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The Pacific Railroad Surveys (1853-1855) explored possible routes for a transcontinental railroad across North America. Substantial collection of natural history material was made during the surveys as well. The results were published in the 12-volume Reports of Explorations and Surveys, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean, published by the United States War Department from 1855 to 1860. The surveys contained significant material on natural history, including many illustrations of reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals. Some of these illustrations were hand-colored.

Congress authorized the Secretary of War, Jefferson Davis to conduct surveys for the railroad. In addition to describing the route, these surveys also reported on the geology, zoology, botany, paleontology of the land as well as provided ethnographic descriptions of the Native peoples encountered during the surveys. Five surveys were conducted.

The Northern Pacific survey followed between the 47th and 49th parallels from St. Paul, Minnesota to the Puget Sound and was led by the newly appointed governor of the Washington Territory, Isaac Stevens. Accompanying Stevens were Captain George B. McClellan and Lt. Rufus Saxton.

The Central Pacific survey followed between the 37th and 39th parallels from St. Louis, Missouri to San Francisco, California. This survey was led by Lt. John W. Gunnison until his death by the Utes in Utah. Lt. Edward G. Beckwith then took command. Also participating in this survey was George Stoneman and Lt. Gouverneur K. Warren.

There were two Southern Pacific surveys. One along the 35th parallel from Oklahoma to Los Angeles, California which was led by Lt. Amiel W. Whipple. The southernmost survey went across Texas to San Diego, California. This survey was led by Lt. John Parke and John Pope .

The fifth survey was along the Pacific coast from San Diego to Seattle, Washington conducted by Lt. Robert S. Williamson and Parke.

• Spencer Fullerton Baird
• United States and Mexican Boundary Survey

• Digitized version of the complete survey reports from the Library of Congress and the University of Michigan

• Ann Shelby Blum (1993). Picturing Nature: American Nineteenth-Century Zoological Illustration. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 403 pages. ISBN 0-691-08578-1.
• Herman J. Viola (1987). Exploring the West. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books. 256 pages. ISBN 0-8109-0889-1.
• Edward S. Wallace (1955). The Great Reconnaissance--Soldiers, Artists and Scientists on the Frontier 1848-1861. Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company. 288 pages.
• Smithsonian Institution--role of Spencer Fullerton Baird in United States and Mexican Boundary Survey and Pacific Railroad Surveys

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Pacific Railroad Surveys

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