Pushing back the history of land mammals in western North America

Abstract

Permit me to express on behalf of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology the pleasure that our organization takes in the opportunity to meet this year in Canada as one of the several societies affiliated with The Geological Society of America. Within the time allotted to me I should like to outline briefly the advances made in recent years in a study of the vertebrate paleontology of the West, pointing out its bearing on historical geology and wherein the acquisition of new knowledge has come as a result of penetration of the older Tertiary rocks of this region. We are indebted primarily to the late John C. Merriam for the foundations of our knowledge concerning the Tertiary stratigraphy and vertebrate paleontology of the Pacific Coast and Great Basin paleontological provinces of western North America, for it was he and his graduate students at the University of California during the period from about 1900 to 1918 who were responsible for many of the contributions to those fields of research. This activity on the part of the men associated with him continued with his aid after Doctor Merriam became president of the Carnegie Institution of Washington.