Charles Doolittle Walcott

Charles Doolittle Walcott (March 31, 1850 - February 9, 1927) was an eminent American invertebrate paleontologist. He has become well-known for his discovery in 1909 of well-preserved fossils in the Burgess shale formation of British Columbia, Canada.

Leadership of the Smithsonian Institution

Walcott became Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in 1907 after the death of Samuel Pierpont Langley, holding the latter post until his own death. He was suceeded by Charles Greeley Abbot. Because of his responsibilities at the Smithsonian, he resigned as director of the United States Geological Survey.

Related Topics:
Smithsonian Institution - Samuel Pierpont Langley - Charles Greeley Abbot

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In 1910, the year after his discovery of Cambrian fossils in the Burgess shale, Walcott returned to the area accompanied by his sons Stuart and Sidney. Together they examined all the layers on the ridge above the point where the fossil laden rock had been found, eventually finding the fossiliferous band. Between 1910 and 1924, Walcott returned repeatedly to collect more than 65,000 specimens from what is now known as the Walcott quarry, named after him.

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Walcott's wife Helena died in a train crash in Connecticut in 1911. In 1914 Walcott married his third wife, Mary Morris Vaux, an amateur artist and avid naturalist. She was happy to accompany him on his expeditions, as she loved studying nature. She made beautiful watercolor illustrations of wildflowers as she traveled with him in Canada.

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Although Walcott spent a considerable amount of time at the Burgess Shale quarry on what became known as Fossil Ridge, he also travelled widely in other areas of the Canadian Rockies. Some of his numerous scientific publications feature spectacular panoramic photographs of the mountains taken from high passes or high on mountain slopes.

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