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| | Add Photo — Add Link — Add Commentary — Correct this page — Print | | Green River in Sweetwater County, Wyoming — The American West (Mountains) |
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John Wesley Powell
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By Mary Johnston-Clark, circa October 2003 | |
| | | 1. John Wesley Powell Monument | | |
Inscription. From Green River, Wyoming on May 24, 1869 Major John Wesley Powell and a group of voyagers set out to discover the mysteries of one of the last unexplored regions in the continental United States--the Green and Colorado Rivers. Powell was a disabled veteran who lost his right arm in the Civil War. Later he turned to exploration, and in 1869 and 1871 led crews down the rivers and through the Grand Canyon.
The town of Green River was chosen as the starting point because it was here that the river and the transcontinental railroad met. The newly completed Union Pacific Railroad brought boats and supplies to the launch site.
Powell's expeditions departed from an area around a small island in the Green River. In 1969 the site was designated a National Historic Place and renamed Expedition Island.
Years later the wild river that Powell knew as the Green was tamed and changed by the installation of two dams; Fontenelle, fifty miles upstream from Green River, and Flaming Gorge, seventy miles downstream.
Powell was later appointed director of the Smithsonian's Bureau of Ethnology and director of the United States Geological Survey. He died in 1902 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
The Powell expeditions fired the imagination of the American public with the romance of exploring | | | | 
By Mary Johnston-Clark sculpture photo, Powell photo origin unknown., October 2003 | |
| | | 2. John Wesley Powell portrait | | The photo on the right is a formal portrait of John Wesley Powell, age 35, circa 1869. | | |
a final frontier, but more importantly, the scientific studies of the river basins were the first done in the remote Colorado Plateau, and formed the basis for a new arid land policy.
Erected 2003 by City of Green River in cooperation with the Sweetwater County Historical Museum.
Location. 41° 31.75′ N, 109° 28.035′ W. Marker is in Green River, Wyoming, in Sweetwater County. Marker is at the intersection of Flaming Gorge Way and North Center Street when traveling north on Flaming Gorge Way. Click for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3 East Flaming Gorge Way, Green River WY 82935, United States of America.
Regarding John Wesley Powell. John Wesley Powell led two (1869 and 1872) expeditions down the Green and Colorado Rivers, despite having lost his right arm in the Battle of Shiloh.
Both of the Powell Expeditions originated from the city of Green River, Wyoming. This sculpture by David Alan Clark depicts Powell gazing downstream. It is installed in front of the Sweetwater County Historical Museum, 3 E. Flaming Gorge Way in Green River, just off I-80.
Also see . . . How the John Wesley Powell statue was made. The web page of the Artist, David Alan Clark. (Submitted on October 28, 2008.)
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By Mary Johnston-Clark, October 2003 | |
| | | 3. John Wesley Powell Marker | | Castle Rock, in the background, is a landmark that Powell watched recede into the distance as he embarked down the Green River in a fleet of simple wooden boats. | | |
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Credits. This page originally submitted on October 27, 2008, by Mary Johnston-Clark of Lander, Wyoming. This page has been viewed 834 times since then. Last updated on October 29, 2008, by Mary Johnston-Clark of Lander, Wyoming. Photos: 1, 2, 3. Submitted on October 27, 2008, by Mary Johnston-Clark of Lander, Wyoming. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. Photo of inscription or plaque below the statue. • Can you help? | | Add Photo — Add Link — Add Commentary — Correct this page — Print |
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