- Increase Lapham
Increase Allen Lapham (March
1811 -September 15 ,1875 ) was anauthor ,scientist , and naturalist. Born in Palmyra, New York, his family moved toPennsylvania , back toNew York , toOhio then toLouisville, Kentucky (1827-1830) then back to Ohio while his father, Seneca Lapham, worked on thecanal s in various locations. He displayed a talent for scientific observation early on while working on the canals and their locks himself, producing drawings that he could sell at the age of thirteen.In 1836, Increase Lapham moved to Kilbourntown (which soon incorporated in to the city of
Milwaukee, Wisconsin ) and worked closely withByron Kilbourn in his business and development endeavors. The two had worked together previously on the Miami Canal and Lapham considered him a loyal friend and mentor. Before the end of the year, Lapham had published a "Catalogue of Plants and Shells, Found in the vicinity of Milwaukee, on the West Side ofLake Michigan ", perhaps the first scientific work published west of theGreat Lakes .Many of his works and early maps were used for various civil projects such as canal and railroad development. In 1844 Lapham published the first substantial book on the geography of the Wisconsin Territory. He published many more papers and books through his life, particularly on
geology ,archaeology andhistory , and flora and fauna ofWisconsin , including publication by theSmithsonian Institution .Increase Lapham is considered the "Father of the U.S Weather Service," based upon his lobbying to Congress and the Smithsonian Institution to create such an agency to forecast storms on the Great Lakes and both coasts. When the agency was created through the U.S. Secretary of War, Lapham made the first such accurate Great Lakes storm warning from Chicago.
Increase Lapham is considered to be "Wisconsin's first great scientist." He was buried at
Forest Home Cemetery in Milwaukee. Since his death, numerous landmarks throughout the southeastern Wisconsin area have been named after him, includingLapham Peak , the highest point inWaukesha County, Wisconsin ,University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee buildings, and streets. InMadison, Wisconsin , he currently has an elementary school named after him.Published works
* "Catalogue of Plants and Shells, Found in the vicinity of Milwaukee, on the West Side of Lake Michigan", 1836
* "A Geographical and Topographical Description of Wisconsin", 1844
* "The Antiquities of Wisconsin", 1855
* "Geological Map of Wisconsin", 1855See also
*
History of Wisconsin ,Aztalan State Park References
* "The Journals of Increase Allen Lapham for 1827-1830", Samuel W. Thomas and Eugene H. Conner, George Rogers Clark Press
* "Byron Kilbourn and the Development of Milwaukee", Goodwin Berquist & Paul C. Bowers, Jr., The Milwaukee County Historical SocietyExternal links
* " [http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/whi/feature/lapham Portraits of Scientists: Increase Lapham's Cartes-de-visite Collection] " Collected by pioneering Wisconsin antiquarian Increase Allen Lapham between 1862-75, this album of carte-de-visite photographic portraits depicts many notable 19th-century scientists from America and Europe. Available on Wisconsin Historical Images, the Wisconsin Historical Society's online image database.
* [http://www.library.wisc.edu/etext/WIReader/WER0443.html Increase Allen Lapham, First Scholar of Wisconsin] , from "Wisconsin Magazine of History", 1917
* [http://www.library.wisc.edu/etext/WIReader/WER0745.html Increase Lapham] , from "Wisconsin Authors and Their Works" by Charles Rounds, 1918
* " [http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/Antiquities The Antiquities of Wisconsin] ", Increase A. Lapham, 1855 - University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries
* " [http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints A Geographical and Topographical Description of Wisconsin...] " (Milwaukee: P.C. Hale, 1844) online from the Wisconsin Historical Society
* " [http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/search.asp?id=1271 Report on the Disastrous Effects of the Destruction of Forest Trees ...] " (Madison, Wis.: Atwood & Rublee, 1867) online from the Wisconsin Historical Society
* " [http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/search.asp?id=8 Selected letters on Indian Mounds, 1846-1852] " Unpublished manuscripts online from the Wisconsin Historical Society
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