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Stephen Harriman Long | |
|---|---|
 Representation of 1819 oil painting of Major Long. Portrait painted by Charles Willson Peale | |
| Born | December 30, 1784 Hopkinton, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Died | September 4, 1864 (aged 79) Alton, Illinois, U.S. |
| Education | Dartmouth College |
| Occupation | Engineer |
| Spouse | Martha Hodgkins |
| Parent(s) | Moses and Lucy (Harriman) Long |
| Engineering career | |
| Discipline | Civil Engineer, Topographical engineer, explorer, inventor. |
| Institutions | US Army Corps of Engineers (1819-38), United States Army Corps of Topographical Engineers (1838-63). |
| Employer(s) | Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Western & Atlantic Railroad. |
| Projects | Led five expeditions (1817-1823) through the Upper Mississippi Valley and the borderlands with Canada. |
Stephen Harriman Long (December 30, 1784 – September 4, 1864) was an American army civil engineer, explorer, and inventor. As an inventor, he is noted for his developments in the design of steam locomotives. He was also one of the most prolific explorers of the early 1800s, although his career as an explorer was relatively short-lived.[1][2] He covered over 26,000 miles in five expeditions, including a scientific expedition in the Great Plains area, which he famously confirmed as a "Great Desert" (leading to the term "the Great American Desert").
- ^ The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. Oxford University Press. 2001.
- ^ "Long, Stephen H., Explorations of". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 23 January 2018. Article credited to: Gale, Dictionary of American History, 2003.