Field Notebook Collection

Since its inception in 1890, the Washington Geological Survey (WGS) has collected geologic information in paper format, some of which is readily available through the  Washington Geology Library . This information includes theses, field notebooks, maps, out-of-print publications, and never-published materials. However, parts of the collection are perishable, meaning only one physical document exists that records that information. It is important for WGS to preserve these items before they are lost.

WGS’ collection of field notebooks, dating back to 1899, serves as a valuable resource to our geologic mapping team and also supports historical research. Until now, these notebooks were only accessible with a physical visit to the Washington Geology Library, and they had not been catalogued. Thanks to a 2017 grant from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Data Preservation Program, WGS dedicated staff time to scan and upload images of the deteriorating collection to our public website. The notebooks are now more publicly accessible and can be used for myriad mapping and research projects.

An additional grant awarded in 2020 allowed WGS to continue work on the field notebook project. Many of the notebooks were geolocated and organized based on a variety of factors such as: location, legibility, topic of interest, and details given within the entry. Over 3,000 data points were created so far, and hopefully thousands more will be possible future funding.

We produced an  online catalog  that provides links to scanned PDFs of the notebooks. The catalog provides the notebook identification numbers, author(s), titles, dates, and links to the PDF files. Many of the notebooks were organized by county, so searching the catalog for a specific county will help when looking for a specific area. Click on the “ Link ” text to open the file in a new browser window.

In order to make use of many of the field notebooks, the reader must understand the locational system many of the older books use, known as the Culver System. This system was replaced with the Modified Culver System in the 1980s. More recent field notebooks use GPS and other station locations, making them easier to locate.

For an in-depth examination of the Culver System see Appendix A below the “Field Notebook Locations” map.

The map below shows the locations of all the field notebooks. Click on each point to see information about each book. To view each PDF, click on the link in the attribute table "Field Notebook Link". To download the entire dataset, click  here .