Episode 2 of 2
Discontinuation of Previous Surveys
- When
- June 30, 1879
- Where
- National Domain
The Organic Act discontinued existing surveys led by Hayden, Powell, and Wheeler on June 30, 1879, consolidating them into the new agency.
The legislation charged the new agency with the classification of public lands and examination of geological structure, mineral resources, and products of the national domain. This action ended the independent operations of the previous survey teams, transferring their responsibilities to the newly established USGS.
Sources
- United States Geological Survey Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-27
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.