Book excerpt: Ride the trails and rails across the Wild West with Ferdinand Hayden through this first-ever detailed recounting of the first government-sponsored geological survey of the Wyoming and adjacent territories in 1868. The discovery of new archival material has helped bring the day-to-day adventures of this unique survey to life. Events of the survey are intertwined with one of the most noteworthy events in U.S. history—the building of the transcontinental railroad. Activities of the railroad led Hayden to have serendipitous and influential encounters with famous Civil War generals, railroad executives, politicians, photographers, prominent geologists, and thieves. The results of Hayden's survey provided the earliest descriptive stratigraphic-structural profile across the Rocky Mountains and the initial discovery of dinosaur tracks in western North America. Featuring more than 50 vintage photographs, this volume will appeal to a general audience as well as those interested in the history of geology.