George Gibbs (geologist)
| George Gibbs | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1815 Astoria, Queens |
| Died | 1873 |
| Nationality | American |
| Fields | |
| Institutions | American Ethnological Society |
George Gibbs (1815–1873) was an American geologist and ethnologist who contributed to the study of the languages of indigenous peoples in Washington Territory. Known for his expertise on Native American customs and languages, Gibbs participated in numerous treaty negotiations between the U.S. government and the native tribes.
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Early life [edit]
Gibbs was from a distinguished New York family. After graduating with a law degree from Harvard University, Gibbs worked for American Ethnological Society in New York before moving west in 1849. He hoped to profit from the California Gold Rush, however, he instead settled in Astoria, Oregon where he took up a position as a customs official.
Northern Railroad Survey [edit]
Gibbs was hired by George McClellan, at the age of thirty-eight to work on Northern Railroad Survey. He started studying rocks as a geologist in 1853. As an ethnologist, he also studied languages of the natives for the Pacific Railroad Survey that was under command of Isaac Stevens.[1]
He gathered and preserved lots of specimens for the Smithsonian, which he later, supplied to them. Later on, the specimens became a part of zoological report for Stevens.
He told McClellan about the Indians of Washington Territory in 1854, and provided him with, what he thought, to be an honest information on Native American societies, before the treaty was signed. As soon as he finished with railroad survey, he was hired by Governor Stevens to assist him with the treaties.
The Treaty [edit]
He earned a reputation as the "most apt student of the Indian languages and customs in the Northwest", because his skills with Governor Stevens, helped convince the natives to sign the treaty. Before the treaty was signed, there was a problem which turned into a vigorous debate about how many reservations should be built. Gibbs brought an argument to the "table" that because there is a big variety of the Indians' customs and languages, their need for fishing rights, amongst others, many small reservations should be built.[1]
He also was given a job of sending out a census on the Washington Territorys tribes. That resulted into a report that showed marked population decline, comparing to Hudson's Bay Company information, that was a bit older. The decrease in the population was maybe because of epidemics, which were catastrophic because they wiped out a large portion of the tribal population.
The Northwest Boundary Survey [edit]
In 1857 he joined The Northwest Boundary Survey, at which he served till 1862. Smithsonian Institution of Washington DC have a collection of papers from the particular time perion, belonging to him. The papers include the notes of his research on the growth of forests n the Washington Territory, dated to 1860.[1]
He spent the last decade of his life in Washington, DC, in which he began studies of Indian languages, while working at the Smithsonian Institution.
References [edit]
External links [edit]
- George Gibbs, Indians Tribes of Washington Territory, United States Geographical and Geological Survey of the Rocky Mountain Region, Washington, 1877. (archive.org copy)
- George Gibbs Papers, circa 1850-1853, 1857-1862, Smithsonian Institution Archives.
- George Gibbs biography, "The Treaty Trail: U.S.-Indian Treaty Councils in the Northwest," Washington State History Museum.
- Works by George Gibbs at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about George Gibbs (geologist) in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
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