Beginning in 1837 and continuing through 1860, David Dale Owen conducted field studies that established a framework, little altered in the ensuing years, for the regional geology of the Upper Mississippi Drainage Basin. Appointed Geologist for the State of Indiana in 1837, he expanded his work to other states and territories beginning in 1839, when he was designated principal agent to explore the mineral lands of the United States in northern Illinois and in the Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa Territories. He later carried out studies for Kentucky and Arkansas, and he again served as State Geologist of Indiana when his life ended in 1860. New Harmony was associated with numerous eminent geologists: William MaClure and Gerard Troost preceded Owen there, and among many others who worked with him or learned under his tutelage, Richard Owen and Edward T. Cox remained to contribute notably to the geological knowledge of the area.