William Henry Pettee papers, 1847-1898, bulk 1865-1878

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Summary

Creators:
Pettee, William Henry, 1838-1904.
Abstract:
This collection contains the papers of American geologist and professor of mining engineering William Henry Pettee (1838-1904) consisting primarily of letters dating from 1865 to 1878. The main subjects are the California State Geological Survey; geologist Josiah Dwight Whitney (1819-1896); Colorado; and Freiberg, Germany.
Extent:
2.62 Linear Feet (4 boxes, 1 roll)
Language:
Material is in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. William Henry Pettee Papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection consists primarily of letters, some of which were written by William Henry Pettee from California (Yuba and Feather River areas and San Francisco, 1870-71), from Colorado (South Park Topographical Expedition, 1869), and from Freiberg while studying at the Royal Academy of Mining (1865-68). The main subjects are the California State Geological Survey; Josiah Dwight Whitney; Colorado; and Freiberg.

A significant portion of the collection consists of correspondence addressed to Josiah Dwight Whitney from various persons (520 letters, including those from William Henry Pettee to Whitney).

Correspondents represented in the collection include: William Henry Brewer, William More Gabb, Wendell Phillips Garrison, Watson Andrews Goodyear, Leo Lesquereux, Josiah Dwight Whitney, and William Dwight Whitney.

The collection also contains some photographs of William Henry Pettee and other members of the Pettee family, members of the California State Geological Survey, and images of Europe during the years Pettee was studying in Freiberg.

The collection falls into four main groupings: Notable individuals represented by 4 or more letters include William Henry Brewer, William More Gabb, Wendell Phillips Garrison, Watson Andrews Goodyear, Leo Lesquereux, Josiah Dwight Whitney, and William Dwight Whitney.

Biographical / historical:

Geologist and professor of mining engineering William Henry Pettee (1838-1904) was born in Massachusetts, the son of Otis Pettee who was a manufacturer of cotton goods, inventor of cotton milling machinery, and president of the Charles River Railroad. William graduated from Harvard with a degree in classical studies in 1861. He spent the next three years studying engineering at Lawrence Scientific School (later part of Harvard University), during which time he also assisted in teaching chemistry. He continued his graduate studies from 1865 to 1868 in Freiberg, Saxony, at the Royal Mining Academy and visited mining areas throughout northern Europe.

On his return to Cambridge in 1869 he became an instructor in the new school of mines which Harvard had requested Josiah D. Whitney to found. During the summer of 1869 Pettee went with Whitney as part of the South Park Topographical Expedition to do field work in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. In 1870-71 Pettee was given leave to become an assistant to Whitney on the California State Geological Survey. Pettee is particularly known for his barometric determination of altitude and his studies of the beds of gold-bearing gravels. His work led to the publication of Whitney's book, Auriferous Gravels of the Sierra Nevada of California and to Contributions to Barometric Hypsometry. Pettee did his field work in the northeastern part of the state (mainly the region of the Yuba and Feather Rivers) in 1870 then went to the Geological Survey office in San Francisco in 1871 for the reduction and arrangement of the summer's observations.

He returned to Cambridge and served as Assistant Professor of Mining from 1871 to 1875. When the University of Michigan established its School of Mines, he was invited to become Professor of Economic Geology and Mining Engineering; he continued at the University of Michigan for the next 29 years. In 1879 he returned to California to complete his observations on the auriferous gravels so they could be included in Whitney's 1880 publication. Pettee did the behind-the-scenes research for many publications and was active in the American Institute of Mining Engineers, American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Philosophical Society and other learned organizations.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Mrs. Robert Bacher and Mr. David Dow, grandchildren of William H. Pettee in August 1981 and November 1981.
Arrangement:

Arranged alphabetically by author, followed by photographs and oversize materials.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. William Henry Pettee Papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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