United States Geological Survey 21st Annual Report Part VII [Texas]

Turn of the century report written by ‘The Father of Texas Geology’ highlighting the availability of water.

This impressive volume of over 650 pages encompasses a vast report titled ‘Geography and Geology of the Black and Grand Prairies, Texas.’ It was authored by Robert T. Hill of the United States Geological Survey and published by the Government Printing Office in 1900 as part of the Annual Reports of the Department of the Interior.

Hill (1858 – 1941) was a pioneer in Texas geology, having lived in various parts of the state since he was sixteen years old; driving cattle across the plains, collecting fossils, and exploring the frontier. He studied geology at Cornell while working at the National Museum of the Smithsonian Institution before heading back to the Lonestar State to serve as the first chair of the geology department at the University of Texas in 1888. Higher education did not suit Hill’s rambling spirit, and he returned to the field as a member of the U.S.G.S. Artesian and Underflow Investigation.

It was in that capacity that he authored this report, outlining the geography of a large area in central Texas between approximately the Red River and San Antonio. Dozens of illustrations, photographic plates, tables of statistics, and folding maps provide a comprehensive analysis of regional geologic features, characteristics of different strata, descriptions of fossils, and much more. Of particular interest is the emphasis on the statewide artesian well system, attention to which would help create the foundation for future agricultural and industrial expansion.

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