Utah Geological Survey

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What Utah mountain range honors prominent geoscientists of the 19th century and who were they?

by Carl Ege

Hayden Peak (12,479 feet) viewed from the Hayden Peak overlook on State Route 150.

Many geographic features in Utah are named in honor of explorers, trappers, ranchers, and pioneers who were important to the state's history.

However, there is one mountain range that commemorates early 19th century geologists and topographers who were influential figures in the geoscience field: the Uinta Mountains.

More than 20 major geographic features in this mountain range (lakes, streams, and mountain summits and passes) bear the names of these important geoscientists. Many of these early geoscientists developed the basic framework of the current understanding of geologic concepts we now study and practice.

Some of these geoscientists were also responsible for organizing and/or participating in the first scientific surveys for the United States government, exploring regions of Utah and throughout the American West.

Known as the four “Great Surveys,” the main objectives were to investigate, map, and study the natural resources and geology of the American West.

The Great Surveys of the American West

1.Clarence King, Geological Survey of the 40th Parallel, 1867 to 1878

2. Ferdinand Hayden, Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories, 1867 to 1879

3. John Wesley Powell, Geographical and Geological Survey of the Rocky Mountain Region, 1869 to 1879

4. George Wheeler, US Geographical Surveys West of the 100th Meridian, 1871 to 1879

The first was the Geological Survey of the 40th Parallel led by Clarence King from 1867 to 1878. The survey was successful in mapping the topography and geology in the Sierra Nevada, Great Basin, Uinta Mountains, and Rocky Mountains along the latitude of 40 degrees north.

This was closely followed by Ferdinand Hayden's survey (known as the Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories) of Nebraska, Utah, Wyoming (Yellowstone area and Teton Range), Colorado, and Idaho from 1867 to 1879; John Wesley Powell's survey (known as the Geographical and Geological Survey of the Rocky Mountain Region) of the Green and Colorado Rivers and through the Grand Canyon from 1869 to 1879; and George Wheeler's survey of the U.S. territory west of the 100th meridian (Nevada, Utah, California, Arizona, Idaho, and New Mexico) from 1871 to 1879. (Just across Utah's border, the second-highest peak in Nevada is named after Wheeler.)

All these government surveys were important in providing geologic information that helped “open up” the American West to frontier settlement and led to preserving geological areas, such as Yellowstone National Park, for future generations.

Three of the four “Great Surveys” (King's, Hayden's, and Powell's) investigated the Uinta Mountains region, and these geoscientists were responsible for naming the newly discovered geographic features in the Uinta Mountains.

The following table lists the Uinta Mountains' geographic features named for geoscientists.

Geographic feature	Geoscientist	Who were these geoscientists?
Atwood Creek and Atwood Lake	Wallace Atwood	Geologist who studied glaciation in Uinta Mountains.
Gatman Lake	Gatman	Geologist and naturalist.
Gilbert Peak, Gilbert Creek, and Gilbert Lake	Grove K. Gilbert	Geologist who did pioneering research on Lake Bonneville, Great Salt Lake, and the Henry Mountains.
Hayden Peak, Hayden Pass, Hayden Fork, and Hayden Lake	Ferdinand Hayden	Geologist for early government surveys. Visited Uinta Mountains in 1870.
Hyatt Lake	Alpheus Hyatt	Naturalist, zoologist, and paleontologist.
Kings Peak, Kings Lake, and South Kings Peak	Clarence King	Conducted Geological Survey of the 40th Parallel. First director of the U.S. Geological Survey.
Leconte Lake	Joseph Leconte	Geologist and educator who worked with John Muir.
Leidy Peak	Joseph Leidy	Paleontologist who studied the Bridger and Uinta Formations. Considered father of vertebrate paleontology.
Marsh Lake and Marsh Peak	Othniel Marsh	Paleontologist who studied the Bridger Formation.
Mount Agassiz	Louis Agassiz	Professor of Zoology and Geology at Harvard University.
Mount Emmons	Samuel Emmons	Geologist for the Geological Survey of the 40th Parallel.
Mount Powell and Powell Lake	John Wesley Powell	Led surveys down the Colorado and Green Rivers. Second director of the U.S. Geological Survey.
Packard Lake	Alpheus Packard	Professor of Biology and Geology at Bowdoin College.
Scudder Lake	Samuel Scudder	Paleontologist who is considered the father of insect paleontology.
Shaler Lake	Nathaniel Shaler	Professor of Paleontology and Geology at Harvard University.
Walcott Lake	Charles Walcott	Geologist and paleontologist who studied the Burgess Shale. Third director of the U.S. Geological Survey.
Wilson Peak	A.D. Wilson	Head topographer for the Geological Survey of the 40th Parallel.
Verrill Lake	Addison Verill	Geologist and zoologist.