Increase Allen Lapham (March 1811 - September 15, 1875) was an author, scientist, and naturalist. Born in Palmyra, New York, his family moved to Pennsylvania, back to New York, and to Ohio while his father, Seneca Lapham, worked on the canals in various locations. He displayed a talent for scientific observation early on while working on the canals and their locks himself, producing drawings that he could sell at the age of thirteen.

Increase Lapham examining a meteorite which had recently fallen in Wisconsin in 1868

Increase Lapham.meteor.jpg

In 1836, Increase Lapham moved to the new town of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the area in which he would live the rest of his life. Before the end of the year, he had published a Catalogue of Plants and Shells, Found in the vicinity of Milwaukee, on the West Side of Lake Michigan, perhaps the first scientific work published west of the Great Lakes. He published many more papers and books through his life, particularly on geology, archaeology and history, and flora and fauna of Wisconsin, including publication by the Smithsonian Institution.

Since his death, numerous landmarks throughout the southeastern Wisconsin area have been named after him, including Lapham Peak, the highest point in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin buildings, and streets.

See also: History of Wisconsin, Aztalan State Park

Published works

• Catalogue of Plants and Shells, Found in the vicinity of Milwaukee, on the West Side of Lake Michigan, 1836
• A Geographical and Topographical Description of Wisconsin, 1844
• The Antiquities of Wisconsin, 1855
• Geological Map of Wisconsin, 1855

External links

• Increase Allen Lapham, First Scholar of Wisconsin, from Wisconsin Magazine of History, 1917
• Increase Lapham, from Wisconsin Authors and Their Works by Charles Rounds, 1918
• The Antiquities of Wisconsin, Increase A. Lapham, 1855 - University of Wisconsin Library