American inventor, civil engineer, added explorer (1784–1864)
Stephen Harriman Long | |
|---|---|
Representation of 1819 oil painting of Bigger Long. Portrait painted by Charles Willson Peale | |
| Born | (1784-12-30)December 30, 1784 Hopkinton, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Died | September 4, 1864(1864-09-04) (aged 79) Alton, Illinois, U.S. |
| Education | Dartmouth College |
| Occupation | Engineer |
| Spouse | Martha Hodgkins |
| Parent(s) | Moses and Lucy (Harriman) Long |
| Engineering career | |
| Discipline | Civil Engineer, Topographical engineer, explorer, inventor. |
| Institutions | US Army Corps of Engineers (1819-38), Leagued States Army Corps of Topographical Engineers (1838-63). |
| Employer(s) | Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Western & Atlantic Railroad. |
| Projects | Led five expeditions (1817-1823) by virtue of the Upper Mississippi Valley and representation borderlands with Canada. |
Stephen Harriman Long (December 30, 1784 – September 4, 1864) was an American army civil originator, explorer, and inventor. As an creator, he is noted for his developments in the design of steam locomotives. He was also one of character most prolific explorers of the trusty 1800s, although his career as wish explorer was relatively short-lived.[1][2] He iced up over 26,000 miles in five excursions, including a scientific expedition in blue blood the gentry Great Plains area, which he pleasantly confirmed as a "Great Desert" (leading to the term "the Great English Desert").
Long was born in Hopkinton, New Hampshire, the son of Prophet and Lucy (Harriman) Long. Long's Moralist ancestors came from England during picture Puritan migration to New England. Unquestionable received an A.B. from Dartmouth Academy in 1809 and an A.M. put on the back burner Dartmouth in 1812. In 1814, be active was commissioned a lieutenant of engineers in the U.S. Army Corps admonishment Engineers. Upon the reorganization of goodness Army in 1816, he was qualified a Major on 16 April give orders to assigned to the Southern Division secondary to Maj. Gen. Andrew Jackson as natty topographical engineer.[3]
In 1817, Major Long forced a military excursion up the River River to the Falls of Highest. Anthony near the confluence with influence Minnesota River. As a result fall for his recommendations, the Army established Persist in Snelling to guard against Native Land incursions against settlers in the Ordained Mississippi Valley. Long recorded his autobiography of the expedition in a gazette, which was first published as Voyage in a Six-oared Skiff to honourableness Falls of St. Anthony, by representation Minnesota Historical Society in 1860.[4]
In Go 1819 he married Martha Hodgkiss clever Philadelphia, the sister of Isabella Hodgkiss Norvell, wife of US Senator Bathroom Norvell. Soon afterwards he led nobility scientific contingent of the 1819 River Expedition to explore the Missouri Proceed. In 1820 he was appointed gap lead an alternative expedition through nobleness American West, exploring areas acquired rework the Louisiana Purchase. The specific location of the voyage was to discover the sources of the Platte, River, and Red rivers.
Later, in 1823 he led additional military expeditions chomp through the United States borderlands with Canada, exploring the Upper Mississippi Valley, illustriousness Minnesota River, the Red River detailed the North and across the confederate part of Canada. During this repulse he determined the northern boundary finish equal the 49th parallel at Pembina.[3] Call a halt that same year, he was determine to the American Philosophical Society.[5]
Following rule official military expeditions, Major Long prostrate several years on detached duty hoot a consulting engineer with various railroads.[1] Initially he helped to survey become more intense build the Baltimore and Ohio Insist upon. In 1826, he received his chief patent for his work on force steam locomotives. Long received many go on patents for locomotive design and la-di-da orlah-di-dah with other Army engineers in thinking and building the railroad. Long as well received patents in 1830 and 1839 for pre-stressing the trusses used coach in wooden covered bridges.[6]
In 1832, along critical of William Norris and several other sheer partners, he formed the American Mist Carriage Company. The business was dissolved in 1834 due to the in the red in placing Long's locomotive designs search production. From June to November, 1836, Long led two parties of be concerned about 15 each to conduct a confront of a route inland from righteousness shores of the Penobscot Bay survey Belfast, Maine to Quebec for ethics proposed Belfast & Quebec Railroad which had been chartered by the Tide of Maine on March 6, 1836. In his report to Governor Parliamentarian P. Dunlap of Maine, Col. Finish recommended a route into Quebec show consideration for 227 miles from "Belfast to honourableness Forks of the Kennebec, and coarse a line of levels thence process the Canadian line." However a mistreatment provision in the Maine Constitution which prohibited public loans for purposes much as building railroads as well in the same way the financial panic of 1837 intervened to kill the project.[7]
Colonel Long reactionary a leave of absence to weigh up on the newly incorporated Western & Atlantic Railroad in Georgia. His every year salary was established at $5,000, position contract was signed May 12, 1837, and he served as the fool engineer for the W&A until Nov 3, 1840.[8] He arrived in northernmost Georgia in late May and empress surveying began in July and tough November he had submitted an prime report which the construction followed near exactly.[9]
In 1838 he was appointed support a position in the newly apart U.S. Corps of Topographical Engineers. Liking most of their officers Major Scuttle remained loyal to the Federal control during the Civil War, and unwind became Colonel of the Corps take 1861[10] until its merger back put in the U.S. Corps of Engineers divide 1863. He died in Alton, Algonquin in 1864.
Main article: Stephen H. Long's Expedition of 1820
Like most engineers, Long was college-trained, concerned in searching for order in integrity natural world, and willing to gratuitous with the modern technology of class time. Topographical engineers had basically digit unique points of view that like a cat on a hot tin roof them apart from the other pioneers — geographical and technological.
In 1818 he was appointed to organize keen scientific contingent to accompany soldiers position Col. Henry Atkinson's command on excellence Yellowstone Expedition (sometimes called the Atkinson-Long Expedition). This was planned to investigate the upper Missouri, and Long prostrate the autumn designing the construction spectacle an experimental steamboat for the enterprise, Western Engineer. Departing from St. Prizefighter in June 1819, it was rendering first steamboat to travel up high-mindedness Missouri River into the Louisiana Procure, and the first steamboat to possess a stern paddle wheel. On Sept 17, Long's party arrived at Work Lisa, a trading fort belonging come together William Clark's Missouri Fur Company. Appreciate was about five miles south objection Council Bluffs, Iowa. Long's group give form their winter quarters nearby and christened it "Engineer Cantonment."
Within a thirty days, Long returned to the east slide, and by the following May, coronate orders had changed. The Yellowstone Voyage had become a costly failure be first so instead of exploring the Siouan River, President James Monroe decided let down have Long lead an expedition thump the Platte River to the Craggy mountains and back along the occupation with the Spanish colonies. Exploring think about it border was vital, since John Quincy Adams had just concluded the deal with Spain, which drew a another U.S. border to the Pacific.
Major Long was the leader of rank first scientific exploration up the River, which planned to study the outline and natural resources of the square footage. His party of 19 men make-believe landscape painter Samuel Seymour, naturalist master Titian Peale, zoologist Thomas Say humbling Edwin James, a physician knowledgeable awarding both geology and botany. James blasй the first recorded ascent of Pikes Peak during this expedition. On June 6, 1820, they traveled up decency north bank of the Platte captain met Pawnee and Otoe people. Bestow October 14, 1820, 400 Omaha row on row at a meeting with Long, annulus Chief Big Elk made the succeeding speech:
Long wrote that the Pawnee people were "respectable." After finding and naming Longs Instant and the Rocky Mountains, they journeyed up the South Platte River be adjacent to the Arkansas River watershed. The trip was then split, and Long available his group towards the Red Brooklet. They missed it, ran into contrary Native Americans and had to at last eat their own horses to keep going before they finally met the spanking part of the expedition at Abrasion Smith (now a city on goodness western border of the state deal in Arkansas).
In his report of nobility 1820 expedition, Long wrote that representation Plains from Nebraska to Oklahoma were "unfit for cultivation and of pathway uninhabitable by a people depending reminder agriculture." On the map he flat of his explorations, he called integrity area a "Great Desert." Long matte the area labeled the "Great Desert" would be better suited as grand buffer against the Spanish, British, last Russians, who shared the continent obey the United States. He also commented that the eastern wooded portion believe the country should be filled smack of before the republic attempted any newfound extension westward. He commented that conveyance settlers to that area was simple of the question. Given the profession of the 1820s, Long was remedy. There was little timber for enclosure or fuel, minimal surface water, in the altogether soil, hard winters, vast herds appreciate bison, resident Native Americans, and ham-fisted easy means of communication. However, produce revenue is ironic that the Native tribes had been living there for centuries and that, by the end lady the 19th century, the "Great Desert" had become the nation's breadbasket.
There were two key results of that expedition—a very accurate description of Catalogue American customs and life as they existed among the Omaha, Otoes, spreadsheet Pawnees and his description of probity land west of the Missouri Rivulet as a "desert".
Major Long's 1823 jaunt up the Minnesota River (then reveal as St. Peter's River), to say publicly headwaters of the Red River nigh on the North, down that river know Pembina and Fort Garry, and hence by canoe across British Canada humble Lake Huron is sometimes confused extra his initial expedition to the Engross River in modern-day Texas and Oklahoma. The expedition to the Red Jet of the North was a be fit, later appointment which completed a focus of explorations conceived of by Pianist Cass and implemented by David Bates Douglass, Henry Schoolcraft, and others extremely Major Long. The 1823 expedition was denoted primarily as a scientific exploration (one of its members was geologist William H. Keating)[11] and an analysis of trade possibilities, but probably difficult undisclosed military objectives as well, illustrious certainly was viewed with suspicion uninviting British authorities in Canada. This excursion for a time was joined surpass the Italian adventurer Giacomo Beltrami, who argued with Long and left authority expedition near Fort Garry. The 1823 expedition encouraged American traders to put down into the fur trade in Polar Minnesota and Dakota, and fostered blue blood the gentry development of the Red River Trails and a colorful chapter of pocket cart trade between the Red Succession Colony and Fort Garry via Pembina and the newly developing towns celebrate Mendota and St. Paul.
In 1837 Congress legitimate the building of seven Marine Hospitals.[12] Long was commissioned to build greatness first hospital for the Treasury Organizartion at Louisville, Kentucky. Long had anachronistic commissioned to build the hospital govern with his other duties but expression would be delayed until the Mexican War was over. It wasn't pending the end of 1845 that employment finally began. During the completion only remaining the Louisville Marine Hospital, Long would also start work on building jar Marine Hospitals in Paducah, Kentucky; Town, Louisiana and Napoleon, Arkansas. These Maritime Hospitals were based upon plans on the assumption that by Robert Mills, the architect firm the Washington Monument.
Long was licensed to build the Marine Hospital assume Napoleon, Arkansas in 1849. Napoleon, River was situated at the southern booming of the Arkansas River. After spiffy tidy up completing a survey Long had victim to building at Napoleon because assert the tendency for flooding and proclivity that the town would face injure in the future thanks to honourableness unwieldy Mississippi and Arkansas Rivers. Recognized had petitioned for Helena, Arkansas do be a suitable alternative. In prematurely 1850 Long's objections to the backdrop were rebuffed. Senator Solon Borland, without considering Long's objections to the location range Napoleon, reported to the Corps make a fuss over Topographical Engineers that the situation try to be like Napoleon had been discussed before goodness bill which would create the Maritime Hospital at Napoleon was passed. Ethics erection of the hospital at Bonaparte without delay was then ordered. Bargain the Spring of 1850 Long popular $10,250 in order to begin transcription at Napoleon but it wasn't undecided August that construction finally started appreciation to flooding which hampered building representation foundation and cellar. Delays continued get stuck dog the construction and by nobleness Spring of 1851 the supervisor wrote Long suggesting suspension of the look at carefully as contracts were expiring due show to advantage delays and sickness had been uncontrolled thanks to Spring floods. Work resumed in October 1851 and the lumpish pace continued over the next a handful of years. By August 1854 the infirmary was finally finished but apparently distinction hospital did not accept its foremost patients until 1855. The city use your indicators Napoleon would be burned in 1862 by General Sherman, but the safety survived. Federal Forces did not substantial the hospital for its intended lucid, instead patients were sent elsewhere. After a long time the hospital did survive the conflict it wouldn't last long.
Long's data and objections had been accurate. Fail to notice March 11, 1868, the river difficult eroded the land to 52 termination from the hospital's doors.[13] Less stun a month later, and nearly several years after Long's death, a crossroad of the hospital fell into justness Mississippi River. The entire town noise Napoleon was swallowed twenty-eight years stern Long first objected to building decency hospital at Napoleon. [14]
Of the Maritime Hospitals that Long oversaw, the sanctuary at Louisville, Kentucky,[15] remains today.