Fisk Holbrook Day
Encyclopedia
Fisk Holbrook Day was a physician and an amateur geologist
in Wisconsin who developed an impressive collection of Silurian
-age fossils. The collection is now at Harvard University
.
Day was born on March 11, 1826 in Richmond, New York
. He graduated from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
in 1849. He moved to Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
and lived there for 40 years, "and at one time was considered its most prominent citizen." He became the first physician to serve as Superintendent of the Milwaukee County hospital and led in many reforms for the hospital and for a system of county insane asylums throughout Wisconsin.
He once could sell a trilobite for "the then-extravagant sum of $100". The fossil trilobite
was named Bumastus dayi in honor of Day.
One of the primary places he collected was at the Schoonmaker Quarry, which professional geologist/paleontologist James Hall
had recognized in 1862 as the first known fossil reef in North America. "Day supplied specimens and information to other professional geologists, including Fielding Bradford Meek
(Smithsonian Institution), Charles Doolittle Walcott
(future Director of the U.S. Geological Survey and Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
), E.O. Ulrich (later of the U.S. Geological Survey), Samuel Colvin (University of Iowa
), Edward Drinker Cope
(world renown vertebrate peleontologist from Philadelphia), A. W. Vogdes (San Diego Natural History Society), Nathan Shaler (Harvard University) and Thomas C. Chamberlin (at various times State Geologist of Wisconsin, President of the University of Wisconsin, and Founder and Head of the Geology Department at the University of Chicago
). In addition to his interactions with professional scientists, Day corresponded and exchanged specimens with amateur naturalists around the country."
The Dr. Fisk Holbrook Day House
was declared a National Historic Landmark
in 1997.
Day collaborated with Thomas Greene
whose former home, the Thomas A. Green Memorial Museum and Collection is now a museum and is also designated an NHL. Day died in Lansing, Michigan
on May 30, 1903.
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
in Wisconsin who developed an impressive collection of Silurian
Silurian
The Silurian is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Ordovician Period, about 443.7 ± 1.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Devonian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya . As with other geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period's start and end are well identified, but the...
-age fossils. The collection is now at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
Day was born on March 11, 1826 in Richmond, New York
Richmond, New York
Richmond is a town in Ontario County, New York, United States. The population was 3,452 at the 2000 census. The town is on the western border of the county, south of Rochester.- History :...
. He graduated from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
in 1849. He moved to Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
Wauwatosa is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States, and was incorporated on May 27, 1897. As of the 2006 census estimate, the city's population was 44,798. Wauwatosa is located immediately west of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is a part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area...
and lived there for 40 years, "and at one time was considered its most prominent citizen." He became the first physician to serve as Superintendent of the Milwaukee County hospital and led in many reforms for the hospital and for a system of county insane asylums throughout Wisconsin.
He once could sell a trilobite for "the then-extravagant sum of $100". The fossil trilobite
Trilobite
Trilobites are a well-known fossil group of extinct marine arthropods that form the class Trilobita. The first appearance of trilobites in the fossil record defines the base of the Atdabanian stage of the Early Cambrian period , and they flourished throughout the lower Paleozoic era before...
was named Bumastus dayi in honor of Day.
One of the primary places he collected was at the Schoonmaker Quarry, which professional geologist/paleontologist James Hall
James Hall
-Actors, Entertainment, Broadcasting:* James Hall , American actor* Jamie Hall , Canadian TV producer-Authors:* James Hall , American academic* James Baker Hall , American author...
had recognized in 1862 as the first known fossil reef in North America. "Day supplied specimens and information to other professional geologists, including Fielding Bradford Meek
Fielding Bradford Meek
Fielding Bradford Meek was an American geologist and paleontologist.The son of a lawyer, he was born in Madison, Indiana. In early life he was in business as a merchant, but his leisure hours were devoted to collecting fossils and studying the rocks of the neighborhood of Madison...
(Smithsonian Institution), Charles Doolittle Walcott
Charles Doolittle Walcott
Charles Doolittle Walcott was an American invertebrate paleontologist. He became known for his discovery in 1909 of well-preserved fossils in the Burgess Shale of British Columbia, Canada.-Early life:...
(future Director of the U.S. Geological Survey and Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
), E.O. Ulrich (later of the U.S. Geological Survey), Samuel Colvin (University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
), Edward Drinker Cope
Edward Drinker Cope
Edward Drinker Cope was an American paleontologist and comparative anatomist, as well as a noted herpetologist and ichthyologist. Born to a wealthy Quaker family, Cope distinguished himself as a child prodigy interested in science; he published his first scientific paper at the age of nineteen...
(world renown vertebrate peleontologist from Philadelphia), A. W. Vogdes (San Diego Natural History Society), Nathan Shaler (Harvard University) and Thomas C. Chamberlin (at various times State Geologist of Wisconsin, President of the University of Wisconsin, and Founder and Head of the Geology Department at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
). In addition to his interactions with professional scientists, Day corresponded and exchanged specimens with amateur naturalists around the country."
The Dr. Fisk Holbrook Day House
Dr. Fisk Holbrook Day House
Dr. Fisk Holbrook Day House, also known as Sunnyhill Home,is an interesting house on its own, that is further significant for its association with geologist Fisk Holbrook Day.It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1997....
was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1997.
Day collaborated with Thomas Greene
Thomas A. Greene
For the Louisiana former state senator, see Tom Greene .Thomas A. Greene was an amateur geologist in Wisconsin. He was born in Rhode Island in 1827, and became successful in the retail drug industry in Milwaukee. He collected minerals and Devonian and Silurian fossils. He died in 1894 and his...
whose former home, the Thomas A. Green Memorial Museum and Collection is now a museum and is also designated an NHL. Day died in Lansing, Michigan
Lansing, Michigan
Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County. The 2010 Census places the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan...
on May 30, 1903.