Henry Dana Washburn: The Strength to Explore

A 1869 portrait of Henry D. Washburn, from “Diary of the Washburn Expedition to the Yellowstone and Firehole Rivers in the Year 1870,” by Nathaniel Pitt Langford. Public Domain

Henry Dana Washburn (1832–71), born in Windsor, Vermont, grew up in Ohio where his family moved to the same year of his birth. It was in Wayne County, Ohio, that Washburn spent nearly half of his brief life. At the age of 13, he became a tanner’s apprentice. Disliking the profession, he returned to school, and not simply to learn, but to teach. As a school teacher, he met his future wife, Serena Nebeker, at a spelling bee. The two would marry in December of 1854, but not until after Washburn had attended Ohio’s Oberlin College, and then earned a law degree at the relatively new New York State and National Law School in Poughkeepsie.

Washburn opened a law practice in Newport, Indiana, and he and Serena made their home there. Over the next six years, the couple had four children. During this time, Washburn was both a lawyer and an auditor for Vermillion County. When the Civil War began in 1861, he formed a company of volunteers in the city of Terre Haute, about 30 miles south of Newport. Washburn’s leadership qualities were apparent as the company elected him as their captain.

Civil War Service

Washburn was given a lieutenant colonel commission by the governor of Indiana. On Aug. 16, 1861, Lt. Col. Washburn and his Company C, 18th Regiment of Indiana Volunteer Infantry, were mustered into the war. Washburn served honorably and valiantly during his years as a soldier, serving in the Missouri Campaign, during which time he was instrumental in the Union victory at the Battle of Pea Ridge. He also served during the Siege of Vicksburg, and it was here that his health began to deteriorate. The long and harsh conditions during the trench warfare led to his contracting tuberculosis.

Nonetheless, he served throughout the war, including battles during the Shenandoah Campaign under the command of Gen. Philip Sheridan. Before 1864 was over, he was brevetted as a brigadier general. Shortly before he was mustered out of service in August of 1865, he was promoted again to the brevet rank of major general and was recognized for “gallant and meritorious service during the war.”

Politics and Exploration

His war record and his knowledge of the law created a direct path into politics. Interestingly, during 1864, he ran a political campaign as a candidate for the House of Representatives. His first stint as a member of the House of Representatives arrived after he contested the 1864 election victory of his opponent, Daniel W. Voorhees. By the time Voorhees was removed from office due to the discovery of fraudulent voting, he had nearly served the first year of the term, from March 1865 to February 1866. Washburn completed the rest of the term and won reelection in 1866. He served until March 3, 1869. Due to his poor health and the demands of the office, he did not run for reelection in 1868. He did, however, request the position of surveyor-general of the Montana Territory from President Ulysses S. Grant.

About six weeks after leaving office, Washburn was appointed to the position. He held the position until his death in January 1871.

The Washburn Expedition

Despite his illness, he accomplished his greatest task. In August of 1870, Washburn led one of the most important exploring expeditions in American history. The Washburn Expedition was an adventurous scientific and geographic exploration of the Yellowstone region. There were 19 men, of whom Washburn, along with Lt. Gustavus Doane (specifically the military escort), were the leaders. According to George Black, author of the award winning “Empire of Shadows,” Washburn “was a man of fine judgment and impeccable reputation, a diplomat, a skilled manager of tangling egos and flaring tempers.”

Early into the expedition, members of the group ventured to Tower Fall in the northern section of Yellowstone. While the members were away, on Aug. 28, Washburn rode his horse to the top of a mountain in order to seek a southern route to Yellowstone Lake. From there he saw the lake, and when he informed the party of this view, the group, surprised at the undertaking due to the surveyor-general’s health, called the peak Mount Washburn.

The Expedition continued surveying the Yellowstone area during which time they discovered and named numerous geysers, including its most famous, Old Faithful. They also discovered and mapped the Yellowstone River’s Upper and Lower Falls. The expedition resulted in “the first sketches of Yellowstone Park scenery ever to be published.”

Original map of Yellowstone Lake from the Washburn Expedition. Public Domain

Exploring Legacy

In 1869, a three-man group called the Folsom Party, explored the area and developed a rather useful map. But it was the Washburn Expedition that became “the first to widely document their findings.” In fact, of the 19 men, Washburn was only one of four who kept a journal of the expedition. The New York Times praised his work, stating that “rarely do descriptions of nature come to our hands so unaffectedly expressed.”

Sadly, toward the end of the expedition, one of its members, Truman C. Everts, got lost deep in Yellowstone. It was assumed he was dead, though this did not stop the persistent searching for him. Although Everts was miraculously found alive about six weeks later, Washburn caught a cold during the search. He was forced to return home in hopes of recuperating. He did not recover and died four days after returning home to his family.

Relief portrait by Theo Alice Ruggles Kitson at Vicksburg National Military Park. Dsdugan/CC0

The Washburn Expedition, however, had succeeded in its task of garnering attention to the vast region and its beautiful scenery. In 1871, the Hayden Expedition took place, which would ultimately lead to Yellowstone becoming America’s first national park in 1872.

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