Green River in Emery County, Utah — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Major Powell, Colorado River Explorer
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 31, 2014
1. Major Powell, Colorado River Explorer Marker
The first organized attempt to conquer the swirling rapids and precipitous walled canyons of the Green and Colorado Rivers was made by Major John Wesley Powell, Civil War hero and explorer. Warned by Indians and mountaineers they would never return alive, Powell and 9 companions started from Green River Station, Wyoming Territory on May 24, 1869 with 4 boats, instruments for making scientific observations and provisions to last 10 months. For 97 days Powell and his men battled the elements enduring tremendous deprivation and hardship.
One man (Frank Goodman) left the company early in the journey and 3 others (William Dunn, O.G. and Seneca Howland) later killed by Shivwit Indians, deserted near Grand Canyon Arizona. On August 29, 1869, the 6 remaining men (J.W. and W.H. Powell, W.R. Hawkins, A. Hall, J.C. Sumner, and G.Y. Bradley) arrived at the junction of the Rio Virgin in Southern Nevada, having navigated and charted over 900 miles of the river.
In May 1871, 2 years after his first river voyage, J.W. Powell again led an exploring party of 11 men in 3 boats down the Green and Colorado Rivers. Well into 1873 members of Powell’s party continued extensive and significant exploration and surveys of the region bordering the rivers traversed. The Powell Surveys are some of the most significant explorations achieved
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Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration • Native Americans • Waterways & Vessels.
Location. 38° 59.559′ N, 110° 8.385′ W. Marker is in Green River, Utah, in Emery County. Marker is on East Main Street, 0.1 miles west of Holiday River Street, on the right when traveling east. Marker is located directly in front of a small motel, about 1 block east of the Green River bridge. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Green River UT 84525, United States of America. Touch for directions.
More about this marker. The large marker is a carved wooden placard supported in a brick frame. The wooden portion is heavily weathered.
Also see . . .
1. John Wesley Powell's Exploration of the Colorado River.
Until Powell's exploration, little was known of the Grand Canyon, its surrounding plateaus, or the long reaches of river above it. Legends told of expeditions that had tried to pass through the canyon only to perish in unknown rapids or on lonely rock shores. If any of these early expeditions did get through, they left no record behind.(Submitted on March 20, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. John Wesley Powell: The one-armed explorer.
While much of the US was being rapidly(Submitted on March 20, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)settled in the 19th Century, large parts of the West remained unknown. Determined to change that, one man led an expedition along the "impassable" Colorado River and into the unexplored Grand Canyon...Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 31, 20142. Major Powell, Colorado River Explorer Marker
3. John Wesley Powell.
American geologist, U.S. Army soldier, explorer of the American West, professor at Illinois Wesleyan University, and director of major scientific and cultural institutions. He is famous for his 1869 geographic expedition, a three-month river trip down the Green and Colorado rivers, including the first official U.S. government-sponsored passage through the Grand Canyon.(Submitted on December 6, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 31, 2014
3. Major Powell, Colorado River Explorer Marker (wide view)
Credits. This page was last revised on December 6, 2022. It was originally submitted on March 20, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 293 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 20, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
