John Wesley Powell

An American Hero
 • The Family of Joseph and Mary Powell
William Culp Darrah Collection
Utah State Historical Society Classified Photo Collection
 • 1862 Battle of Shiloh

• Loses his arm when hit but

Minnie ball when he was
raising arm to order his artillery
regiment to attack.

William Culp Darrah Collection

Utah State Historical Society Classified Photo Collection
 • Emma Dean Powell

• 1861- Powell marries first

cousin Emma Dean at her
family home in Detroit

• first woman to climb Pike's

Peak

William Culp Darrah Collection

Utah State Historical Society Classified Photo Collection
 • 1865
• Accepts a job at
Illinois Wesleyan
University as a
Professor of
Geology.

William Culp Darrah Collection

Utah State Historical Society Classified Photo Collection
Down the Great Unknown
 • J. W. Powell In 1869
• Leads first Expedition on the
Colorado River

• Recent Biographers
– Edward Dolnick
• “Down the Great Unknown” (2001)
– Michael Ghiglieri
• “First Through the Grand Canyon” (2003)

William Culp Darrah Collection

Utah State Historical Society Classified Photo Collection
Down the Great Unknown
First camp of the John Wesley Powell in the Willows, Green River,
Wyo. Terr. 1872.
By E. 0. Beaman, 1871.
Walter Powell

• 1864 Confederate troops

capture brother Walter in
Atlanta on July 22. He
escapes from a Confederate
prison hospital, but is
recaptured.

• He struggles to recover
mentally and physically, but
remains disturbed by his war
experiences for the rest of
his life.

William Culp Darrah Collection

Utah State Historical Society Classified Photo Collection
Down the Great Unknown
Down the Great Unknown
Down the Great Unknown
• Copy of Original Map map produced by Powell 1875.
Scribner’s Magazine – Entire Catalog
digitized by Cornell University Vivid Illustrations from Scribner’s Magazine.
Cornell University: Making of America Collection
Cornell University: Making of America Collection
 Accomplishments
• 2nd director of the US Geological
Survey (1881-1894)

• Smithsonian’s Director of Bureau of

Ethnology. (1879-1902)

• 1888 - Powell is one of 33 men to

found the National Geographic
Society.

Major John Wesley Powell in his office in the Adams Building,

Washington, DC. circa 1896.
Photo from the Smithsonian Institution.
 Jack Sumner

Down the Great Unknown

William Culp Darrah Collection
Utah State Historical Society Classified Photo Collection
Grand Canyon National Park,
Arizona. Major John Wesley
Powell's boat the "Emma
Dean" moored on a bank of
the Colorado River in the
Grand Canyon. 1871 or 1872.

Notice the Famous

Chair Powell used to
direct his expedition.

U.S. Geographical and Geological Survey of

the Rocky Mountain Region (Powell
Arlington National Cemetery
Grand Canyon South Rim Trail Powell Memorial
• Memorial to Powell located on the South Rim Trail of the Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon National Park,
Arizona. Grand Canyon,
viewed from Lava Pinnacle,
looking downstream. The
mouth of Prospect Canyon is
on the left with a small cinder
cone on the point beyond.
Lava Falls Rapid is just below
the mouth of Prospect
Canyon.
 Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. Major Powell's armchair on a boat in Marble Canyon.

Photo by E.O. Beaman, August 20, 1872.U.S. Geographical and Geological Survey of the Rocky Mountain Region (Powell Survey).
• Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. Sockdologer Rapid, above Bright Angel Creek. August 29, 1872.
U.S. Geographical and Geological Survey of the Rocky Mountain Region (Powell Survey).
Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. Grand Canyon. August 26, 1872.

U.S. Geographical and Geological Survey of the Rocky Mountain Region (Powell Survey).
• Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. Boats in the Colorado River near the upper end of the Grand Cany
• Photo by E.0. Beaman, 1872.U.S. Geographical and Geological Survey of the Rocky Mountain Region (Powell Survey).
• Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. Major Powell's famous
armchair boat on the Colorado River.
• August 22, 1872.U.S. Geographical and Geological Survey of the Rocky Mountain Region (Powell Survey). Stereoscopic view.
• Grand Canyon National Park,
Arizona. Repairing a boat at First
Granite Gorge. September 1872.

• U.S. Geographical and Geological Survey of the Rocky

Mountain Region (Powell Survey).

• Photos hjk0871a and hjk0871b form a stereoscopic view.

• Arizona. Boats near the
mouth of the Little
Colorado River. 1872.

U.S. Geographical and Geological Survey of the

Rocky Mountain Region (Powell Survey).
• The famous
Powell armchair
in Marble
Canyon. Grand
Canyon National
Park.

• Coconino
County, Arizona.
August 20, 1872.

Photo by E.O. Beaman; an

enlargement of a portion of
J.K. Hillers 967a, a
composite) USGS
Major John Wesley Powell at his
desk in the Adams Building on F
Street, N.W., Washington, DC.
circa 1896.

Photo courtesy of Smithsonian Institution.

John Wesley Powell
March 24, 1834 – September 23, 1902
Time Life Collection