A. H. (Almon Harris) Thompson

author

A. H. (Almon Harris) Thompson

1839–1906

A surveyor, explorer, and geographer of the American West, he helped map the Colorado River region and later became a key figure in the early U.S. Geological Survey. His journals and reports capture a vivid moment in the history of western exploration.

1 Audiobook

Report on the lands of the arid region of the United States, with a more detailed account of the lands of Utah

Report on the lands of the arid region of the United States, with a more detailed account of the lands of Utah

by Willis Drummond, Clarence E. (Clarence Edward) Dutton, Grove Karl Gilbert, John Wesley Powell, A. H. (Almon Harris) Thompson

About the author

Born in 1839 in Ohio, Almon Harris Thompson was trained as an educator and surveyor before joining John Wesley Powell's western expeditions. He became one of Powell's closest collaborators, serving as a geographer and topographer during important explorations of the Colorado River and surrounding canyon country.

After those expeditions, Thompson continued his public work as a geographer with the United States Geological Survey. He is also remembered as one of the figures involved in the founding of the National Geographic Society, linking his field experience with the growth of American scientific institutions.

Thompson died in 1906, but his name remains closely tied to the mapping of the American West. For readers interested in exploration writing, his work offers both firsthand adventure and a careful record of landscapes that were still little known to many Americans of his time.