List of Smithsonian Expeditions, 1878-1917
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List of Smithsonian Expeditions, 1878-1917
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Expeditions are ordered alphabetically by the name of the expedition.
Notes on Finding Expedition Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives.
Chronologic List of Smithsonian Expeditions, 1878-1917.
Expeditions are listed alphabetically. Full text searching can be conducted by using your browser's Edit/Find option.
Official Name of Expedition: Agassiz-Albatross Expedition to the Eastern Tropical Pacific
Date of Expedition: October 1904 - March 1905
Where to: Eastern Tropical Pacific
Sponsor: George M. Bowers, United States Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries.
Head Scientist: Louis Agassiz
Prominent Scientists:
Brief Description:
The Albatross was a ship designed by Spencer F. Baird for collecting activities in the ocean. There is not sufficient information in the resources listed below to further describe the expedition.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 7258: Frederick M. Chamberlain Papers, 1899-1909
Primary Bibliography:
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Official Name of Expedition: Albatross Philippine Expedition
Date of Expedition: 16 October 1907 - 4 May 1910
Where to: From San Francisco to Manilla
Sponsor: United States Bureau of Fisheries
Commander: Marbury Johnston
Head Scientist: Hugh M. Smith, Deputy Commissioner of Fisheries, Director of the Expedition
Prominent Scientists:
Brief Description:
The Albatross was a ship designed by Spencer F. Baird for collecting activities in the ocean. There is not sufficient information in the resources listed below to further describe the expedition.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 7089: Paul Bartsch Papers, 1901-1963
RU 7180: Henry Weed Fowler Papers, circa 1920, 1930-1941
Primary Bibliography:
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Official Name of Expedition: Alexander Alaskan Expedition
Date of Expedition: 1908
Where to: Alaska
Commander: Not found.
Edmund Heller on the Alexander Alaskan Expedition (From SI Archives RU 7179) |
Prominent Scientists:
Brief Description:
There is not sufficient information in the resources listed below to describe the expedition.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 7179: Edmund Heller Papers, circa 1898-1918
Search Strategy:
Official Name of Expedition: American Museum of Natural History China Expedition
Alias of the Expedition: American Museum of Natural History Expedition to China
Date of Expedition: March 1916 - 1917
Where to: Southern China and Rangoon via Bhamo and Mandalay.
Commander: Roy Chapman Andrews, Department of Mammals, American Museum of Natural History
Scientific Assistant:
Edmund Heller, Naturalist
Brief Description:
In 1916-1917, the American Museum of Natural History in New York City sent an expedition under Roy Chapman Andrews to study the zoology of southern China. Yvette Borup Andrews, wife of Roy Chapman Andrews, served as the official photographer. The Expedition hunted tigers near Foochow, then left for the Yunnan Province by way of Hong Kong, Hainan, Haiphong and Hanoi. More detail about the route of the Expedition can be found in the finding aid to RU 7179.
Yvette Borup Andrews with Cub - Photo by American Museum of Natural History, New York (From SI Archives RU 7179) |
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 7179: Edmund Heller Papers, circa 1898-1918
Primary Bibliography:
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Official Name of the Expedition: Not found.
Date: 1903
Where to: Polar Regions
Commander: Not found.
Prominent Scientists:
Brief Description:
There is not sufficient information in the resources listed below to describe the expedition.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
No records found.
Search Strategy:
Official Name of Expedition: Biological Survey in the Canadian Rockies
Date: 1911-1912
Where to: Canadian Rockies
Commander: Dr. A. O. Wheeler, Alpine Club of Canada
Prominent Scientists:
The scientific team was not detailed.
Brief History:
The Smithsonian Institution sent a small group of naturalists with Dr. A. O. Wheeler of the
Alpine Club of Canada to complete a topographical survey of British Colombia and
Alberta.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
No records found.
Search Strategy:
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Official Name of Expedition: Biological Survey of the Panama Canal Zone
Alias of the Expedition: Panama Canal Zone Biological Survey Project
Date of Expedition: December 1910 - January 1912
Where to: Panama Canal Zone
Paul Bartsch (From SI Archives RU 95) |
Prominent Scientists:
Brief Description:
In March 1904, Secretary Samuel P. Langley wrote President Taft suggesting that the digging of the Panama Canal offered a rich opportunity for scientific collecting. In December 1907, the American Society of Naturalists passed a resolution that urged the President and Congress to make provisions for a Biological Survey of the Panama Canal Zone, in light of the changing biological conditions made by the construction of the canal (when the ecosystems of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans would have the chance to interact). In October 1910, the President approved the Smithsonian Institution's plan for a biological survey. The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago had already surveyed the fishes of the Zone with the Isthmian Commission, and in late December 1910, a scientific team from both Washington and Chicago was sent to the Panama Canal Zone.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 45: Office of the Secretary, Records, 1903-1924
RU 192: United States National Museum, Permanent Administrative Files, 1877-1975
Primary Bibliography:
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Official Name: Borneo and Celebres Expedition
Date: February 1912-1914, Borneo; September 1914-1917, Celebres
Where to: Borneo and Celebres
Sponsor: William L. Abbott
Commander: Henry Cushier Raven
Scientific Team:
Brief Description:
Due to illness, Dr. William L. Abbott was unable to continue collecting trips to the Malay Archipelago. Through donations to the Smithsonian, he funded this expedition to complete his work in Borneo.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 7178: Henry Cushier Raven Field Journal, 1912-1914
Search Strategy:
Official Name of Expedition: Exploration for American Bison
Alias of Expedition: Buffalo Expedition
Date of Expedition: 1886
Where to: Montana
Sponsor: Smithsonian Institution
Head Scientist: William Temple Hornaday, Chief Taxidermist, Smithsonian Institution
William Temple Hornaday with Bison Calf (From SI Archives RU 95) |
Prominent Scientists:
Brief Description:
In early spring of 1886, it was called to the attention of Secretary Spencer F. Baird that American bison were being exterminated at an "alarming" rate (Smithsonian Institution Annual Report, 1887, p. 5) , and that the United States National Museum had an incomplete collection of bison. Secretary Baird authorized William Temple Hornaday and a party of Smithsonian scientists to secure a complete series of skins for mounting. The Expedition was successful from a collecting point of view, and gathered information on species of elk, mountain sheep, goat, deer, and moose in imminent danger of extinction. "In view of this project," wrote Secretary Baird in the Report of the Secretary for 1887, "more stringent measures of game protection and preservation are loudly called for" (Smithsonian Institution Annual Report, 1887, p. 7).
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
No records found.
Search Strategy:
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Official Name of Expedition: Central American Scientific Exploring Expedition
Alias of the Expedition: A. J. Miller's Archaeological Expedition to Central America
Date of Expedition: May - June 1889
Where to: Honduras, Guatemala, Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica
Manager: A. J. Miller
Prominent Scientists:
Brief Description:
A. J. Miller, Editor of The Evening Tribune of Evansville, Indiana, began his expedition to
Central America in 1889, and wrote the Smithsonian
soliciting information on the types of specimens the Institution would most like to have from
that region, and requesting financial assistance from the Institution. The Smithsonian was
unable to provide any money to offset the costs of the Expedition (in part because it took place
outside of the United States), but agreed to look at the specimens and perhaps purchase a portion
of them. Miller's party left in May of 1889, but was forced to return in June due to an outbreak
of Yellow Fever in the areas they were exploring. While in Honduras, they found a buried city in
Olancho, and Miller tried to interest the Smithsonian in assisting with the excavation--scientifically and financially. Miller returned to Honduras in September of 1889. There is no evidence in the Archives to indicate whether the Smithsonian replied or became involved in the
excavation.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 189: Assistant Secretary in charge of the United States National Museum,
Correspondence and Memoranda, 1860-1908
Search Strategy:
Official Name of Expedition: Childs Frick Abyssinian Expedition
Date of Expedition: October 1911 - 1912
Where to: Abyssinia (Ethiopia and Kenya)
Commander: Childs Frick
Head Scientist: Lieutenant-Commander Edgar Alexander Mearns, United States
Prominent Scientists:
The scientific team was not detailed.
Brief Description:
Childs Frick approached the Institution in 1911, looking for a scientist to accompany him on his
collecting trip to Africa. Edgar Alexander Mearns was chosen. Frick agreed to pay Mearns's salary and
expenses, and donate all bird collections to the United States National Museum. This was Mearns's last
expedition.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 45: Office of the Secretary, Records, 1903-1924
Primary Bibliography:
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Official Name of Expedition: Dease River-Telegraph Creek Expedition
Alias of the Expedition: Lincoln Ellsworth Expedition to Alberta and British Columbia; Telegraph Creek Expedition
Date of Expedition: September 1914 - January 1915
Where to: Alberta and British Columbia
Commander: Lincoln Ellsworth
Edmund Heller (From SI Archives RU 95) |
Prominent Scientists:
Brief Description:
There is not sufficient information in the resources listed below to describe the expedition.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 7179: Edmund Heller Papers, circa 1898-1918
Search Strategy:
Official Name of Expedition: Death Valley Expedition
Date of Expedition: 1891
Where to: Death Valley
Head Scientist: Clinton Hart Merriam, Naturalist
Prominent Scientists:
Brief Description:
There is not sufficient information in the resources listed below to describe the expedition.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 7272: Frederick Vernon Coville Papers, 1888-1936 and undated
Primary Bibliography:
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Official Name of Expedition: Excavation of Rito de los Frijoles
Date: 1911-1912
Where to: Northwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico
Sponsor: Bureau of American Ethnology
Commander: Dr. Edgar L. Hewitt, Director of the Expedition
Prominent Scientists:
Brief History:
In 1911, the Bureau of American Ethnology, in conjunction with the School of American
Archaeology, began excavations of archeological sites in Rito de Los Frijoles. The artifacts
found were of great use in understanding the early distribution of the Pueblo people.
Primary Bibliography:
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Official Name of Expedition: Not found.
Date of Expedition: Began in 1915, interrupted by the war.
Where To: Africa (more specific information is not included)
Commander: Dr. V. Schuck
Scientific Team:
The scientific team was not detailed.
Brief History:
Dr. V. Schuck went to Africa to carry out anthropological research on various tribes to examine
"the negro child in its native habitat" (Smithsonian Institution Annual Report , 1915, p. 10). His work was interrupted by the war.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
No records found.
Search Strategy:
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Official Name of Expedition: Field Museum's African Expedition
Kema Forest Showing Trunk of Gigantic Fig Tree - Photo by Carl Ethan Akeley (From SI Archives RU 7179) |
Alias of the Expedition: Carl Ethan Akeley Expedition to British East Africa
Date of Expedition: 1907
Where to: British East Africa
Sponsor: Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago
Head Scientist: Carl Ethan Akeley
Prominent Scientists:
Brief Description:
There is not sufficient information in the resources listed below to describe the expedition.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 7179: Edmund Heller Papers, circa 1898-1918
Search Strategy:
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Official Name of Survey: Geological and Mineralogical Survey of Texas
Alias of the Survey: Geological Survey of Texas
Date of Survey: 1890 - 1895
Sponsor: Department of Agriculture, Insurance, Statistics and History of Texas
Head Scientist: E. T. Dumble, Texas State Geologist
Prominent Scientists:
Brief Description:
The Geological Survey of Texas was established to search for ores and minerals of commercial
value, to investigate the geological formations and topography of the region, to look for usable
water for wells and irrigation purposes, to gauge the adaptability of the soil to crops, and to search
for and develop useful, unknown objects. Geological and organic collections were of secondary importance to the economic features of the study, and were donated to public schools in Texas.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 189: Assistant Secretary in charge of the United States National Museum,
Correspondence and Memoranda, 1860-1908
Primary Bibliography:
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Official Name of the Expedition: Geological Survey of Panama
Date of Expedition: 1914- (the end-date of the Expedition was not found)
Where to: Panama
Sponsor: United States Geological Survey/Isthmian Canal Commission (see also the Biological Survey of the Panama Canal Zone)
Scientific Team:
The scientific team was not detailed.
Brief History:
In February of 1912, Ricardo M. Arango, Chief Engineer of the Republic of Panama, wrote the
Isthmian Canal Commission requesting information on the cost and feasibility of a general
survey of the entire Republic of Panama. The Isthmian Canal Commission referred him to the
Smithsonian Institution. Secretary Charles D. Walcott then directed all further correspondence regarding a
general survey of Panama to the United States Geological Survey.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 45: Office of the Secretary, Records, 1903-1924
Search Strategy:
Name of Expedition: Gilmore Alaskan Expedition
Date of Expedition: May 1907
Where to: From Seattle to Alaska
Sponsor: Smithsonian Institution
Head Scientist: Charles Whitney Gilmore, United States National Museum
Prominent Scientists:
Brief Description:
In 1907, Charles Whitney Gilmore received authorization from the Smithsonian Institution to travel to
Alaska to search for Pleistocene fossil vertebrates, continuing the work A. G. Maddren
begun in 1904.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
No records found.
Primary Bibliography:
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Official Name of Expedition: Greely Relief Expedition
Date of Expedition: 1884
Where to: Cape Sabine, Newfoundland
Sponsor: Secretary of the Navy/Secretary of War
Commander: Captain Winfield Scott Schley
Prominent Scientists:
Brief Description:
After two futile efforts in 1882 and 1883 to communicate with members of the Lady Franklin
Bay Expedition in the Polar Seas, and to relieve Lieutenant Adolphus Washington Greely and his command, a new
expedition was organized by special act of Congress early in 1884. The Greely Relief Expedition
reached Greely and his command on June 22 at Cape Sabine and transported them back to the
United States. The scientists of the relief expedition returned with photographs, rocks, minerals,
fossils, numerous birds, and a small collection of fish and marine invertebrates. Greely returned
with several specimens from his stay, but left most of the equipment and collection in Newfoundland.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 189: Assistant Secretary in charge of the United States National Museum,
Correspondence and Memoranda, 1860-1908
Primary Bibliography:
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Official Name of Expedition: Harriman Alaska Expedition
Date of Expedition: The George W. Elder departed Seattle on 31 May and returned 30 July 1899
Harvard Glacier - Photo by Edward S. Curtis (From Harriman Alaska Series, Volume I) |
Where to: From Seattle to Plover Bay, Siberia
Commander: Edward Henry Harriman
Head Scientist: Clinton Hart Merriam, Chief of the Bureau of Biological Survey
Prominent Scientists:
Brief Description:
The Harriman Alaska Expedition of 1899 was co-sponsored by Edward Henry Harriman, President of the Union Pacific Railroad, and the Washington Academy of Sciences. Originally proposed as a hunting expedition, it was transformed into a scientific exploring expedition on the advice of Clinton Hart Merriam, Chief of the Bureau of Biological Survey. Many of the specimens collected were deposited in the United States National Museum, including large collections of birds and mollusks secured by Robert Ridgway and William Healey Dall.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 7272: Frederick Vernon Coville Papers, 1888-1936 and undated
RU 7243: Harriman Alaska Expedition Collection, 1899
At Lowe Inlet, British Columbia - Photo by Edward S. Curtis (From Harriman Alaska Series, Volume II) |
RU 45: Office of the Secretary, Records, 1903-1924
Primary Bibliography:
Chief's House, Deserted Village, Cape Fox - Photo by Edward S. Curtis (From Harriman Alaska Series, Volume I) |
Secondary Bibliography:
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Official Name of Expedition: Harvard-Smithsonian Expedition to the Altai Mountains
Date of Expedition: June - October 1912
Where to: Altai Mountains, Siberia and Mongolia
Sponsors: Harvard University/Smithsonian Institution
Head of Expedition: Theodore Lyman, Jefferson Physical Laboratory, Harvard University
Prominent Scientists:
Brief Description:
Theodore Lyman, Harvard University, wrote Secretary Charles D. Walcott in early 1912, informing him of his proposed trip to the Altai Mountains, and requesting the assistance of a naturalist. Ned Hollister, an Assistant Curator at the Museum, was appointed to accompany him and collect specimens for Harvard and the United States National Museum. The Museum received the mammals collected and the Museum of Comparative Zoology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, received all other specimens. The museums agreed to exchange all specimens that could be spared.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 192: United States National Museum, Permanent Administrative Files, 1877-1975
Search Strategy:
Official Name of Expedition: Not found.
Dates: 1915
Where to: Cuba
Commander: Not found.
Brief Description:
After the Tomas Barrera Expedition to western Cuba, John B. Henderson, a Regent of the Smithsonian Institution, made two trips to Cuba to supplement the work of that expedition. One expedition was to Cardenas Bay. Collections included marine organisms, shells and land mollusks.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
No records found.
Search Strategy:
Official Name of Expedition: Stanford Expedition to Brazil
Date of Expedition: 1911
Where to: Madeira Valley, Brazil
Commander: Not found.
Head Scientist: Dr. Brammer, Geologist, Vice-President of Stanford
Prominent Scientists:
Brief Description:
There is not sufficient information in the resources listed below to describe the expedition.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 7293: William M. Mann and Lucile Quarry Mann Papers, circa 1885-1981
Primary Bibliography:
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Official Name of Expedition: Illustrated American Expedition to South Utah and North New Mexico
Date of Expedition: 1891
Where to: Southern Utah and Northern New Mexico
Sponsors: Smithsonian Institution/Illustrated American Publishing Company
Prominent Scientists:
Brief Description:
In February 1891, the Illustrated American Publishing Company of New York sent an
expedition into Southern Utah and Northern New Mexico. The Expedition was recognized by the
Smithsonian Institution, which secured permission to work on government
property. In return, the Smithsonian was to receive one half of the specimens found. Professor F. W.
Putnam, in charge of the archeological and ethnological specimens for the World's Columbian
Exposition, also agreed to recognize and aid the Expedition, in exchange for receiving collections to be displayed at the Exposition.
(Putnam was the Permanent Secretary of the American Association for the Advancement of
Science.)
According to a letter from N. K. Moorehead, a scientist on the Expedition, neither Professor
Putnam nor the Illustrated American Publishing Company fulfilled their promises of financial
support. Moorehead and another scientist paid the bills of the Expedition, which amounted to
$1,900. Moorehead then brought suit against the publishing company and was awarded custody
of the articles, plates, specimens, and other assets from the Expedition, and attempted to secure
for the Smithsonian the specimens from Putnam. Putnam held that he was never financially
responsible to the Expedition, and the Institution decided not to pursue Putnam for the specimens.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 189: Assistant Secretary in charge of the United States National Museum,
Correspondence and Memoranda, 1860-1908
Search Strategy:
Official Name of Expedition: International Polar Expedition to Point Barrow, Alaska
Date of Expedition: October 1881 - October 1883
Where to: From San Francisco, California, to Point Barrow, Alaska
Sponsor: Signal Service, United States Army
Commander: Patrick Henry Ray, First Lieutenant
Prominent Scientists:
Brief Description:
The International Polar Expedition was sponsored by the Signal Service to establish a permanent
station for meteorological, magnetic, tidal, and pendulum observation. The Expedition also collected
various animal, mineral, and vegetable specimens. The natural history and ethnological
specimens were sent to the United States National Museum.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 7203: John Murdoch Journals, 1881-1883
Primary Bibliography:
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Official Name of Expedition: Koren Arctic Expedition
Alias of Expedition: Koren Expedition to Siberia
Date of Expedition: June 1914 - October 1915
Where to: Kolyma Valley, Siberia
Sponsor/Commander: Johan (John) Koren/Copley Amory, Jr.
Prominent Scientists:
Brief History:
Johan Koren wrote the Institution in February of 1914 discussing his proposed trip to Siberia and
requesting that the Smithsonian subsidize two scientists to accompany him--one to make
collections of fossils, and another to make a complete ethnological collection of the locals visited
by the Expedition. The Institution agreed to subsidize the collection of fossils, in hopes of
attaining a complete skeleton of a mammoth. The Expedition left Seattle for Siberia in June
1914, accompanied by Benno Alexander, a collector who served with Charles Whitney Gilmore on his
Alaskan trip in 1907, and Copley Amory, Jr., Columbia University, whose collections were to
be donated to the United States National Museum. Alexander was subsidized by the Institution with the aid of
a grant from the Telluride Association.
Once the Expedition arrived in Siberia, Amory and Alexander were dissatisfied with the
living and scientific conditions (they arrived very late in the season for collecting, and complained
about the poor outfitting that Koren provided). Amory bought Koren's share of the
Expedition, thus becoming the Manager, and sailed to Nome, Alaska, to collect
further. There is little documentation of the Expedition under Amory, but according to several
letters from Alexander, little of scientific value was acquired due to insufficient
means to pack specimens, and manipulation on the part of Amory and Koren.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 45: Office of the Secretary, Records, 1903-1924
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Official Name of Survey: Medicinal Plants Survey
Unofficial Name of Survey: American Medicinal Flora Survey
Date of Survey: 1897 - 1898
Sponsor: Pan-American Medical Congress, General Commission for the Study of Medicinal Plants
Chairman in Charge of Survey: Valery Havard, Chairman of the Sub-Commission for the United States
Members of the United States' Sub-Comission:
Brief Description:
At the November 1896 Pan American Medical Congress in Mexico City, a systematic study of
American Flora was instituted. In early 1897 Frederick Vernon Coville sent some 1,500
copies of a circular designed to determine the distribution and degree of abundance of specific
medicinal plants to all major botanists in the United States, along with postage for the
transmission of specimens to the Smithsonian Institution. The Institution agreed to subsidize the
postage required for the transportation of specimens in return for possession of them once the
relevant data were collected.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 189: Assistant Secretary in charge of the United States National Museum,
Correspondence and Memoranda, 1860-1908
RU 7272: Frederick Vernon Coville Papers, 1888-1936 and undated
Search Strategy:
Official Name of Expedition: Metropolitan Museum of Art Expedition to Egypt
Date of Expedition: 1909
Where to: Egypt
Sponsor: Metropolitan Museum of Art/Smithsonian Institution
Commander: Not found.
Scientific Team:
Brief Description:
There is not sufficient information in the resources listed below to describe the expedition.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 192: United States National Museum, Permanent Administrative Files, 1877-1975
Search Strategy:
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Official Name of Expedition: National Geographic Society-Yale University Expedition to Peru
Date of Expedition: 1914 - 1915
Where to: Peru
Director: Hiram Bingham
Head Scientist: Elwood C. Erdis, Chief Engineer, Acting Archeological Engineer
Prominent Scientists:
Brief Description:
This is the Expedition that excavated the ruins of Machu Picchu, which were discovered during
an expedition to Peru in 1911 by explorers Tucker and Lanius (Bingham, Machu, p. 1). The
Expedition explored and excavated the ruins, collecting natural history and ethnological
specimens. The insects collected by Harry W. Foote were deposited in the United States National Museum. Much of the other material was kept by Yale University.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 192: United States National Museum, Permanent Administrative Files, 1877-1975
RU 7179: Edmund Heller Papers, circa 1898-1918
Primary Bibliography:
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Official Name of Expedition: Owen Bryant-William Palmer Expedition to Java
Alias of the Expedition: Palmer-Bryant Java Expedition
Date of Expedition: 1909 - 1910
Where to: Java
Sponsor: Owen Bryant/Smithsonian Institution
Head Scientist: Owen Bryant
Prominent Scientists:
Brief Description:
In 1908, Owen Bryant approached the United States National Museum regarding his proposed collecting trip to Java and requesting that they release William Palmer, Curator at the United States National Museum and an expert in mammals, to accompany him on the Expedition. Bryant agreed to pay his and Palmer's
expenses if Palmer's salary was paid by the government. The Smithsonian Institution, in return,
mounted and identified the specimens and received the right to half of the collection.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 192: United States National Museum, Permanent Administrative Files, 1877-1975
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Official Name of Expedition: Philip Expedition to the Middle East
Date of Expedition: 1914
Where to: Egypt and Palestine
Commander: Not found.
Prominent Scientists:
Brief Description:
There is not sufficient information in the resources listed below to describe the expedition.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 7293: William M. Mann and Lucile Quarry Mann Papers, circa 1885-1981
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Official Name of Expedition: Rainey African Expedition
Date of Expedition: Arrived in Mombassa on 22 March 1911; left for New York on 16 March 1912.
Where to: North and East of the Smithsonian-Roosevelt Expedition, the Mombassa Region, the Loiti Plains, Nairobi and vicinity, Fort Hall, Mount Kenia and vicinity, Mount Uaragess and
vicinity and the Kavirando Bay Region of Lake Victoria.
Sponsor: Paul J. Rainey
Head Scientist: Edmund Heller, Naturalist
Brief Description:
Paul J. Rainey, having planned a hunting and collecting trip to Africa, offered specimens obtained during the trip to the Smithsonian. In exchange, the Smithsonian was to help prepare the specimens. Edmund Heller was chosen to accompany the
Expedition, which collected some 4,700 skins of mammals, as well as numerous birds, reptiles
and other animals.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 192: United States National Museum, Permanent Administrative Files, 1877-1975
RU 7179: Edmund Heller Papers, circa 1898-1918
Primary Bibliography:
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Official Name of Expedition: Robert Stein Expedition to Ellesmere Land
Date of Expedition: It is unclear whether this expedition ever took place.
Where to: Ellesmere Land
Commander: Robert Stein
Prominent Scientists:
Brief Description:
In 1894, Robert Stein wrote the Smithsonian Institution, announcing his proposed expedition to
explore Ellesmere Land to rescue Alfred Björling and Evald Kallstenius, two Swedish naturalists
lost in the Arctic. Stein requested a collecting outfit for his Taxidermist, George Pollock, from
the Smithsonian, in return for which the Smithsonian would receive the collection of specimens
to study and retain possession of a set of specimens "equivalent in value to the expense and risk
incurred in furnishing the outfit" (letter from Stein to Secretary Samuel P. Langley, March 13, 1894). The
Institution agreed, additionally securing the first rights to purchasing any items of value returned by the Expedition. It is unclear whether this expedition ever received the funding it
required to take place.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 189: Assistant Secretary in charge of the United States National Museum,
Correspondence and Memoranda, 1860-1908
Primary Bibliography:
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Official Name of Expedition: Roosevelt-Rondon South America Expedition
Date of Expedition: October 1913 - 1914
Where to: Amazon Basin
Commander: Candido Mariano da Silva Rondon/Theodore Roosevelt
Prominent Scientists:
Brief Description:
The scientists were sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
Rondon was one of the most experienced Brazilian explorers of the time. Roosevelt and his son,
Kermit, also accompanied the Expedition. On the last leg of their trip, trying to traverse the
River of Doubt, an uncharted tributary to the Amazon, Roosevelt contracted
malaria, and everyone on the Expedition came very close to death. One
of the native paddlers was killed when a canoe capsized, but everyone else survived the
Expedition. This was Theodore Roosevelt's last field expedition.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 7472: Theodore Roosevelt Collection, Newspaper Clippings, circa 1901-1928, 1933, 1936 and 1958
Secondary Bibliography:
Search Strategy:
The first journal includes a list of the almost 1,800 articles collected during the Expedition, including where and who collected them; an intermittent weather log dated December 1881 through February 1883; and names of the different households at the Cape Smythe village, as remembered after Murdoch's return to Washington.
The second journal, titled "Fishes and Mammals, Orglaami, 1882-1883," catalogs names, measurements over a span of six months, and dates the specimens were collected.
Arthur de Carle Sowerby (From SI Archives RU 7263) |
Official Name of the Expedition: Shensi Relief Expedition
Date of Expedition: 1911 - 1912
Where to: Shensi Province of China
Commander: Arthur de Carle Sowerby
Brief Description:
During the Chinese Revolution of 1911, Arthur de Carle Sowerby lead the Shensi Relief Expedition to evacuate foreign missionaries in the country.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 7263: Arthur de Carle Sowerby Papers, 1904-1954 and undated
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Official Name of Expedition: Smithsonian Alaskan Expedition
Date of Expedition: Summer 1904
Where to: Northern Alaska
Sponsored By: Smithsonian Institution
Head Scientist: A. G. Maddren
Prominent Scientists:
Brief Description:
A. G. Maddren left for Alaska in the summer of 1904 to search for and study the Pleistocene fossils of the area, particularly mammoth remains.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
No records found.
Search Strategy:
Official Name of the Expedition: Smithsonian Glacier Expedition
Date: 1905
Where to: Canadian Rockies and Silkirks
Commander: Professor William H. Shertzer
Scientific Team:
There is insufficient data in the following resources to compile a list of the scientific team.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
No records found.
Search Strategy:
Official Name of Expedition: Smithsonian-Theodore Roosevelt African Expedition
Alias of Expedition: Smithsonian African Expedition; Smithsonian-Roosevelt Expedition; Smithsonian Scientific Expedition
Date of Expedition: March 1909 - March 1910
Theodore Roosevelt and Elephant (From SI Archives RU 7179) |
Where to: From New York to Mombasa, British and German East Africa, Uganda and Khartoum
Sponsor: Theodore Roosevelt/Smithsonian Institution
Commander: Theodore Roosevelt
Head Scientist: Edgar Alexander Mearns, Naturalist
Scientists:
Brief Description:
Immediately following the end of his service as President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt lead the Expedition to Eastern Africa with his son, Kermit, serving as Expedition Photographer. The Smithsonian, through anonymous private donations, funded the three naturalists who worked on the Expedition in return for the receipt of live and preserved specimens. The United States National Museum acquired approximately 1,000 skins of large mammals, 4,000 of small mammals, and other specimens totaling approximately 11,400 items. About 10,000 plant specimens were also obtained, as well as a small collection of ethnological objects.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 45: Office of the Secretary, Records, 1903-1924
Theodore Roosevelt and Members of the Smithsonian-Theodore Roosevelt African Expedition, 1909 (From SI Archives RU 95) |
RU 74: National Zoological Park, Records, 1887-1966
RU 192: United States National Museum, Permanent Administrative Files, 1877-1975
RU 208: National Museum of Natural History, Division of Mammals, Records, circa 1867-1971
RU 7083: Edgar Alexander Mearns Papers, circa 1871-1916, 1934 and undated
RU 7179: Edmund Heller Papers, circa 1898-1918
RU 7472: Theodore Roosevelt Collection, Newspaper Clippings, circa 1901-1928, 1933, 1936 and 1958
Primary Bibliography:
Search Strategy:
Official Name of Expedition: Sowerby-Clark Expedition to the Shansi and Kansu Provinces of Northern China
Alias of the Expedition: Clark Expedition to the Shansi and Kansu Provinces
(Right to Left) Captain H.E.M. Douglas, George A. Grant, Nathaniel H. Cobb, Robert Sterling Clark, Arthur de Carle Sowerby (From SI Archives RU 7263) |
Date of Expedition: 1908
Where to: Shansi and Kansu Provinces of Northern China
Sponsor: Robert Sterling Clark
Head Scientist: Arthur de Carle Sowerby, Naturalist
Brief Description:
There is not a substantial amount of information on the background of this expedition, but the records indicate that Robert Sterling Clark, an American business man, sponsored Sowerby's collecting on the Expedition. Sowerby hoped to be hired by the Smithsonian following this expedition, but as a British citizen he was ineligible. The Smithsonian helped to encourage Clark's continuing support of Sowerby's collecting in China, at least through 1922, where the correspondence contained in RU 192 ends.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 7263: Arthur de Carle Sowerby Papers, 1904-1954 and undated
RU 192: United States National Museum, Permanent Administrative Files, 1877-1975
Primary Bibliography:
Secondary Bibliography:
Search Strategy:
Official Name of Expedition: Stanford University Expedition to the Galapagos Islands
Date of Expedition: 1898 - 1899
Where to: Galapagos Islands
Prominent Scientists:
Snodgrass at Iguana Cove, equipped for field work. (From SI Archives RU 7179) |
Brief Description:
There is not sufficient information in the resources listed below to describe the expedition.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 7179: Edmund Heller Papers, circa 1898-1918
Primary Bibliography:
Search Strategy:
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Official Name of Expedition: Tomas Barrera Expedition to Cuba
Date of Expedition: May - June 1914
Where to: Western Cuba and the Colorados Reefs
Sponsors: Smithsonian Institution/Cuban Government
Prominent Scientists:
Brief Description:
In March 1914, John Henderson consulted Carlos de la Torre regarding a collecting trip for Cuban
marine mollusks. Henderson's previous work had been in the mollusks of
Florida, and he was interested in obtaining sufficient information to do a comparison. Torre took
care of the scientific details, and the Smithsonian Institution provided the collecting outfits. The
cruise set sail from Havana on May 8, 1914.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 7075: Henderson Family Papers, 1868-1923
RU 7089: Paul Bartsch Papers, 1901-1963
Primary Bibliography:
Search Strategy:
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Official Name of Expedition: United States Biological Survey of Canada and Alaska
Date of Expedition: 1900
Where to: Canada and Alaska (more specific information is not included)
Prominent Scientists:
Brief Description:
There is not sufficient information in the resources listed below to describe the expedition.
On the United States Biological Survey of Canada and Alaska (From SI Archives RU 7179) |
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 7179: Edmund Heller Papers, circa 1898-1918
Search Strategy:
Official Name of the Expedition: Not found.
Date: 1901
Where to: Hawaiian Islands
Commander: Not found.
Prominent Scientists:
Brief Description:
There is not sufficient information in the resources listed below to describe the expedition.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
No records found.
Search Strategy:
Official Name of Expedition: United States-Mexican International Boundary Survey
Alias of the Expedition: United States-Mexico Boundary Survey; Mexican Boundary Survey
Date of Expedition: 1891 - 1896
Sponsor: United States State Department
Commander: Lieutenant-Colonel J. W. Barlow, United States Army Corps of Engineers
Head Scientist: Captain Edgar Alexander Mearns, Surgeon and Naturalist
Prominent Scientists:
Cereus Giganteus (Giant Cactus) found on the United States-Mexican International Boundary Survey (From SI Archives RU 7083) |
Brief Description:
The Boundary Survey, when conceived by the State Department, was not planned to be a scientific expedition. Edgar Alexander Mearns, employed by the State Department as the survey's surgeon, wrote the United States National Museum in December of 1891 requesting money to subsidize his collecting activities, promising to donate his specimens to the Smithsonian Institution. Assisted by Frank X. Holzner, a Smithsonian employee, the two collected and returned to the Museum approximately 12,000 birds and mammals, 500 geological specimens, 100 fossils, and 10,000 plants. They also collected a smaller number of fish, mollusks and items of ethnological importance. These collections were classified and described by Smithsonian and government-affiliated scientists.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 189: Assistant Secretary in charge of the United States National Museum, Correspondence and Memoranda, 1860-1908
RU 192: United States National Museum, Permanent Administrative Files, 1877-1975
RU 7272: Frederick Vernon Coville Papers, 1888-1936 and undated
RU 7083: Edgar Alexander Mearns Papers, circa 1871-1916, 1934 and undated
Primary Bibliography:
Search Strategy:
Official Name of Expedition: United States Navy Expedition to Guam
Date of Expedition: 1899
Where to: Guam
Sponsor: Smithsonian Institution (scientific collections)/United States Navy
Commander: George E. Ide
Prominent Scientists:
Brief Description:
There is not sufficient information in the resources listed below to describe the expedition.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 189: Assistant Secretary in charge of the United States National Museum, Correspondence and Memoranda, 1860-1908
Primary Bibliography:
Search Strategy:
Official Name of Expedition: University of Pennsylvania Expedition to Babylonia
Date of Expedition: June 1888 - October 1891
Where to: Constantinople and Nippur (city in modern-day southeast Iraq)
Sponsor: University of Pennsylvania
Head Scientist: John Punnett Peters, Professor of Internal Medicine and Director of the Expedition
Prominent Scientists:
Brief Description:
When Paul Haupt was appointed Honorary Curator of the collection of Oriental Antiquities for the United States National Museum in February of 1888, he suggested to Secretary Samuel P. Langley that an expedition to Mesopotamia would yield a great many Assyrian and Babylonian artifacts. Concurrently, Professor John Punnett Peters was planning an expedition to Babylonia under the auspices of the University of Pennsylvania. Both were then competing for a fir man from the government in Constantinople, which would grant them access to the excavation sites and permission to remove a portion of the artifacts they discovered. Peters and his team of scholars and scientists were ultimately granted permission, and the Smithsonian partially funded the Expedition. Part of the Expedition collection was sent to the United States National Museum.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 192: United States National Museum, Permanent Administrative Files, 1877-1975
Primary Bibliography:
Search Strategy:
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Official Name of Expedition: Winfrid Alden Stearns Expedition to Labrador
Date of Expedition: 1882
Where to: Labrador
Commander/ Head Scientist: Winfrid Alden Stearns, Amherst College
Prominent Scientists:
Brief Description:
There is not sufficient information in the resources listed below to describe the expedition.
Records at the Smithsonian Institution Archives:
RU 189: Assistant Secretary in charge of the United States National Museum,
Correspondence and Memoranda, 1860-1908
Primary Bibliography:
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