Forshey, Caleb Goldsmith, 1812-1881

Caleb Goldsmith Forshey (July 18, 1812–July 25, 1881) was an American hydraulic engineer and polymath who worked in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas on projects related to river flood control and train bridge construction. While employed in these efforts, he made several notable contributions as an amateur naturalist through his attempt to collect vascular plants and by his discoveries of several species of bivalve mollusks and gastropods, which were published at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. He also verified observations of African Americans regarding the unusual reptilia behavior of alligators swallowing their young for protection, correcting the earlier belief of William Bartram that old alligators "feed on the[ir] young as long as they can make prey of them"; the discovery of this protective behavior is sometimes mistakenly attributed to the explorer Edward McIlhenny in his book The Alligator's Life History (1935). These important anecdotal observations by Forshey were occasionally conveyed to the public through his friendships with Isaac Lea and Charles Lyell, as well as in his publications in standard scientific journals. Forshey was additionally the first American surveyor to make detailed maps of the prehistoric archaeological sites of the Coles Creek culture (CE 700–1200) and Mississippian culture (CE 1200–1550) at Mott Archaeological Preserve and Jordan Mounds in modern-day Louisiana.