Strange Genius: The Life of Ferdinand VanDeVeer Hayden

In the 1870s, Ferdinand Hayden was well known throughout America and Europe for his systematic explorations of the American West. One of the last generalists, he collected rocks, fossils and natural history specimens; his geologic maps made with Fielding B. Meek became the basis for all future studies of Western geology. Hayden literally put Yellowstone on the map; he documented the wonders of the region, and he utilized photography in his reports as early as 1868. For all his achievements, he has become the forgotten man in the history of Western exploration. Foster, adjunct professor of history at the University of Colorado, tells an engrossing story of a loner ``who wrought great deeds for his own benefit, who annoyed almost everyone he knew and thrived on controversy.'' He vividly portrays the personal hostilities and professional jealousies in which Hayden was embroiled, arguing that his reputation was eventually destroyed by John Wesley Powell and Clarence King, who also conducted surveys of the West. (Dec.)