Elias Willard Smith

He was born in 1814[1] or 1816[2] (sources differ) in Albany, New York, and died in 1886 in Washington, DC.

[3] As a graduation present from his father, he undertook a trip from St. Louis to the Rocky Mountains and back (1839–1840).

During this trip, he recorded his observations in a journal, which was handed down in his family and later published in various scholarly venues.

[2][1] After returning from the Rocky Mountains expedition and until the Civil War, Smith practiced engineering, having some connection with the water works in Detroit and Chicago.

While living in Detroit, Smith practiced architecture, and notably Dankmar Adler studied with him before 1861.