Cyrus Thomas
Encyclopedia
Cyrus Thomas was a U.S.
ethnologist
and entomologist
prominent in the late 19th century and noted for his studies of the natural history
of the American West.
Thomas was born in Kingsport, Tennessee
. He studied law
and was a lawyer
early on in his career up until 1865, serving as county clerk of Jackson County, Illinois
in the early 1850s. In 1865 he entered the ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Four years later in 1869 he joined the expedition of Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden
, who had organized a scientific
corps for the exploration of the Rocky Mountains
. He was the agricultural statistician and entomologist on the Hayden Geological Survey of 1871
, whose work supported the creation of Yellowstone National Park
in 1872.
In 1873 Thomas was appointed a professor of natural science
at Southern Illinois University
, which gave him a public forum for his ideas. He was later named to the United States Entomological Commission
to serve alongside Charles Valentine Riley
and Alpheus Spring Packard
before accepting the position of chief entomologist in 1879 for the State of Illinois.
of Native Americans
. In the 1890s he played a crucial role in debunking the previously common theory that the Mound Builders were a separate lost race, rather than ancestors of more recent American Indians. Though he debunked the theory of the "lost race", he also concluded that the mounds were built after Europeans made contact with the Native Americans. This theory has long-since been thoroughly disproved following the advent of scientific dating techniques which have established the rise of complex indigenous civilizations that built major earthworks more than a thousand years before European contact. He also made early studies of Mayan hieroglyphics.
Thomas also wrote on climatology
, a new field in the 19th century. He was a leading proponent of the now-debunked theory known as "Rain follows the plow
", which stated that increased population and cultivation of the Great Plains
would render the land lush and fertile. This theory was used to promote expansion into the American West, in order to assuage would-be settlers that the "current" lack of precipitation would not hinder their ability to engage in agriculture.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
ethnologist
Ethnology
Ethnology is the branch of anthropology that compares and analyzes the origins, distribution, technology, religion, language, and social structure of the ethnic, racial, and/or national divisions of humanity.-Scientific discipline:Compared to ethnography, the study of single groups through direct...
and entomologist
Entomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
prominent in the late 19th century and noted for his studies of the natural history
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
of the American West.
Biography
Kingsport, Tennessee
Kingsport is a city located mainly in Sullivan County with some western portions in Hawkins County in the US state of Tennessee. The majority of the city lies in Sullivan County...
. He studied law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
and was a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
early on in his career up until 1865, serving as county clerk of Jackson County, Illinois
Jackson County, Illinois
Jackson County, incorporated January 10, 1816, is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 60,218, which is an increase of 1.0% from 59,612 in 2000...
in the early 1850s. In 1865 he entered the ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Four years later in 1869 he joined the expedition of Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden
Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden
Dr. Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden was an American geologist noted for his pioneering surveying expeditions of the Rocky Mountains in the late 19th century. He was also a physician who served with the Union Army during the Civil War.-Early life:Ferdinand Hayden was born in Westfield, Massachusetts...
, who had organized a scientific
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
corps for the exploration of the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
. He was the agricultural statistician and entomologist on the Hayden Geological Survey of 1871
Hayden Geological Survey of 1871
The Hayden Geological Survey of 1871 explored the region of northwestern Wyoming that later became Yellowstone National Park in 1872. It was led by geologist Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden...
, whose work supported the creation of Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...
in 1872.
In 1873 Thomas was appointed a professor of natural science
Natural science
The natural sciences are branches of science that seek to elucidate the rules that govern the natural world by using empirical and scientific methods...
at Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University is a state university system based in Carbondale, Illinois, in the Southern Illinois region of the state, with multiple campuses...
, which gave him a public forum for his ideas. He was later named to the United States Entomological Commission
United States Entomological Commission
The United States Entomological Commission was established by an Act of Congress in 1877 as a department under the United States Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories headed by Dr. Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden. The commission was created to find a solution for the Rocky Mountain...
to serve alongside Charles Valentine Riley
Charles Valentine Riley
Charles Valentine Riley was a British-born American entomologist and artist.-Early Life:The son of a Church of England minister, Charles Valentine Riley was born on 19 September, 1843 in London’s Chelsea district. When he was around eleven his parents, the Rev. Charles and Mary Riley, chose to...
and Alpheus Spring Packard
Alpheus Spring Packard
Alpheus Spring Packard, LL.D. was an American entomologist and palaeontologist. He was the son of Alpheus Spring Packard, Sr. and the brother of William Alfred Packard. He was born in Brunswick, Maine and was Professor of Zoology and Geology at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island from...
before accepting the position of chief entomologist in 1879 for the State of Illinois.
Works
Thomas was a leading early student of archaeologyArchaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
of Native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
. In the 1890s he played a crucial role in debunking the previously common theory that the Mound Builders were a separate lost race, rather than ancestors of more recent American Indians. Though he debunked the theory of the "lost race", he also concluded that the mounds were built after Europeans made contact with the Native Americans. This theory has long-since been thoroughly disproved following the advent of scientific dating techniques which have established the rise of complex indigenous civilizations that built major earthworks more than a thousand years before European contact. He also made early studies of Mayan hieroglyphics.
Thomas also wrote on climatology
Climatology
Climatology is the study of climate, scientifically defined as weather conditions averaged over a period of time, and is a branch of the atmospheric sciences...
, a new field in the 19th century. He was a leading proponent of the now-debunked theory known as "Rain follows the plow
Rain follows the plow
Rain follows the plow is the conventional name for a now-discredited theory of climatology that was popular throughout the American West and Australia during the late 19th century. The phrase was employed as a summation of the theory by Charles Dana Wilber:God speed the plow......
", which stated that increased population and cultivation of the Great Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
would render the land lush and fertile. This theory was used to promote expansion into the American West, in order to assuage would-be settlers that the "current" lack of precipitation would not hinder their ability to engage in agriculture.