queen Charlotte Islands (53°41'). The of botanical and zoological specimens back
durable Father Crespi described the male to Spain.
indians as well built but the females as ugly
The Expedition left Cadiz late July of
because of the wooden disk that many of 1789. Upon reaching the West coast new
them had hanging from their lower lips orders from Madrid directed Malaspina to
(Pethick, 1976). Spanish presence was sail north along the Pacific coast rather
anchored along the California coast when than directly to the Sandwich Islands.
Juan Bautista de Anza established perma- Malaspina proceeded to survey the coast
nent settlements in the vicinity of San and in September of 1791 landed in MonFrancisco Bay in 1776 (Cleland and Dumke, terey Bay. There the naturalist, Haenke,
1959; Johnson, 1970).
went ashore and made the first collection
Spain continued to consolidate its Cali- of western North American plants. Specifornia holdings by establishing missions and mens collected included the live oak, valley
presidios at various intervals along the oak, and the red California fuchsia. Artists
coast. The Spanish explorers of the new with the expedition made a series of drawworld made few contributions towards ings of the natural and cultural features of
understanding the natural history of the California (Vaughan et al, 1977).
lands they discovered. Observations, if
The Russians continued to press the
made, were of an anthropological nature. Spanish from the north. They left little
There were a few exceptions. In 1791 the except for a few geographical names. The
Spanish scientific party led by Alejandro Russian vessel Rurik entered San Francisco
Malaspina landed at Monterey.
Bay in 1816. The surgeon-naturalist, J. F.
Admiral Malaspina was a product of the Eschscholtz and the poet-naturalist Adellate Eighteenth Century Enlightenment. bert von Chamisso discovered the orange
Born in 1754, he had completed his naval California poppy which was later described
training by 1776. His early duty stations by von Chamisso. Eschscholtz returned to
CALIFORNIA NATURALISTS
323
Douglas was born in 1799 in Scone,
Perthshire, Scotland. He was apprenticed
as a gardener at the age of eleven. His success led to a job in the botanical gardens
at the University of Glascow in the spring
of 1820. He acted as a field assistant to
Professor William J. Hooker at the University. Douglas soon became proficient at
making specimen sheets and at the same
time learned the rudiments of technical
botany. He also attended some of Hooker's
public lectures. He was recommended by
Hooker for a position as collector with the
Horticultural Society. The rest of his training came in the context of that job. He was
NINETEENTH CENTURY NATURALISTS
instructed
in 1825 by John Lindley, then
When Mexico gained her independence
from Spain, California became a loosely secretary of the Horticultural Society, in
attached province. This caused many zoology and geology, with specific emphachanges in Californian society which shifted sis on taxidermy and identification of fosfrom the pastoral society where life was sils. Lindley took him to visit Dr. Archibald
organized around either the ranchero or Menzies, the surgeon-naturalist on Capt.
the mission to a quicker paced life with its George Vancouver's expedition. Menzies
emphasis on the developing cities or the was the first Englishman to have seen the
mines. Great Britain, Russia, and the coast redwood. In 1829 Douglas was given
United States continued to jockey for posi- a cram course, this time of a more mathtion in the hopes that California might ematical nature as he was to make records
become theirs. Three naturalist/visitors of of latitude and longitude. His teacher this
this California scene were F. W. Beechey, time was Edward Sabine, a fellow of the
Horticultural Society.
David Douglas and Thomas Nuttall.
Douglas arrived on the West coast in
Beechey was the Captain of the H.M.S.
Blossom. During the period of 1825-1828 1830 where his instructions were to:
he made observations along the western
'make known the vegetable treasures of
coast of the United States, keeping in his
the
Interior of California, from the
log notations on temperature and humidnorthern
boundaries of Mexico, near the
ity. He landed at Monterey where the natGulf,'
and even to journey across
head
of
uralists Alexander Collie and George T.
the
desert
to
investigate 'the botanical
Lay identified a number of birds, including
productions
of
the Rio Colorado' (quoted
the California jay and the red-shafted
in Morwood, 1973, pp. 133-134).
flicker (Hafen et al., 1970).
Douglas was no newcomer to North He again spent some time in the vicinity
America. He had visited the middle Atlan- of Fort Vancouver. He left for Monterey
tic states in the early 1820s, collecting plants and arrived there on 22 December 1830.
and surveying fruit trees for the Horticul- He had planned to travel throughout the
tural Society of England. He had returned region, but the Mexican governor was
to the continent two other times, in 1825 reluctant to grant a passport until he had
when he landed at Fort Vancouver on the found out more about Douglas' intentions.
Columbia River and made a transconti- While waiting for that document Douglas
nental trip across Canada to the Atlantic traveled around in the vicinity of Monterey
coast and then again in 1830. It was during and particularly spent time examining the
this last trip that he ventured to California. conifers. Although there is no mention of
The following account is based on Mor- the Monterey cypress in his journal nor are
wood's 1973 biography of Douglas.
there seeds in his collections, we know that
California in 1824 and collected animals
and insects that he described in his Zoological Atlas (Hafen et al, 1970).
The English continued to maintain a
presence in the North Pacific. George Vancouver beginning in 1791 and over a four
year period surveyed the northern Pacific
coast. The surgeon-naturalist, Archibald
Menzies, collected many plants and animals and described the redwood, the
Douglas fir, and the California condor
(Hafen et al, 1970; Speck, 1970; Pethick,
1976).
324
LARRY T. SPENCER
he had seen it, as he sent back the latitude
and longitude of "Cipres Pt." to Edward
Sabine. While in Santa Cruz he visited the
groves of coast redwoods that grow in the
area. Although he was not the first to identify the tree he had hoped to be the first
to introduce the species to England. Unfortunately the seeds he collected never
reached England and Karl T. Hartweg got
that honor in 1846. He obtained his passport in April of 1831 and traveled as far
south as Santa Barbara. After an enjoyable
visit he returned to Monterey and then set
off on a botanical exploration of northern
California, climbing Mt. Diablo on his way
to the most northern mission, San Francisco
Solano, a mission founded more to spy on
the Russians than to proselytize the indians
(Cleland and Dumke, 1959). He traveled
from there to the coast, visiting the Russian
outpost at Fort Ross. He returned to Monterey.
Douglas hoped to traverse Siberia on his
way back to England. In a letter to Hooker
in November of 1831 he mentioned his
plans. While the trip was in the planning
stage another botanist, Thomas Coulter,
arrived in Monterey. Coulter proposed an
expedition to the Colorado and Gila Rivers.
Douglas considered the idea of accompanying Coulter, but as Coulter also had
problems getting the necessary political
approvals Douglas decided to remain in
Monterey. Coulter managed to get the
required permissions and traveled across
the California desert to the confluence of
the Gila and Colorado Rivers. He did not
collect any desert plants, but was the first
botanist to collect plants in Arizona and
was the first to describe the Monterey pine
and the Coulter pine (Hafen et al., 1970).
Douglas' plans for a trans-Siberian trip
never matured as he was gored to death
in a cattle pit on the big island of Hawaii
on 12 July 1834.
Douglas can really be best identified as
a plant collector. He was a practical
explorer, a collector who brought or sent
back for study and cultivation plants never
known before in Europe. During his stay
in California he gathered 650 plant specimens. He noted the importance of annuals
in the California flora. Seeds of those plants
he sent back forced English gardeners to
develop a new technique, carpet-bedding,
to show those plants. His own interest lay
in the conifers and of the 17 species found
on the West coast, he identified seven.
In the same year that Douglas died,
another Englishman, Thomas Nuttall,
arrived on the West coast. The following
account is based in part on his biography
byjeannette Graustein (1967). Nuttall was
born in Yorkshire, England, in 1786. At
the age of 22 he emigrated to Philadelphia
where he worked as a printer. Although
work as a printer was to occupy his winters,
his summers were spent collecting plants.
As his expertise as a collector grew he spent
less time as a printer, and soon quit that
vocation completely.
He was a self-trained naturalist, although
his close association with the Philadelphia
Academy of Natural Sciences made him a
part of the "college" of naturalists practicing in and about that city. He was primarily a botanist although he had an active
interest in ornithology, minerals and shells.
His work in ornithology resulted in the
publication of A Manual of Ornithology of the
U.S. and Canada: The Land Birds in 1832.
Prior to his third trip west he was employed
by Harvard College as curator of the
botanical garden and lecturer on natural
history.
He visited the trans-Mississippi West in
1810-1811 and 1818-1820. During the
first visit he accompanied the Astorians up
the Missouri River, while during the second visit he collected along the Arkansas
and Red Rivers. On his third trip west he
was part of the Wyeth Party. The party left
for the West coast from Independence in
April of 1834. The two naturalists arrived
at Fort Vancouver in September where they
were met and welcomed by Dr. John
McLouglin. While in Oregon Nuttall collected both plants and shells and sent the
shells to Isaac Lea who described 23 new
species. That winter Townsend and Nuttall went to the Sandwich Islands. They
spent the winter there and collected plants
and animals from the islands of Oahu and
Kauai. In March they returned to Oregon
where they continued their investigations
of the previous fall. Townsend remained
in Oregon for another year as a physician
at the fort while Nuttall made plans to
CALIFORNIA NATURALISTS
return to Boston. Nuttall left in September
and wintered again in Honolulu. This time
he visited Hawaii, the largest island in the
chain. He left the Islands in March and
arrived in Monterey soon thereafter. He
made hurried visits to Santa Barbara, San
Pedro and San Diego. During his stay he
collected at least 12 new genera and 10 new
species of plants. He also collected 54 new
species of shells and 15 species of crustaceans. Nuttall spent the next five years in
Philadelphia. During much of that time he
worked on specimens he had collected on
his trip. His articles on this work were published by the American Philosophical Society, the Academy of Natural Sciences and
the Boston Society of Natural History.
Many of the birds he and Townsend collected were made available to Audubon
who had just returned from England.
Drawings of these made their appearance
in Audubon's Birds of America. The plants
were used by John Torrey and Asa Gray
in their manual on the American flora.
Nuttall also provided supplemental voiumes to Francois Michaux's North American
Sylva (Savage, 1979). Nuttall returned to
England in 1841 to fulfill stipulations in
the will of his uncle. He died there in 1859.
Graustein (1967, p. 316) summarizes his
contributions as follows:
Preeminent as a field worker, Nuttall
seemed to miss no plant or animal however small, nor any unusual geological
formation or unfamiliar mineral that
came within his ken. Alert to the full
scope of natural phenomena and eager
for the enlargement of all scientific
knowledge, whenever he went he collected whatever was feasible and put each
treasure into competent hands for study
and report. He appreciated the breadth
of his opportunities in new regions and
assumed responsibility beyond his own
immediate interests. He showed himself
conscientiously dedicated to the enlargement of knowledge without concern for
credit, recognition, or commendation.
THE U.S. EXPLORING EXPEDITION
Although the U.S. Exploring Expedition
visited the Pacific coast of North America
for a very short period of time, I shall spend
325
a fair amount of time discussing it as it is
indicative of the state of American science
in the early nineteenth century. The following account unless otherwise noted is
synthesized from the works by Stanton
(1975) and Tyler (1968). The expedition,
also known now by the name of its leader,
Charles Wilkes, left the East coast on the
18th of August. Wilke's appointment had
caused some dissension, but was appropriate due to the great amount of hydrographic work he had done earlier with the
Coast and Geodetic Survey.
The geologist was James Dwight Dana.
Dana, born in upper New York state, had
graduated from Yale in 1833. Prior to taking part in the expedition he had served
as Professor Benjamin Silliman's assistant
in the Yale chemistry laboratory. At the
end of the expedition he remained in the
employ of the Scientific Party and spent
the years of 1842-1856 in Washington and
New Haven writing up reports on the geology and on the zoophytes and crustaceans.
Jessie Poesch (1961) has examined the
life of Titian Ramsay Peale, one of the naturalists, in detail and has edited his journals. Son of Charles Peale the painter and
originator of the Philadelphia museum,
Titian had many years of field experience
in natural history. Although he had some
formal training in anatomy at the University of Pennsylvania, most of his training
was experiential. He had traveled to
Georgia and Florida with Thomas Say,
George Ord and William Maclure in 18171818. In 1819-1820 he had accompanied
the Long Expedition to the Rockies. Upon
return he served first as assistant manager
and then manager of the Peale Museum.
He had made collecting trips to a variety
of areas, including Maine (1829) and
Colombia (1830-1832). Thirty-eight when
the voyage began, Peale was just two years
younger than Wilkes. He was an excellent
field naturalist and a very good shot.
Following the return of the expedition
he worked on the zoology of the trip and
published a monograph on same. Due to
disagreements with Wilkes he quit the Scientific Corps and spent the next 25 years
in the employ of the Patent Office as a
patent examiner. A later observer evaluating his work as compared to that of his
326
LARRY T. SPENCER
replacement, John Cassin, felt that
although Peale's book lacked sophistication in the Latin descriptions, it was far
superior to the Cassin volume in terms of
its natural history.
Other naturalists associated with the
voyage were Charles Pickering, Joseph P.
Couthouy, William D. Brackenridge,
Joseph Drayton, Horatio C. Hale, and
Alfred T. Agate. Pickering, 33 and an
M.D., was a Harvard graduate. His particular interest was in tracing the migration
of races as indicated by the uses and names
of plants. He was an active member of the
Academy of Natural Sciences and the
American Philosophical Society and both
groups had lobbied actively to get him the
position as principal zoologist (Meisel,
1924-1929; Poesch, 1961). Couthouy was
described as a man of action. He was educated at the Boston Latin School. He had
previous experience at sea. His reputation
as a "conchologist" was cemented when in
1838 he presented a large collection of
shells to the Harvard Natural History Society. It is said that he petitioned then President Andrew Jackson directly for his position. Brackenridge had recently emigrated
from Scotland. He served as the expedition
horticulturist and was practical rather than
scholarly in nature. Brackenridge wrote up
the ferns collected by the expedition. He
also cared for the greenhouse set up near
the Patent Office following the return of
the expedition. Drayton, a middle-aged
widower, served as an artist during the
expedition and then later as an engraver
when the volumes were being produced.
Hale was the youngest of the civilians having recently graduated with distinction
from Harvard in 1837. Agate served as an
artist.
Hawaii. At that time he sent one vessel
directly to San Francisco, a party overland
to California, and ordered the rest of the
party to survey the Columbia River and
Gray's Harbor. The Vincennes arrived in
San Francisco and spent a leisurely time
exploring the bay and the Sacramento
River. The survey party rapidly completed
its work of the Columbia basin and in early
October set sail for San Francisco. The land
party under the direction of George
Emmons left the Willamette Valley on 7
September and headed for an intended
rendevous with the survey parties of the
Vincennes at the headwaters of the Sacramento River.
The overland trip was very arduous. Both
Peale's journals (Poesch, 1961) and the
official narrative (Wilkes, 1958) detail the
difficulties experienced and also include
observations of the natural history.
Emmons and Henry Eld mapped each day's
progress and every 50 to 60 miles made
dip and intensity observations. A portable
chronometer brought along with the
explorers failed to function properly due
to the rough treatment and a portable
thermometer broke when the horse carrying it fell. The California border was
reached the 28th of September. The party
was hampered by sickness as many of the
participants had picked up "malaria" during their stay in Oregon. Packing of goods
was also difficult as the horses and mules
quickly wore out during the course of the
trip and there were no replacements to be
found. The party did not meet up with the
boats of the Vicennes as expected in the
headwaters of the Sacramento, so they continued on down the river towards John Sutter's fort at New Helvetia. At Sutter's place
the overland party broke into two groups.
The expedition traveled over most of Emmons took one contingent to Yerba
the world, including Antarctica, South Buena on a small schooner and Eld took
America, the South Pacific, and the west the remainder overland to the same place.
coast of North America. The west coast Emmons quickly met the party from the
portion lasted from mid-July 1841 when Vicennes and arrived in San Francisco the
the Peacock anchored off the mouth of the 24th. Eld arrived four days later.
Columbia River until 31 October 1841
During the 50 days the overland party
when Wilkes hoisted the command flag to traveled 840 miles and covered the route
set sail from San Francisco to Hawaii.
that U.S. 99 now takes. Dana found that
The party remained in the vicinity of the Oregon was the best portion of western
Columbia River until Wilkes arrived from America, although little land was fit for
CALIFORNIA NATURALISTS
327
agriculture and the trees would be easier
to level than the mountains. As to mineral
production, he indicated the similarity of
rocks from northern California to gold
bearing rocks seen elsewhere. Later when
the geology volume was published in 1849
he added the following footnote as to the
presence of gold and its distribution.
body—hundreds of fine insects put in
"families' with out localities, although
they came from all parts of the world.—
arrows in another, with their ends sawed
off to make them fit into a fancy stands,
etc.—all for the great end.—promotion
of science (quoted by Tyler, 1968, p.
409).
The upper prairie of the Sacramento,
from where we reached the Sacramento
plains, was every where covered with the
kind of quartzose pebbles that indicated
a wide prevalence of the same rocks of
the talcose series that we have traversed
for a long distance in the Shasty Mountains and farther north (quoted in Tyler,
1968, p. 339).
Funds to support the scientists were difficult to obtain and likewise funds for publication. Men like Peale and Dana were
asked to work in Washington, but the capitol city offered little support. Dana stated
"It is perfectly absurd! that I should be able
to prepare my reports in a city where there
are no books!" (quoted by Haskell, 1968,
p. 11). Washington also had few resident
scientists at that time.
Control over publication was handled by
the Library Committee of Congress. This
Committee continuously tried to cut publication funds. Dana was particularly peeved
when the Committee attempted to reduce
costs by limiting the number of plates he
could have in his work. In a letter of support Gray stated "If the volumes of the
Scientific part of the Exploring Expedition
equal this both in its fine generalizations
and in accurate detail, our country may be
truly proud of the results of the Expedition" (quoted by Tyler, 1969, p. 406). Dana
got his plates, but in a similar dispute
between Peale and Wilkes over the inclusion of an atlas with his publication on the
mammals and birds, Peale lost out and consequently quit (Poesch, 1961).
Gray noted that the collections from
Oregon, California, and the Sandwich
Islands were very fine, but the rest were
mostly roadside collections with little depth
(Haskell, 1968). A new species of pitcher
plant was found near Mt. Shasta. A map
drawn by Ringgold of the San Pablo Bay
region was widely used by the goldminers
who utilized that waterway to get to the
mines. Wilkes was impressed by the harbors of San Francisco Bay and the Puget
Sound.
Thousands of specimens were collected.
Dana collected 680 species of Crustacea of
which 500 were new species. The Expedition brought or sent home 684 species
of seeds and 254 live plants. Many of these
made up the beginning collection of the
National Botanical Garden. There were
9,674 species of dried plants that later
formed the nucleus of plant collections at
the National Museum.
Initially most of the specimens were
stored at the Washington Institute. This
represented a disaster from a scientific
viewpoint. The collections deteriorated
quickly. Specimens were taken home by
viewer and politician alike, particularly
certain shells. Labels and specimens were
unfortunately separated (Haskell, 1968).
When Peale arrived in Washington he
found
my two birds (male & female) made into
one,—the legs of one put on another
OTHER OBSERVERS
William Gambel, an ornithologist who as
a youth had assisted Thomas Nuttall, collected plants and animals in 1841 while on
a trip to California along the Old Spanish
Trail. Once he reached California he collected plants in the vicinity of Los Angeles.
He returned to Philadelphia the winter of
1843-1844 (Ewan, 1950). New species that
he found included the Utah scrub oak, the
Gambel quail, and the Nuttall woodpecker
(Hafen^a/., 1970). Gamel was the Recording Secretary for the Academy of Natural
Sciences of Philadelphia, 1848-1849. He
described specimens he obtained in Cali-
328
LARRY T. SPENCER
fornia in the journal of that group. The they continued their trip, this time down
plants he collected were described by the western flank of the Sierras, crossing
Thomas Nuttall (Meisel, 1929). He the southern end at Tehachapi Pass. From
returned to California in the spring of his earlier trip across the northern portion
1849, probably taking the northern route. of the Great Basin, the trip flanking the
He died of typhoid fever in a mining camp length of the Sierras and the return trip
in Plumas Co., California. Specimens he across the southern portion of the Great
collected on this trip were apparently lost Basin, Fremont demonstrated that no inte(Ewan, 1950).
rior river drained the Great Basin (FarThough the American public in the quhar, 1969; Savage, 1979). Fremont
nineteenth century may have had little returned to Washington where he quickly
knowledge of the Wilkes Expedition, Fre- published his report, Report of the Exploring
mont, his wife, and his father-in-law made Expedition to the Rocky Mountains in the year
sure that the reverse was true with respect 1842, and to Oregon and North California in
to the various expeditions Fremont made. the years 1843-44. The plants collected on
This section details the time Fremont spent this expedition were given to John Torrey
in California. The account is synthesized and Asa Gray and were described in a numfrom works by Goetzmann(l 966), Farquhar ber of publications by them (Meisel, 1929).
(1969), and Savage (1979).
With the ink hardly set, Fremont headed
Fremont was educated at the College of out again in August of 1845 from Bent's
Charleston where he did well in his math- Fort in Colorado bound for California. As
ematical studies. One of his patrons, Joel this expedition proved to be more political
R. Poinsett, got him an appointment as a than scientific in nature no more will be
surveyor with the U.S. Topographical said except to say that Fremont's arrival
Corps. He assisted Joseph N. Nicollet when instigated events leading towards Califorhe explored the upper midwest in 1837 nia's statehood (Hine, 1962; Hafen et al.,
1970). This expedition resulted in a joint
and 1838, and the Missouri in 1839.
Fremont's work in California came dur- publication with William Emory concerning the course of his 1843-1844, 1845- ing the natural features of the state.
1846, 1848-1849 and.1853-1854 expeDetails of his third expedition, an aborditions. The real scientist of the first two tive attempt to find a southern route across
visits was Charles Preuss. Preuss, a German the Rockies mid-winter are given by Branimmigrant with excellent training, acted as don (1955). On his last trip he took with
cartographer/scientist. It was Preuss who him for the first time an official photogconscientiously collected the plant, animal rapher, S. N. Carvalho. The last two trips
and geological specimens. It was Preuss who to California were of little scientific value.
made the maps and drawings that illusInasmuch as many federal surveys had
trated the reports. Preuss's own journals their western ends in California, a variety
complement the official government of observations were made by naturalists
reports (Gudde and Gudde, 1958).
associated with those groups. Ewan (1950)
In the 1843-1844 expedition, the main finds the observations of William H. Emory,
West coast destination was Fort Vancouver a product of West Point, very valuable.
in Oregon where they hoped to tie their Emory's first visit to California was when
geographical observations to those made he led a military reconnaissance between
by the members of the Wilkes Expedition. Fort Leavenworth and San Diego in 1846From there they traveled to the Kalamath 1847. Portions of his work were included
region of Oregon, venturing into Califor- with the Pacific Railroad Survey Reports.
nia along the eastern flank of the Sierras. John Torrey and George Engelmann
They probed a number of passes and in described the plants. His second visit was
March of 1844 succeeded in cresting the as part of the Mexican Boundary Survey.
Sierras and descended the American River Emory served both as official Astronomer
to Sutter's Fort near Sacramento. With and as Commissioner of the Boundary Surtheir stock and food supplies replenished, vey. The natural history collections were
CALIFORNIA NATURALISTS
329
Farquhar, Francis P. 1969. History of the Sierra Nevada.
University of California, Berkeley.
Goetzmann, William H. 1966. Exploration and
empire: The explorer and the scientist in the
winning of the West. Vintage Books, Random
House, New York.
CALIFORNIA ACHIEVES STATEHOOD
Golder, F. A. 1968. Bering's voyages. Octagon Books,
New York.
The decade of the 1850s marks a change Graustein.JeannetteE.
1967. 1967. ThomasNuttall,
in the nature of natural history investiganaturalist: explorations in America. Harvard Unitions in California. Although individuals
versity Press, Cambridge.
who examined the natural features contin- Gudde, Erwin G. and Elizabeth K. Gudde. (eds. and
trans.) 1958. Exploring with Fremont: The private
ued to be outsiders and not native sons, the
diaries of Charles Preuss. University of Oklahoma,
institutional framework in which the work
Norman.
took place changed. California achieved Hafen, Leroy, W. Eugene Hollon, and Coke Rister.
statehood in 1850. Three years later a
1970. Western America. The exploration, settlement,
and development of the region beyond the Mississippi.
group of private citizens founded the CalPrentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
ifornia Academy of Natural Sciences in San
Haskell,
Daniel C. 1968. The United States Exploring
Francisco and the legislature appointed a
Expedition, 1838-1842 and its publications. Greenstate geologist (Meisel, 1929; Lewis, 1954).
wood Press, New York.
In 1860 the State Geological Survey was Hine, Robert V. 1962. Edward Kern and American
expansion. Yale University Press, New Haven,
chartered (Meisel, 1929; Farquhar, 1969).
Connecticut.
Eight years later the University of CaliforPaul C. 1970. Pictorial history of California.
nia was founded (Stadtman, 1970). This Johnson,
Doubleday and Co., Garden City, New York.
meant that naturalists had new institutions Lewis, Oscar. 1954. George Davidson. Pioneer West coast
to support them and a local journal to pubscientist. University of California, Berkeley.
lish their work in. Over the next 50 years Meisel, Max. 1924-1929. Bibliography of American
natural history, 3 vols. reprinted. 1967. Haefner,
a direct change in the quantity and quality
New York.
of the output can be detected. The work Morwood,
William. 1973. Traveler in a vanished landof individuals associated with the State
scape: The life and times of David Douglas. Potter,
Geological Survey, the Pacific Railroad
New York.
Surveys, the Coast and Geodetic Survey, Pethick, Derek. 1976. First approaches to the Northwest
coast. J. J. Douglas, Ltd., Vancouver, B.C.
and the U.S. Fish Commission filled in the
Jessie. 1961. Titian Ramsay Peale, 1799many voids concerning the natural history Poesch,
1885, and his journals of the Wilkes Expedition.
of the state. Naturalists such as the LeConte
American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia.
brothers, John Muir, and George Davidson Savage, Henry, Jr. 1979. Discovering America, 17001875. Harper and Row, New York.
continued to demonstrate the widening gap
between the professional and amateur sci- Speck, Gordon. 1970. Northwest explorations. Binfords
and Mort, Portland, Oregon.
entist, but also showed the singleness of Stadtman,
Verne A. 1970. The University of California,
goal of the natural historian, i.e., the obser1868-1968. University of California Press,
vation of organic life in nature. I will leave
Berkeley.
the detailed elucidation of this second phase Stanton, William. 1975. The Great United States
Exploring Expedition of 1838-1842. University of
of California natural history for another
California, Berkeley.
time.
Tyler, David B. 1968. The Wilkes Expedition: The first
United States exploring expedition (1838-1842).
American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia.
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