Increase Lapham

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Increase Allen Lapham (March 1811 - September 15, 1875) was an author, scientist, and naturalist. Born in Palmyra, New York, his family moved to Pennsylvania, back to New York, to Ohio then to Louisville, Kentucky (1827-1830) then back to Ohio while his father, Seneca Lapham, worked on the canals in various locations. He displayed a talent for scientific observation early on while working on the canals and their locks himself, producing drawings that he could sell at the age of thirteen.

In 1836, Increase Lapham moved to Kilbourntown (which soon incorporated in to the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin) and worked closely with Byron Kilbourn in his business and development endeavors. The two had worked together previously on the Miami Canal and Lapham considered him a loyal friend and mentor. Before the end of the year, Lapham had published a Catalogue of Plants and Shells, Found in the vicinity of Milwaukee, on the West Side of Lake Michigan, perhaps the first scientific work published west of the Great Lakes.

Many of his works and early maps were used for various civil projects such as canal and railroad development. In 1844 Lapham published the first substantial book on the geography of the Wisconsin Territory. He published many more papers and books through his life, particularly on geology, archaeology and history, and flora and fauna of Wisconsin, including publication by the Smithsonian Institution.

Increase Lapham is considered to be "Wisconsin's first great scientist." He was buried at Forest Home Cemetery in Milwaukee. Since his death, numerous landmarks throughout the southeastern Wisconsin area have been named after him, including Lapham Peak, the highest point in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee buildings, and streets.

Contents 1 Published works 2 See also 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Published works

• Catalogue of Plants and Shells, Found in the vicinity of Milwaukee, on the West Side of Lake Michigan, 1836
• A Geographical and Topographical Description of Wisconsin, 1844
• The Antiquities of Wisconsin, 1855
• Geological Map of Wisconsin, 1855

[edit] See also

• History of Wisconsin, Aztalan State Park

[edit] References

• The Journals of Increase Allen Lapham for 1827-1830, Samuel W. Thomas and Eugene H. Conner, George Rogers Clark Press
• Byron Kilbourn and the Development of Milwaukee, Goodwin Berquist & Paul C. Bowers, Jr., The Milwaukee County Historical Society

[edit] External links

• Portraits of Scientists: Increase Lapham's Cartes-de-visite Collection Collected by pioneering Wisconsin antiquarian Increase Allen Lapham between 1862-75, this album of carte-de-visite photographic portraits depicts many notable 19th-century scientists from America and Europe. Available on Wisconsin Historical Images, the Wisconsin Historical Society's online image database.

• Increase Allen Lapham, First Scholar of Wisconsin, from Wisconsin Magazine of History, 1917

• Increase Lapham, from Wisconsin Authors and Their Works by Charles Rounds, 1918

• The Antiquities of Wisconsin, Increase A. Lapham, 1855 - University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries

• A Geographical and Topographical Description of Wisconsin... (Milwaukee: P.C. Hale, 1844) online from the Wisconsin Historical Society

• Report on the Disastrous Effects of the Destruction of Forest Trees ... (Madison, Wis.: Atwood & Rublee, 1867) online from the Wisconsin Historical Society

• Selected letters on Indian Mounds, 1846-1852 Unpublished manuscripts online from the Wisconsin Historical Society