author
J. D. (John David) Love
1913–2002
Drawn to Wyoming’s rocks, rivers, and mountain basins, this field geologist turned decades of close observation into books and maps that helped readers understand the Tetons and Yellowstone country. His work blends scientific rigor with a strong sense of place.
1 Audiobook
Creation of the Teton Landscape: The Geologic Story of Grand Teton National Park
by J. D. (John David) Love, John C. (John Calvin) Reed
About the author
Born in Wyoming in 1913, John David Love became one of the best-known field geologists of the Rocky Mountains. He studied at the University of Wyoming and earned a Ph.D. in geology from Yale in 1938, then spent much of his career with the U.S. Geological Survey, where he worked from 1942 to 1987.
Love was especially associated with Wyoming, Grand Teton, and Yellowstone. Sources describe him as a specialist in Rocky Mountain geology, and note that he led major mapping work, including two statewide geologic maps of Wyoming as senior author. He also wrote and co-wrote books and reports that made the region’s landscape history accessible to general readers as well as scientists.
Archive records and reference sources show how broad his legacy was: research files, photographs, articles, and maps tied to a lifetime of work in Wyoming remain preserved in his papers. For readers coming to his books today, what stands out is his gift for explaining how immense stretches of time shaped familiar mountains, valleys, and plains.