Realizing the significance of the photo and now knowing the location of the camp, Jim decided to reach out to a cross-section of local surveyors via email and pitched the idea of commemorating Ferdinand Hayden's Great Survey of the West (of Yellowstone area) that originated in Ogden, Utah in 1871. The email read in part, “One of the Great Surveys of the American West originated in Ogden 150 years ago this year. It all started right here, a short walk from my home. The 1871 Hayden survey party left Ogden on June 8, 1871, and completed their famous Yellowstone mapping expedition at Fort Bridger on Oct. 2, 1871. The improved Yellowstone mapping and great public interest sparked from their survey along with several other expeditions a few years earlier contributed immensely to the U.S. Congress declaring Yellowstone a national park in 1872.” The email generated a number of responses from interested parties and an invitation to speak at the 2023 UCLS Annual Conference in St. George. Jim filled the historical slot and spoke about Hayden’s survey and the ties to Ogden. The Hayden Geological Survey of 1871 explored northwestern Wyoming and the surrounding region. This was not Hayden's first survey, but it was the first federally funded geological survey to explore and further document the area that is known today as Yellowstone National Park. Hayden played a prominent role in convincing the U.S. Congress to pass the legislation creating the park. This was a big deal at the time. The western territory was largely unmapped, and along with Hayden, three other explorers — Clarence King, George Wheeler, and John Wesley Powell — were individually tasked with mapping different sections of the western frontier. Above: First Camp of the Hayden Survey, 1871 Below: Hayden in Camp UCLS Foresights 22
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