John Wesley PowellSoldierExplorerScientist

U. S. Department of the Interior/Geological Survey

John Wesley PowellSoldierExplorerScientistby Mary C. Rabbitt

In 1869, John Wesley Powelland nine adventure-seeking com-panions completed the first ex-ploration of the dangerous and al-most uncharted canyons of theGreen and Colorado Rivers. Bythis trip, Powell, a 35-year-old pro-fessor of natural history, apparentlyunhampered by the lack of hisright forearm (amputated after theBattle of Shiloh), opened up the

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last unknown part of the continen-tal United States and brought toa climax the era of westernexploration.

Powell was not an adventurer,nor did he consider himself justan explorer. He was a scientist,motivated by a thirst for knowledgeand a firm belief that science wasmeant to further the progress ofmankind. He endeavored at all

times to put his beliefs intopractice.

Powell's exploration of the Colo-rado River led to the formulationof some of the fundamental prin-ciples of land sculpture. He wenton to develop an understandingof the natural conditions that con-trol man and society in the aridlands of the Western States and todevelop guidelines for the orderly

development of the region. He hada keen and sympathetic interestin the Indians who inhabited thiswestern land and made funda-mental contributions to the newsciences of anthropology and eth-nology. His talent for organizationhas left its mark on agencies andprograms for the development andconservation of the natural re-

sources of the world.

John Wesley Powell . . . was one of thefew who believed in evolution by endeavorand who fought for intelligent and scientificplanning for the development of society.He believed that progress comes by in-creasing cooperation among men, and hedreamed of developing a science that wouldprovide the know/edge whereby men couldlive together in peace and mutual coopera-tion.

William T. Pecora, Former DirectorU. S. Geological SurveyAugust 1969

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M

John Wesley Powell was bornin 1834 in Mount Morris N.Y., theson of Joseph Powell, a Methodistminister who had emigrated fromEngland 4 years earlier. A restlessman, Joseph Powell graduallymoved his family west across NewYork State and in 1838 settled inJackson, Ohio. There the Powellsbecame embroiled in one of themost controversial issues of thedayabolition. Reverend Powell'svigorous stand against slavery wasmet with hostility by many of thetownspeople. Because his class-mates frequently taunted him,young Powell was removed frompublic school and was placed un-der the tutelage of a neighbor,George Crookham, a farmer andself-taught scientist. Crookhamemphasized learning nature first-

hand, and Powell's interest innatural history grew during theirnumerous junkets to collect speci-mens of plants, animals, birds, andminerals.

When Powell was 12 years oldthe family moved to a farm inWisconsin. With his father awaymuch of the time, the boy assumedmanagement of the farm, an ex-perience that helped develop physi-cal stamina and moral character.

Though he attended school ir-regularly, he was determined topursue his studies in science overthe objections of his father whowished him to become a minister.When he was 18, Powell beganteaching in a one-room countryschool to earn money for college.The next 7 years were spent teach-ing school, attending college, and

A typical farm of the 1800's similar to that on which John Wesley Powell was born.

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exploring the Midwest. At varioustimes he attended illinois College,Illinois Institute, and Oberlin Col-lege. In 1858, he joined the newlyformed Illinois State Natural HistorySociety, and as curator of conchol-ogy, made a fairly complete col-lection of the mollusks of Illinois.He began teaching at Hennepin,Ill., in 1858 and in 1860 becamesuperintendent of its schools.

While on a lecture tour in thesummer of 1860, Powell realizedthat a civil war was inevitable. Thatwinter, he studied military scienceand engineering. A strong aboli-tionist, John Wesley Powell wasone of the first to volunteer whenPresident Lincoln issued a call fortroops.

On May 8, 1861, he enlisted atHennepin, Ill., as a private in the20th Illinois Infantry. He was de-scribed as age 27, height 5' 61/2"tall, light complected, gray eyes,auburn hair, occupationteacher."He was elected sergeant-majorof the regiment, and when the20th Illinois was mustered into theFederal service a month later,Powell was commissioned a secondlieutenant. The regiment was sentto Camp Girardeau near St. Louis.Because of his knowledge of en-gineering, Powell was directed toprepare and carry out a plan forthe fortification of the camp and

Emma Dean Powell (nee Harriet EmmaDean), wife of Major John Wesley Powell.

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The Battle of Shiloh. A drawing from theMatthew Brady collection.

town. In November, General Grantauthorized him to recruit and traina company to manage the siegeguns.

That same month Grant allowedPowell a short leave for a hurriedtrip to Detroit to marry his cousin,Emma Dean, who accompaniedhim back to camp after theceremony.

Powell was made captain ofBattery F, 2d Illinois Artillery Volun-teers at the end of the year. A fewweeks later, he and his batterywere ordered to Pittsburg Land-ing on the Tennessee River. Dur-ing the Battle of Shiloh, on April 6,as Powell gave the signal to fire,a Minie ball struck his wrist andplowed into his arm. The woundwas so severe that his arm had tobe amputated below the elbow.

Despite his injury, Powell re-turned to active service within a6

few months. On General Grant'sorders, Mrs. Powell was given apass to be with her husband wher-ever he went, thus enabling himto remain in the service where hisengineering and artillery knowl-edge was sorely needed. DuringMay and June 1863, CaptainPowell's battery participated inthe Siege of Vicksburg, and whilein the trenches he examined therocks and made a collection offossil shells that was later de-posited in the Illinois State Mu-seum. In late 1863, Powell wasmade an inspector of artillery forthe Department of the Army ofTennessee. He served as com-manding officer of the 17th ArmyCorps Artillery Brigade and tookpart in several operations afterthe fall of Atlanta, including theBattle of Nashville.

By January 1865, Powell hadrisen to the rank of brevet lieu-

"Our Works before VicksburgBatteryPowell." It is likely that John Wesley Powellis shown erroneously in this illustration.Although Powell had lost his arm in theBattle of Shiloh (April 6-7, 1862), he isshown uninjured at the Siege of Vicksburg(May-July 1863).

tenant colonel (although he pre-ferred to be called major). Withthe end of the war at hand and histerm of enlistment having expired,Powell asked to be mustered outof service,

Frederick S. Dellenbaugh, whowas later with Powell on his secondexpedition down the ColoradoRiver, wrote:

As a soldier his career wasmarked by a thorough studyand mastery not only of thedetails of military life; but ofmilitary science. Especiallywas he apt in utilizing mate-rials at hand to accomplishhis endsa trait that was a/soprominent in his civil life.Bridges he built from cottongin houses, mantelets for hisguns from gunny sacks andold rope, and shields for hissharpshooters from the mold-boards of old plows found

Major John Wesley Powell in uniform,about 1863.

on the abandoned plantations.All this time, whenever pos-sible, he continued his studiesin natural science. He madea collection of fossils un-earthed in the trenches aroundVicksburg, land and rivershells from the Mississippiswamps, and a large collec-tion of mosses while on de-tached duty in Illinois. He alsofamiliarized himself with thegeology of regions throughwhich armies passed to whichhe was attached.

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After the war, Powell accepteda professorship in geology atIllinois Wesleyan University inBloomington. His method of teach-ing reflected his training underGeorge Crookham, and he oftentook his students into the field tocollect fossils, minerals, and plantsand to observe animals in theirnatural habitat. The followingyear he gave a course of lecturesat Illinois State University in nearbyNormal, Ill. The State Legislatureprovided a small endowment forthe museum of the State NaturalHistory Society, and Powell wasnamed curator.

A scene of Powell's teaching career. IllinoisWesleyan's first building, 1856.

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Powell loved to travel; it hadbeen one of his main interestsbefore the war. In 1867, he led aparty of students to the RockyMountains to collect specimensfor the museum. Funds for the tripcame from various sources, in-cluding the Museum of NaturalHistory$500, the Illinois Indus-trial University (later the Universityof Illinois)$500, and the ChicagoAcademy of Science$100. Inreturn he agreed to supply themwith specimens of the animals,plants, and any other materialscollected. Scientific instrumentswere loaned by the Smithsonian

John Wesley Powell, winter 1869.

Institution, and Powell agreed togive the Institution the topographicmeasurements made by his party.He made arrangements to procure

Student members ofPowell's 1868expedition.

rations for the group from Armyposts at Government rates and toobtain free transportation fromthe railroads. Powell contributedhis own salary to help finance thetrip.

In May and June of 1867, the ex-pedition, which included Mrs.Powell, traveled by train, wagon,and horseback across the plainsto Denver and on to a valley knownas Bergens Park on the west sideof the Rampart Range north ofPikes Peak. After climbing PikesPeak they traveled west to SouthPark where they camped for sev-eral weeks, exploring the moun-tains and hot springs and makinga variety of natural historycollections.

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Navajo boy.

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Ruins of an ancient Indian settlement onthe rim of the Grand Canyon.

Most of the group returned eastin September, but the Powellsand a few others remained to ex-plore Middle Park and the head-waters of the Grand River, as theupper part of the Colorado Riverwas then called.

In the summer of 1868, Powellreturned to Colorado with his wifeand about 20 others, mainly neigh-bors and students. They collectedmore specimens for the museum,explored the Colorado mountains,and climbed 14,000-foot-high LongsPeak.

Tau-gu, a chief of the Psiute Indian tribe,and Major Powell in southern Utah.

In October, the party reached apoint on the White River about120 miles above its mouth wherethey built cabins and establishedwinter quarters. During the winterof 1868-69, Powell traveled southto the Grand River, down theWhite and Green Rivers, north tothe Yampa River, and around theUinta Mountains. He befriended atribe of Ute Indians and studiedtheir language and customs. Hisinterest in the Indians of the Westgrew, and in 1873, as a specialcommissioner to the Indians inUtah and eastern Nevada, hepleaded for greater justice andmore educational opportunitiesfor the Indians.

By 1868, Powell was consideringexploration of the Colorado River,undeterred by legends of earlierexpeditions that had perished.Lieutenant Joseph C. Ives, whoin 1857 explored the southernstretches of the river below theGrand Canyon, believed "that theColorado, along the greater part

of its lonely and majestic way,shall be forever unvisited andundisturbed." But after studyingthe few reports, talking with In-dians, hunters, and mountain menfamiliar with the area, and ex-ploring tributary streams similarto the Colorado, Powell decidedit was possible to explore the riverby descending it in small boats.He obtained some funds fromprivate sources and from the Illi-nois State Natural History Society,and he gained permission fromthe Government to requisition mili-tary stores. He had four boatsbuilt in Chicago to his own de-sign and specifications and hadthem shipped to the proposedstarting point at Green RiverStation, Wyoming Territory. Heselected a crew of nine who, withthe exception of his brother Walter,were mountain men experiencedin living off the land. On May 24,1869, Powell launched his boatson their historic journey.Major Powell talking to a Paiute Indianduring northern Arizona survey.

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The Rescue

War Memorial at Vicksburg, Mississippi

Running the Rapids First Campsite, 2d Expedition

4!' è'APowell's Farewell Dinner as Director of theU.S. Geological Survey

Indian Tribal Conference

Powell and Colleagues, C. 0. Walcott (left)and Sir Archibald Geikie (right)

At Riordan Ranch, Arizona.

LLNC

John Wesley Powell's Pioneer River Voyage-1869

1 Green River (Wyo.)Flan,ing GorgeLodore CanyonSplit Mountain CanyonOurayDesolation CanyonGray CanyonGreen River (Utah)Labyrinth CanyonCatacract Canyon

11 HiteGlen CanyonCroSSing ot the FathersLees FerryMarble Canyon

16, Bright Angel17 Kaibab Plateau18. Grand Canyon1 9. Separation Canyon20. St. George

Re)ief map of PoweU's pioneer river voyage-1869.

The party traveled more than1,000 miles of river through wind-ing canyons and over foamingrapids. One of the crew left theexpedition after a month, havinghad enough adventure; threeothers, hoping to find a safer route14

overland, departed only 2 daysbefore the voyage ended. Powelland five men in two boats e-merged months later on August30 at the mouth of the Virgin River,Ariz., long after hope for theirsurvival had been abandoned.

Their emotional ordeal was wellexpressed in Powell's words"What falls there are, we knownot; what rocks beset the channel,we know not; what walls rise overthe river, we know not."

Powell immediately set aboutmaking plans for a second expedi-tion. He had planned and suppliedthe first trip for what he thoughtwould be a leisurely 6- to 9-monthscientific expedition. Because ofthe loss of food and equipmentand the scarcity of game, the triphad been hurried. Powell's obser-vations and notes on topographyand geology were incomplete orunreliable because of badly dam-aged instruments. The few speci-mens collected had been cachedalong the river.

A plaque marking the place where theHowland brothers and William H. DunnSeparated from the 1869 Powell expedition.The plaque is located near the northeastbank of the Colorado River on the easternside of Separation Canyon.

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Having succeeded so dramati-cally in conquering the Green andColorado Rivers, Powell had littledifficulty in obtaining funds fromCongress to continue his explora-tory work. He decided that sup-plies should be cached along theriver and spent most of the year1870 in determining potential sup-ply routes and in establishingfriendly relationships with theIndians.

By the spring of 1871, prepara-tions had been completed for thesecond survey of the canyoncountry. This time the party in-cluded Professor Almon H. Thomp-son, a surveyor and Powell'sbrother-in-law, and an experiencedphotographer, E. 0. Beaman, whotogether with his successors JamesFennemore and J. K. Hillers, dra-matically documented the rivervoyage.

On May 22, the party pushedthree boats of improved designinto the stream. Major Powell rodein the lead, perched in a chairlashed amidships where he com-manded an unrestricted view ofthe way ahead and could signalto the other boats. The expeditionwas planned to last about a yearand a half. During the first 41/2

months the expedition traveledfrom Green River Station to themouth of the Paria River at thefoot of Glen Canyon. Thompsonwas largely responsible for con-ducting the exploration of theriver. Powell spent most of Julyand August traveling on horsebackbetween the river and Salt LakeCity, exploring the canyon lands,and studying the Indian tribes.

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During the winter and spring(1871-72) while Powell was in theEast seeking new appropriations,Thompson set about mapping thearea. In the spring, while seekinganother route by which suppliescould be brought to the river,the party discovered the last un-known river in the United Statesand named it the Escalante.

In August 1872, the expeditiononce more started downriver fromLee's Ferry. Because of torrentialrains and heavy snowmelt in themountains, the river was high,swift, and dangerous. Finding thatcontrolling the boats was nearlyimpossible in the rushing current,Powell called a halt to the expedi-tion when the party reached KanabCanyon.16

The Powell expedition ready to start from a location just below the Union Pacific Railwaybridge at Green River Station Wyoming.

The second expedition broughtback considerable information.Professor Thompson completed atopographic map of the GrandCanyon region, and Powell's monu-mental account was published in1875 by the Smithsonian Institu-tion. Hundreds of photographswere taken, many of them stereo-scopic views that brought thewestern canyons into easternliving rooms. Diaries and fieldnotes were kept by several othermembers of the party. Dellen-baugh's story of the trip A CanyonVoyage was published in 1908,and the Utah Historical Societypublished the diary of Thompsonin 1939 and those of Bishop,Steward, W. C. Powell, and Jonesin 1947.

On the Colorado at the mouthof the Little Colorado River.

Powell continued to study theColorado River region under Gov-ernment auspices. He became im-pressed with the problem of set-tling the arid western lands andin 1878, encouraged by Secretary

Kanab Canyon, near its mouth. The cliffsin the distance are on the far side of theColorado River.

Major Powell's boat, the Emma Dean, moored on a bank of the Colorado River inthe Grand Canyon.

of the Interior Carl Schurz, hecompleted his Report on the landsof the arid region of the UnitedStates, which was published as aCongressional document. Thebook was not only a report on

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the physical characteristics of theland and the rainfall but also dis-cussed the need for a land classi-fication sysem and containeddrafts of proposed legislationproviding for the organization ofirrigation and pastu rage districts.The book, since recognized asone of the most important everwritten about the western lands,went unheeded at the time.

Four surveysthe Powell,Hayden, King, and Wheeler sur-veyswere mapping the West,and some conflicts of interest be-gan to develop, especially betweenArmy and civilian scientists.

In the spring of 1878, Congressinvestigated the rivalry among thewestern surveys but was unableto come to a satisfactory conclu-sion. They called on the NationalAcademy of Sciences for advice,and the academy in turn called

Members of the Hayden survey packing awagon on mules across the San JuanMountains.

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on Powell and others for sugges-tions. Legislation embodying theacademy plan that contained manyof Powell's ideas was introduced,but before it was finally enactedseveral provisions were eliminated,including one of special interestto Powella proposal to changethe public land system. The billthat was passed on March 3, 1879,provided for the establishmentof the U.S. Geological Survey, dis-continuation of the western sur-veys, and appointment of a com-mission to codify the public landlaws. Powell became a member ofthe commission, and ClarenceKing, who had been in charge ofthe Geologic Exploration of the40th Parallel, the first of the na-tional surveys authorized by Con-gress, became the first Director ofthe U.S. Geological Survey.

Campsite of Lieutenant G. M. Wheeler andsurvey party near Belmont, Nevada (Wheelerseventh from left).

The bill that included the or-ganic act of the Geological Surveyalso contained an appropriationfor completing and publishingthe results of Powell's research onthe Indians and their cultures. Thiswork ultimately led to the creationof the Bureau of Ethnology, whichdevoted its efforts to collectinginformation on the fast-disappear-ing Indian tribes of North America.Powell became its Director, a posthe held for the rest of his life.

In 1881, following King's resig-nation, Major Powell was appointedDirector of the U.S. GeologicalSurvey. As Director from 1881 to1894, Powell was the principalforce in expanding geologic studiesand topographic mapping through-out the country and in stimulat-ing investigations of soil, groundwater, rivers, flood control, andirrigation.

Acceptance of directorship of theU.S. Geological Survey.

Clarence King, first Director of theU.S. Geological Survey, 1879-81.

John Wesley Powell, second Directorof the U.S. Geological Survey, 1881-94.

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During the 13 years of Powell'sdirectorate the growth of theGeological Survey was remarkable.Its field of operations, at first re-stricted to the Far West, becamenationwide. The annual appropria-tion was gradually increased, andfrom time to time new functionswere added, the most importantbeing a program of topographicmapping and investigation ofwater resources and irrigation.New divisions of chemistry, phys-ics, paleontology, and hydrographywer also added.

In 1884, Congress set up a jointcommission to consider the organ-ization of several of the scientificbureaus, including the GeologicalSurvey, in order to "secure greaterefficiency and economy." The Na-tional Academy of Sciences wasagain called on for advice, and itscommittee made some specificrecommendations. Their chiefgoals were the formulation of ageneral plan for science in gov-ernment and the establishment ofa Department of Science. In thelengthy hearings that followed,Major Powell was called severaltimes to testify, not only on theoperation and management of theGeological Survey, but also onhis views of the place of sciencein government.

Midway in the hearings therewas a change of administration,and the search for efficiency andeconomy became an investigtaionof corruption. Powell and the Sur-vey became the target of bitterattack. In the end, however, theCommission found the adminis-tration of the Geological Survey to

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be well conducted, and they recog-nized the wisdom of a geologicalsurvey of the whole country. Geo-logic research was establishedas a proper function of theGovern ment.

In 1888, following a series of dryyears, Congress, on Powell's rec-ommendation, authorized the Sur-vey to undertake a study of thearid regions of the United Stateswith special emphasis to be placedon investigations of stream capac-ities and potential sites for dams,reservoirs, ditches, and other ir-rigation facilities.

John Wesley Powell in his Adams Buildingoffice, Washington, D.C.

The House added an amendmentrequiring that all irrigable landsbe withdrawn from entry. This ef-fectively closed the land to thehomesteader. After about 2 yearsthe Irrigation Survey was discon-continued, and Congress elimi-nated the power to reserve irriga-ble land. Powell's vision of anorderly settlement of the Westwas not to become a reality. Ulti-mately, the Irrigation Survey ledto the establishment of the Rec-lamation Service and then theBureau of Reclamation.

Major Powell and companions offthe coast of Maine during retire-ment years.

On June 30, 1894, Powell resignedas Director of the U.S. GeologicalSurvey. He had been in poor healthfor a number of years, and sur-gery was once more required onhis arm. Major Powells health de-clined steadily after his resigna-tion, and he died at his summerhome in Haven, Maine, on Sep-tember 23, 1902, in his 69th year.

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He was buried in Arlington Ceme-tery among other heroes of theCivil War.

Though honored and respectedby the scientific community, Powellwas for many years overlooked byhistorians. Only recently has thesignificance of his ideas been re--

discovered.Powell, however, was not with-

out recognition in his own time.He was elected a member of thePhilosophical Society of Washing-ton in 1874 and its president in1883 and a member of the National

Academy of Sciences in1880. He was a founderof the Cosmos Club andits president during 1878and 1888, a founder andpresident of the Anthro-pological Society ofWashington, one of the

Resignation of directorshipof the U.S. GeologicalSurvey.

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earliest members of the BiologicalSociety of Washington, and anorganizer of the Geological Societyof Washington. He helped estab-lish the National GeographicSociety and the Geological So-ciety of America. In 1888, he waselected president of the AmericanAssociation for the Advancementof Science, then considered thehighest honor for an Americanscientist, and he received honorarydegrees from several universitiesat home and abroad.

His place among his contempo-raries was fittingly expressed byG. K. Gilbert, the eminent geologistand his long-time associate, at ameeting commemorating Powell'sachievements. Speaking of Powellbefore the Washington Academyof Sciences on February 16, 1903,Gilbert said:

The glow of his enthusiasm,the illumination of his broadphilosophy, the warmth of hisfriendship, are still with us

It was through this per-sonality too that he accom-plished much of his work forscience. Gathering about himthe ablest men he couldsecure, he was yet alwaysthe intellectual leader, andfew of his colleagues couldwithstand the influence of hismaster mind. Phenomenally

Monument erected about 1914 to honorJohn Wesley Powell. Arlington NationalCemetery, Arlington, Virginia.

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fertile in his ideas, he wasabsolutely free in their com-munication with the result thatmany of his suggestionsanumber which can never beknownwere unconsciouslyappropriated by his associatesand incorporated in their pub-lished results . . . The sci-entific produce which he di-rectly and in directly inspiredmay equal, or even exceedthat which stands in his ownname.

Selected ReferencesJohn Wesley PowellDarrah, W. C. Powell of the Colorado. Princeton University Press, 1951.Dellenbaugh, F. S. A Canyon Voyage. Yale University Press, 1962.Goetzmann, W. H. Exploration and Empire. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1966.Place, M. T. John Wesley Powell, Geologist and Conservationist. Houghton-

Mifflin, 1963.Powell, J. W. The Exploration of the Colorado and its Canyons. Dover

Publications, 1961.Smith, F. E. The Politics of Conservation. Pantheon Books, 1966.Stegner, W. E. Beyond the 100th Meridian. Houghton-Mifflin, 1960.Ullman, J. R. Down the Colorado with Major Powell. Houghton-Mitflin, 1960.U. S. Geological Survey. John Wesley Powell's Exploration of the Colorado

River. U.S. Government Printing Office, 1974.White, D. (pseud.) John Wesley Powell, Conqueror of the Canyon. Houghton-

Mifflin, 1960.

This publication is one of a series of gene,al interest publicationsprepared by the U.S. Geological Survey to provide information aboutthe earth sciences, natural resources, and the envi,onmenf. To obtaina catalog of additional titles in the series Popular Publications ofthe U S Geological Survey, write.

Branch of Distribution or Branch of DistributionU.S. Geological Survey U.S. Geological Survey1200 South Eads Street Box 25286. Federal centerArlingtOO, VA 22202 Denver. CO 80225

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* UB. GOVERNMENT PaINTING OrnCE 1980-311-348/44

As the Nation's principal conservation agency, the Departmentof the Interior has responsibility for most of our nationally ownedpublic lands and natural resources. This includes fostering thewisest use of our land and water resources, protecting our fish andwildlife, preserving the environmental and cultural values of ournational parks and historical places, and providing for the enjoy-ment of life through outdoor recreation. The Department assessesour energy and mineral resources and works to assure that theirdevelopment is in the best interests of all our people. TheDepartment also has a major responsibility for American Indianreservation communities and for people who live in IslandTerritories under U.S. admInistration