20 ACUMEN • SPRING 2024 that emerged in the late-19th-century. In his lifetime, Rock, Class of 1869, observed the transit of Venus while in Chile and determined longitudes and latitudes as an astronomer, but his culminating accomplishment was defining the Guatemala-Mexico boundary. In 1881, Guatemala and Mexico each claimed land on a 541-mile border of rugged terrain. Although a treaty was signed in September of 1882, a commission was formed the next year to finalize the boundary. It was Rock who led the Guatemalan Boundary Commission. Somewhat overlooked in history, the multifaceted Rock doesn’t have a Wikipedia entry. But Kies is ensuring Rock’s place in history as he embarks on exploring Rock’s life and legacy. Kies was introduced to Rock when family artifacts arrived at Linderman Library in 2021. “In a sense,” said Kies, “Rock typifies the very best of what was possible for an ambitious and intelligent American (white man) in the mid-19th century.” The Miles Rock Collection, he said, “paints such a broad and deep picture of Rock’s life that one can’t help but feel as if they know him on some level after spending time among his papers, photographs and possessions.” Unlike others who grew up in rural poverty, as he did, Rock traveled extensively and earned a college degree. Born in Lancaster County on Oct. 10, 1840, he was one of 10 children, whose father died when Rock was not quite 5 years old, according to family genealogy and an obituary in Science Magazine. Rock pursued his interests in botany and geology working in a bookstore and spent two years at Franklin & Marshall College. He left to serve in a volunteer Union Army regiment in the Civil War. Returning in 1865, he entered the newly founded Lehigh (the only Lehigh graduate to have served in the Civil War) and graduated with the first class as a civil engineer. Rock married Susan Clarkson in 1870 and became an astronomical assistant at the Cordoba Observatory in Argentina, where he mapped star observations. He was employed by the U.S. Navy in the West Indies and Central America, where he determined latitudes and longitudes via astronomical observations, and later worked on the U.S. geographical and geological surveys west of the 100th meridian. While working at the U.S. Naval Observatory, he was recommended for the position of astronomical engineer for Guatemala. In 1883, the Guatemalan minister for foreign affairs asked the U.S. government for a recommendation of an engineer-astronomer to trace the boundary with Mexico. Rock was their man. For historians, it can be a challenge to empathize with historical subjects and understand their motivations and temperaments. But second-year history Ph.D. student Casey Kies is finding a lot to admire about Miles Rock, one of the first Lehigh graduates. The legacy of Rock, a cartographer, naturalist, civil engineer and astronomer, provides insight into geopolitics, the role of American diplomacy and questions of sovereignty and territory Examining the Remarkable Life of Miles Rock WENDY GREENBERG Ph.D. student Casey Kies hopes to cement one of Lehigh’s first graduates in history
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