Used during the first soil surveys of South Dakota, tools like this were used by the soil scientists who were mapping out South Dakota’s soil types. Written on the compass cover is “S.D. Soil Survey No. 1, 1923”
Joseph G. Hutton was a professor of Agronomy at South Dakota College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts from 1911 until his death in 1939. He became professor of Agronomy in charge of soil investigations, which included conducting the first soil survey of South Dakota. He promoted soil and water stewardship by urging farmers to rotate crops and to incorporate organic material to keep the soil healthy as well as to terrace the land and plant cover crops to reduce soil erosion.
This beautiful compass has a wooden case and brass trim. The compass was made by the well know W & L.E. Gurley Brothers, Troy, New York. From 1821 until 1968 Gurley Brothers made all kinds of surveying, engineering and optical equipment. In 1968, the Teledyne Corporation purchased W. & L.E. Gurley. In 1993, Teledyne sold Gurley and the company is now Gurley Precision Instruments.
The exhibit Drowning in Dirt: Joseph Hutton and the Dust Bowl is opening at the South Dakota Agricultural Heritage Museum on Feb. 27, 2023. Come visit the Museum and learn more about Hutton’s work, the 1930s Dust Bowl and its effects on South Dakota.
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