This digital collection comprises select items from the Joseph P. Davis papers (MC 26) which document the professional activities of Davis, a civil engineer hired by the Peruvian government to conduct surveys of guano for the Department of Public Works in Peru between 1861-1865. The journals, written by Davis, record detailed surveying and engineering work as he travels throughout the country from Lima to Puno and Cusco and along the coast from Ica up to Piura and out to the Guanape Islands, Lobos de Tierra, and Isla Tortuga. Davis also recorded his journey to Peru, traveling by steamer from New York City to Aspinwall (now Colon), Panama, across the Isthmus, through Ecuador, and on to Peru. Two of the journals detail expeditions to survey guano off the coast of Peru, along with details regarding various engineering projects including water systems, bridges, sewer systems, structural analyses, and railroads. Interspersed throughout the journals are surveys and measurements of Incan ruins in various towns, in particular, the cities of Lima, and Cusco. The journals also contain detailed reports and in many cases detailed drawings of Davis' projects. Accompanying Davis' journals are transcriptions purportedly created by Davis himself. One transcription, however, records Davis'trip from Lima to Puno and Cusco during the Spanish invasion of the Chincha Islands. Unfortunately, the original journal was never part of Rensselaer's acquisition of this collection in 2002. As time allows, staff will also include in this digital collection, correspondence - most of which is between Davis and Mariano Felipe Paz Soldan, Director of Public Works for the government of Peru - work orders, and various reports to the Peruvian government regarding engineering projects and expeditions.
