In 1890, President Benjamin Harrison established the National Board of Geographical names—a part of the US Geological Survey, which established a uniform set among the hundreds of different geographic names and descriptors used by scientists and federal agencies.
Who did the National Board of Geographical Names look to for guidance on this ambitious project? The Smithsonian’s Department of Ethnology! Learn more about this project, among others taken on by the department, in the 1890-91 annual curator report and help transcribe this piece of Smithsonian history.
In 1890, President Benjamin Harrison established the National Board of Geographical names—a part of the US Geological Survey, which established a uniform set among the hundreds of different geographic names and descriptors used by scientists and federal agencies.
Who did the National Board of Geographical Names look to for guidance on this ambitious project? The Smithsonian’s Department of Ethnology! Learn more about this project, among others taken on by the department, in the 1890-91 annual curator report and help transcribe this piece of Smithsonian history.