Grand Canyon, Arizona: While the whole story of the Colorado spans millions and millions of years, the modern world owes much of what it knows about the river and its geological masterpiece, the Grand Canyon, to the fearlessness and dedication of one extraordinary man. John Wesley Powell's two expeditions down the Colorado in the mid-late 1800s introduced the modern world to the scientific and cultural wonders of this natural treasure, igniting imaginations around the globe with mysteries he revealed of the American West.
Throughout his life, Powell would pack far more work, adventure and achievement into a few years than most of us will accomplish in a lifetime. This entirely self-taught naturalist left off teaching his own students to become a leader in the Civil War, during which he lost his arm in the battle of Shilo. That would be the end of the story for some of us, but it didn't even slow down Powell's military career. He continued to serve until the end of the war, then turned his attention again to the exploration of the natural world.
In his young adulthood, Powell had conducted numerous
geological, botanical and zoological studies of rivers in his native
Midwest, including the Mississippi, Ohio and Illinois Rivers. His
interest in geology drew him west to the Grand Canyon, which, due to
its inaccessibility, had not yet been scientifically studied and
documented. In 1869, Powell and ten men began a 1,500-mile,
death-defying journey beginning in Wyoming's Green River and traveling
down through the Grand Canyon.
|
