Forrest Shepherd (October 31, 1800 – December 7, 1888) was an American scientist. Shepherd, son of Daniel and Anna (Forrest) Shepherd, was born in Boscawen, N. H., October 31, 1800. He entered

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...

in 1823, but spent the Senior year at

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

. He was admitted to the bachelor's degree at both Colleges in 1827. He remained in

New Haven New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...

as a graduate student for two or three years, and on April 29, 1832, married Sophia W. Storer, of

Rutland Rutland is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Leicestershire to the north and west, Lincolnshire to the north-east, and Northamptonshire to the south-west. Oakham is the largest town and county town. Rutland has a ...

, Vt. In 1841 and 1842 he took a partial course in the

Yale Divinity School Yale Divinity School (YDS) is one of the twelve graduate and professional schools of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Congregationalist theological education was the motivation at the founding of Yale, and the professional school has ...

. His active life was spent in teaching and in the study of the natural sciences, and while his home remained in New Haven he was absent during a large portion of the time on geological and geographical explorations. In 1846 he visited the southern shore of

Lake Superior Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. Lake Michigan–Huron has a larger combined surface area than Superior, but is normally considered tw ...

, where he surveyed and located several of the copper and iron mines which have since become important; and in 1847 he surveyed the mineral lands between Lake Superior and Hudson's Bay. In 1848 he traveled extensively in Great Britain, in 1849 in Cuba and Central America, and in 1850 and 1851 he explored nearly the whole of California. In 1856 and 1857 he explored the island of

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

, and in 1859 and 1860

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

and the islands in the

Bay of Fundy The Bay of Fundy () is a bay between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine. It is an arm of the Gulf of Maine. Its tidal range is the highest in the world. The bay was ...

. In 1865 he visited Northern Mexico and the southwestern part of the union. From 1847 to 1856 he held the Professorship of Economic Geology and Agricultural Chemistry in Western Reserve College, at

Hudson, Ohio Hudson is a city in northern Summit County, Ohio, United States. The population was 23,110 at the 2020 census. It is a suburban community in the Akron metropolitan area. John Brown made his first public vow to destroy slavery here and the ci ...

, delivering an annual course of lectures in fulfillment of the duties of his chair. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, Shepherd wrote to President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

suggesting that

hydrogen chloride The Chemical compound, compound hydrogen chloride has the chemical formula and as such is a hydrogen halide. At room temperature, it is a colorless gas, which forms white fumes of hydrochloric acid upon contact with atmospheric water vapor. Hyd ...

be employed to incapacitate

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

troops or force them to retreat, but his idea was not adopted. His wife died before him, and his later years were spent with his children. He died in

Norwich, Connecticut Norwich ( ) is a city in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The Yantic River, Yantic, Shetucket River, Shetucket, and Quinebaug Rivers flow into the city and form its harbor, from which the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River f ...

, December 7, 1888, in his 89th year, while visiting his eldest daughter, the widow of the Rev. William Hutchison. He left also a daughter, the wife of the Rev. Charles T. Weitzel, and a son. Shepherd is the namesake of Shepherd Mountain in Missouri.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:shepherd, forrest 1800 births 1888 deaths Dartmouth College alumni Yale Divinity School alumni Case Western Reserve University faculty Phillips Exeter Academy alumni Yale College alumni Scientists from New Hampshire People from Boscawen, New Hampshire