Autobiographical Letter to Lyman C. Draper

...Marion Butler - the Historian of that state.
The years 1827, 1828, and most of 1829 found me engineering on the canal around the Falls of the Ohio at Louisville. Here I fortunately had opportunities to pursue my studies and to make observations on the climate, geology, botany of the country.
It was here in 1827 (aged 16) that I wrote my first scientific essay being a Notice of the Louisville Canal and the Geology of the Vicinity with plans, a map, geological sections &c.' which was published in Silliman's Journal of Science (1st series vol 14) of that year.
In 1830, 31, 32, I was employed on the Ohio canal, chiefly at Portsmouth on the Ohio River. The years 1833, 34, 35 were passed fulfilling the duties of Scretary of the Board of Canal Commissioners at Columbus. This office afforded me more leisure to be devoted to scientific inquiries and pursuits. It was here that my Herbarium (now numbering about 8000 species) was commenced. I was elected an office in the Historical & Pil. Society of Ohio, since transferred to Cincinnati.
It was in some measure through my influence that a resolution was adopted by the Legislature of Ohio appointing a committee to report on the subject of a Geological survey of that state. The committee consisted of Dr. I.P. Hildreth, Dr. John Locke, Dr. J.S. Roldell and myself. But my duties under this appointment were cut short by the determination to make the newly founded city of Milwaukee in the ...