Lowell S. Hilpert papers, 1854-1992

Lowell S. Hilpert was a geologist. He was born and raised in Centralia, Washington where he graduated high school in 1928. He attended the University of Washington receiving his Bachelor of Science in geology in 1937 and continued graduate study there and at Stanford until he received a fellowship in 1940 from the University of California, Berkeley. In 1941 Hilpert became a member of the U.S. Geological Survey until retirement 34 years later. During his time with the USGS Hilpert investigated mercury resources in the California quicksilver districts; conducted terrain analysis and investigated the quicksilver, antimony, and fluorspar resources of Japan for the Section of Military Geology from 1945-1947; and studied uranium deposits in Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico. In 1957 Hilpert became the regional geologist in Salt Lake City, Utah for the Geologic Division with responsibility for Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, and Wyoming. He acted as liaison between the USGS and mining and exploration companies, academic institutions, and as a contact point for field geologists. During the mid-1970s Hilpert served as a technical advisor for the Saudi Arabian program of the USGS and to the USAID program on nonferrous minerals in Brazil. After retirement Hilpert was able to pursue his other interests in American West history, where he did extensive research and wrote a book on the great diamond hoax of 1872. Lowell S. Hilpert passed away on May 12, 1992 at the age of 82.