{"product_id":"minnesotas-geologist-the-life-of-newton-horace-winchell-paperback","title":"Minnesota's Geologist: The Life of Newton Horace Winchell - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eSue Leaf\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWinner of the 2021 Minnesota Book Award for Minnesota Nonfiction \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e The story of the scientist who first mapped Minnesota's geology, set against the backdrop of early scientific inquiry in the state \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e At twenty, Newton Horace Winchell declared, \"I know nothing about rocks.\" At twenty-five, he decided to make them his life's work. As a young geologist tasked with heading the Minnesota Geological and Natural History Survey, Winchell (1839-1914) charted the prehistory of the region, its era of inland seas, its volcanic activity, and its several ice ages--laying the foundation for the monumental five-volume \u003ci\u003eGeology of Minnesota\u003c\/i\u003e. Tracing Winchell's remarkable path from impoverished fifteen-year-old schoolteacher to a leading light of an emerging scientific field, \u003ci\u003eMinnesota's Geologist\u003c\/i\u003e also recreates the heady early days of scientific inquiry in Minnesota, a time when one man's determination and passion for learning could unlock the secrets of the state's distant past and present landscape.\u003cp\u003eTraveling by horse and cart, by sailboat and birchbark canoe, Winchell and his group surveyed rock outcrops, river valleys, basalt formations on Lake Superior, and the vast Red River Valley. He studied petrology at the Sorbonne in Paris, bringing cutting-edge knowledge to bear on the volcanic rocks of the Arrowhead region. As a founder of the American Geological Society and founding editor of American Geologist, the first journal for professional geologists, Winchell was the driving force behind scientific endeavor in early state history, serving as mentor to many young scientists and presiding over a household--the Winchell House, located on the University of Minnesota's present-day mall--that was a nexus of intellectual ferment. His life story, told here for the first time, draws an intimate picture of this influential scientist, set against a backdrop of Minnesota's geological complexity and splendor.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSue Leaf is author of \u003ci\u003eThe Bullhead Queen: A Year on Pioneer Lake\u003c\/i\u003e; \u003ci\u003eA Love Affair with Birds: The Life of Thomas Sadler Roberts\u003c\/i\u003e; and \u003ci\u003ePortage: A Family, a Canoe, and the Search for the Good Life\u003c\/i\u003e, all published by Minnesota. She also wrote \u003ci\u003ePotato City: Nature, History, and Community in the Age of Sprawl\u003c\/i\u003e. Trained as a zoologist, she writes on environmental topics and is editor of the newsletter of the Wild River Audubon Society of east-central Minnesota.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 272\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.7 x 8.2 x 5.5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e July 21, 2026\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49590086992024,"sku":"9781517922030","price":26.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8830\/4024\/files\/2Vmls4KAPK9781517922030.webp?v=1785348343","url":"https:\/\/thepinkflamingobooks.myshopify.com\/products\/minnesotas-geologist-the-life-of-newton-horace-winchell-paperback","provider":"The Pink Flamingo","version":"1.0","type":"link"}