John Wesley Powell 150 Years Later

In 1869 and 1871 Major John Wesley Powell organized expeditions to explore the Green and Colorado Rivers. His Expeditions were made even more famous by false claims that they had failed!! Crazy, right?

Major Powell set the record straight with news articles and other publications upon his return to civilization. He also wrote a book in 1895, “Canyons of the Colorado”, in which he included his journal entries from the trip and many photographs, drawings and maps from his expedition. I recently picked up the reprinting “The Exploration of the Colorado River and its Canyons” to read so that I would have some better understanding of his expedition. I expected a “dry” read, but was pleasantly surprised to really enjoy the book! The read is pretty quick, and the photos/drawings are intriguing.

One of my favorite quotes from the book (I have a few of them!!) is as follows:
“That is the merry mood of the river to dance through this deep, dark gorge, and right gaily do we join in the sport.” ~John Wesley Powell. He wrote this about Whirlpool Canyon, which is a canyon in the Gates of Lodore section of the Green River.

If you are planning on joining us for any of our expeditions, or especially if you plan to join us for our 22 Day John Wesley Powell Anniversary Expedition, I really suggest that you pick up a copy of Major Powell’s book for an excellent read.