The spelling of “gage” is part of our very rich USGS history. We have used that spelling for over a hundred years.
In 1888, USGS Director John Wesley Powell met a very forward-thinking graduate student named Frederick Haynes Newell. Powell was so impressed that he made Newell the first full-time appointee to the new Irrigation Survey, which was created to investigate the potential for dams and canals in the western United States.
At that time, there were no practical and systematic techniques for obtaining daily streamflow (or discharge) records, so Newell set up a training camp on the Rio Grande River at Embudo, New Mexico. Newell’s Camp of Instruction developed water measurement methods that are widely used by the USGS today. During the next ten years, Newell continued to play an important role in the development of streamflow gaging techniques and methods, and he eventually became the first Chief Hydrographer of the USGS.
Newell is purported to be the person responsible for the adoption of the USGS spelling of “gage” instead of “gauge”. Around 1892, Newell reasoned that “gage” was the proper Saxon spelling before the Norman influence added a 'u'. USGS historian Robert Follansbee speculated that Newell might have also been influenced by the adoption of “gage” in the Standard Dictionary (the first dictionary produced by Funk and Wagnalls).
See pages 28 and 50 of A History of the Water Resources Branch, U.S. Geological Survey: Volume I, From Predecessor Surveys to June 30, 1919.
Related Content
Is there a way to get alerts about streamflow conditions?
Yes! The U.S. Geological Survey WaterAlert service provides notifications to your email or phone for changes in water conditions based on thresholds you choose.
Where can I get real-time and historical streamflow information?
The best starting point for USGS streamflow data is the interactive National Water Information System (NWIS): Mapper website. Zoom in to your area of interest or use the search options in the left navigation window. The map displays active surface-water sites by default, but you can change the type of water site (surface-water, groundwater, springs, atmospheric) and select to show inactive sites...
Why might USGS streamflow data be revised?
Real-time USGS streamflow data are PROVISIONAL, meaning that the data have not been reviewed or edited. These data might be subject to significant change and are not official until reviewed and approved by the USGS. Real-time streamflow data can be affected by: backwater from ice or debris such as log jams algae and aquatic growth in the stream sediment movement malfunction of recording equipment...
How do we benefit from USGS streamgages?
Information on the flow of rivers is a vital national asset that safeguards lives, protects property, and ensures adequate water supplies for the future. The USGS is the federal agency responsible for operating a network of about 7,000 streamgages nationwide. Data from this network are used by water managers, emergency responders, utilities, environmental agencies, universities, consulting firms...
How can I obtain river forecasts (flood forecasts)?
River forecasts (flood forecasts) are made by the National Weather Service River Forecast Centers and released through local Weather Service Offices. This NOAA website has a map showing the location of the forecast centers, their areas of responsibility, and by clicking into a region the location of the gages they use. The also provide a section for long-range river flood risk. The vast majority...
How are floods predicted?
Flood predictions require several types of data: The amount of rainfall occurring on a real-time basis. The rate of change in river stage on a real-time basis, which can help indicate the severity and immediacy of the threat. Knowledge about the type of storm producing the moisture, such as duration, intensity and areal extent, which can be valuable for determining possible severity of the...
How can I find USGS historical photographs?
The USGS Photographic Library, located at our library in Denver, Colorado, is an archive of still photographs dating from the 1870s and taken by USGS scientists as part of their field studies. The works of pioneer photographers W.H. Jackson, T.H. O’Sullivan, Carleton Watkins, J.K. Hillers, Thomas Moran, A.J. Russell, E.O. Beaman, and William Bell are represented in the collection. Topics include...
The USGS at Embudo, New Mexico: 125 years of systematic streamgaging in the United States
How does a U.S. Geological Survey streamgage work?
Discharge measurements at gaging stations
From the River to You: USGS Real-Time Streamflow Information...from the National Streamflow Information Program
A history of the Water Resources Branch, U.S. Geological Survey; Volume I, from predecessor surveys to June 30, 1919
The United States Geological Survey: 1879-1989
Two-hundred years of hydrogeology in the United States
Embudo, New Mexico, birthplace of systematic stream gaging
A history of the Water Resources Branch of the United States Geological Survey: vol. II, years of increasing cooperation, July 1, 1919 to June 30, 1928
Report of progress of the division of hydrography for the calendar years 1893 and 1894
Related Content
- FAQ
Is there a way to get alerts about streamflow conditions?
Yes! The U.S. Geological Survey WaterAlert service provides notifications to your email or phone for changes in water conditions based on thresholds you choose.
Where can I get real-time and historical streamflow information?
The best starting point for USGS streamflow data is the interactive National Water Information System (NWIS): Mapper website. Zoom in to your area of interest or use the search options in the left navigation window. The map displays active surface-water sites by default, but you can change the type of water site (surface-water, groundwater, springs, atmospheric) and select to show inactive sites...
Why might USGS streamflow data be revised?
Real-time USGS streamflow data are PROVISIONAL, meaning that the data have not been reviewed or edited. These data might be subject to significant change and are not official until reviewed and approved by the USGS. Real-time streamflow data can be affected by: backwater from ice or debris such as log jams algae and aquatic growth in the stream sediment movement malfunction of recording equipment...
How do we benefit from USGS streamgages?
Information on the flow of rivers is a vital national asset that safeguards lives, protects property, and ensures adequate water supplies for the future. The USGS is the federal agency responsible for operating a network of about 7,000 streamgages nationwide. Data from this network are used by water managers, emergency responders, utilities, environmental agencies, universities, consulting firms...
How can I obtain river forecasts (flood forecasts)?
River forecasts (flood forecasts) are made by the National Weather Service River Forecast Centers and released through local Weather Service Offices. This NOAA website has a map showing the location of the forecast centers, their areas of responsibility, and by clicking into a region the location of the gages they use. The also provide a section for long-range river flood risk. The vast majority...
How are floods predicted?
Flood predictions require several types of data: The amount of rainfall occurring on a real-time basis. The rate of change in river stage on a real-time basis, which can help indicate the severity and immediacy of the threat. Knowledge about the type of storm producing the moisture, such as duration, intensity and areal extent, which can be valuable for determining possible severity of the...
How can I find USGS historical photographs?
The USGS Photographic Library, located at our library in Denver, Colorado, is an archive of still photographs dating from the 1870s and taken by USGS scientists as part of their field studies. The works of pioneer photographers W.H. Jackson, T.H. O’Sullivan, Carleton Watkins, J.K. Hillers, Thomas Moran, A.J. Russell, E.O. Beaman, and William Bell are represented in the collection. Topics include...
- Multimedia
- Publications
The USGS at Embudo, New Mexico: 125 years of systematic streamgaging in the United States
John Wesley Powell, second Director of the U.S. Geological Survey, had a vision for the Western United States. In the late 1800s, Powell explored the West as head of the Geographical and Geological Survey of the Rocky Mountain Region. He devoted a large part of “Report on the Lands of the Arid Region of the United States with a more detailed account of the land of Utah with maps,” his 1878 reportAuthorsMark A. Gunn, Anne Marie Matherne, Robert R. Mason,How does a U.S. Geological Survey streamgage work?
Information on the flow of rivers and streams is a vital national asset that safeguards lives, protects property, and ensures adequate water supplies for the future. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) operates a network of more than 9,000 streamgages nationwide with more than 500 in Texas.AuthorsDee L. LurryDischarge measurements at gaging stations
The techniques and standards for making discharge measurements at streamflow gaging stations are described in this publication. The vertical axis rotating-element current meter, principally the Price current meter, has been traditionally used for most measurements of discharge; however, advancements in acoustic technology have led to important developments in the use of acoustic Doppler current prAuthorsD. Phil Turnipseed, Vernon B. SauerFrom the River to You: USGS Real-Time Streamflow Information...from the National Streamflow Information Program
This Fact Sheet is one in a series that highlights information or recent research findings from the USGS National Streamflow Information Program (NSIP). The investigations and scientific results reported in this series require a nationally consistent streamgaging network with stable long-term monitoring sites and a rigorous program of data, quality assurance, management, archiving, and synthesis.AuthorsJoseph P. Nielsen, J. Michael NorrisA history of the Water Resources Branch, U.S. Geological Survey; Volume I, from predecessor surveys to June 30, 1919
This volume is the first in a series of chronological summaries of the activities and achievements of the Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey. First published in 1939 through private subscription by interested personnel, Volume I is now available as a public document. The manuscripts of the following three volumes that cover the years 1919-47, all by the author of this volume, wAuthorsR. FollansbeeThe United States Geological Survey: 1879-1989
The United States Geological Survey was established on March 3, 1879, just a few hours before the mandatory close of the final session of the 45th Congress, when President Rutherford B. Hayes signed the bill appropriating money for sundry civil expenses of the Federal Government for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1879. The sundry civil expenses bill included a brief section establishing a new aAuthorsMary C. RabbittTwo-hundred years of hydrogeology in the United States
The Hydrogeology Division of the Geological Society of America (GSA) sponsored a symposium entitled ' Hydrogeology in the United States, 1776- 1976 ' at the annual meeting of the GSA on November 9, 1976. The symposium was organized to provide a forum for discussion of major eras in the history of American hydrogeology and to contribute to the bicentennial celebration of the founding of the UnitedAuthorsJ.E. Moore, S. W. Lohman, E.B. ChaseEmbudo, New Mexico, birthplace of systematic stream gaging
No abstract available.AuthorsArthur H. Frazier, Wilbur HecklerA history of the Water Resources Branch of the United States Geological Survey: vol. II, years of increasing cooperation, July 1, 1919 to June 30, 1928
This volume of the History of the Water Resources Branch of the United States Geological Survey by Robert Follansbee covers the period from July 1, 1919, to June 30, 1928. In conformity with the practice followed in the first volume of the "History" Mr. Follansbee has named this volume "Years of Increasing Cooperation."AuthorsRobert FollansbeeReport of progress of the division of hydrography for the calendar years 1893 and 1894
No abstract available.AuthorsFrederick Haynes Newell - News