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Amendment to H.R. 6471, March 3, 1879
Congress created the U.S. Geological Survey with an amendment to an 1879 appropriations bill for federal civil expenses. The amendment authorized a survey to classify public lands and examine the “geological structure, mineral resources and products of the national domain.” The president was to appoint the survey director, subject to the consent of the Senate.
Records of the U.S. House of Representatives, National Archives and Records Administration
Exhibit Theme
The United States Geological Survey
Throughout the nineteenth century, Congress commissioned expeditions to explore and document newly acquired western lands. In 1879 Congress established the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a permanent agency within the Department of the Interior, to provide ongoing documentation of the geology and natural resources in the West and promote the economic development of the region. Today USGS survey publications benefit the scientific community and furnish crucial information to lawmakers tasked with revising public land use policy.