Lapham examines a meteorite, 1869 (WHi-1944)

pioneer naturalist, author, b. Palmyra, N.Y. He attended common schools in New York and Mann Butler School, Louisville, Ky. Although untrained academically, he became interested in science and engineering at an early age, and published his first article in the American Journal of Science in 1828. In 1836 he came to Milwaukee to become chief engineer and secretary of Byron Kilbourn's (q.v.) Rock River Canal Company. Called the first Wisconsin scholar and ecologist, his interests ranged widely in such fields as botany, geology, meteorology, archaeology, cartography, conchology, zoology, horticulture, and history. One of the first authors and map makers in Wisconsin, he was the author of the first scientific imprint, Catalogue of Plants and Shells Found in the Vicinity of Milwaukee (1836), and the first book published in Wisconsin, Geographical and Topographical Description of Wisconsin (1844). He also drew the first map published in the area (1845). Among approximately 80 titles in his bibliography, two of the most important were Antiquities of Wisconsin (1855), which focused attention on the state's Indian mounds, and Report of the Disastrous Effects of the Destruction of Forest Trees (1867), a pioneering work in the field of conservation. He was instrumental in establishing the Milwaukee public high school program, was one of the founders of Milwaukee Female Seminary (1848), and was president of The State Historical Society (1862-1871). Long an advocate of a federal weather service, he was instrumental in seeing the program established (1870) and served briefly as assistant on weather to the chief signal officer of the army. He was chief geologist for Wisconsin (1873-1875). Lapham was a founder and member of many early educational, civic, and scientific organizations, and corresponded regularly with leading scientists throughout the world. His natural-history collection, including fossils, minerals, shells, meteorites, Indian relics, and a large herbarium, was acquired by the legislature in 1876 for the Univ. of Wisconsin. Dict. Amer. Biog.; Wis. Mag. Hist., 1, 5, 29; Coils. State Hist. Soc. Wis. 7 (1876); WPA MS; L A. Lapham MS.

The Wisconsin Historical Society has manuscripts related to this topic. See the catalog description of the Increase Allen Lapham Papers for details.

View a related article at Wisconsin Magazine of History Archives.

View Lapham's commentary on the land surveys at Wisconsin Historical Collections.

View newspaper clippings at Wisconsin Local History and Biography Articles.

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[Source: Dictionary of Wisconsin biography]