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Midwestern Geology And Cornell College: The First 125 Years, Gene E. Hinman, Paul L. Garvin

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

The history of geology at Cornell College can be traced back almost to the college's beginnings. Though not the first to reach geology at Cornell, William Harmon Norton, more than any other person, shaped the Department of Geology and set it on its course of excellence. Born in 1856, the son of a Methodist minister, Norton developed an ardent interest in geology in his boyhood. A graduate of Cornell in Classics, Norton was hired by his alma mater in 1876 to reach Greek, bur his avocation was geology. He spent most of his spare time on weekends and during summers …