STEVENSON, James, ethnologist, born in Naysville, Kentucky, 24 December, 1840; died in New York city, 25 July, 1888. Before he was sixteen years old he was engaged in geologic work for the government surveys of the northwest under Ferdinand V. Hay-den. He spent several winters among the Blackfoot and Sioux Indians, studying their languages, customs, and traditions, and made an exploration of the Yellowstone country. When the civil war began he joined the National army, and served till the close of hostilities. He then resumed his explorations in the northwest in connection with the engineer corps, and afterward with the United States geological survey, of which he became the executive officer. He followed Columbia and Snake rivers to their sources, made the ascent of Great Teton mountain, discovered a new pass across the Rocky mountains, assisted Professor Hayden in the survey of Yellowstone park, and was instrumental in having it made a government reservation. He was continued as executive officer of the survey, under Major John W. Powell, and detailed for research in connection with the bureau of ethnology of the Smithsonian institution, exploring the cliff houses of Arizona and New Mexico, and investigating the history and religious myths of the Navajos and the Zufii, Moqui, and other Pueblo Indians.