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Near Page in Coconino County, Arizona — The American Mountains (Southwest)
 

Major John Wesley Powell

1834-1902

 
 
Major John Wesley Powell Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 13, 2016
1. Major John Wesley Powell Marker
Inscription.
Major John
Wesley Powell
1834-1902

Explorer of the Colorado River
1869 and 1871-72

On August 3, 1869, Powell wrote in his journal:
”…we have a curious ensemble of wonderful
features — carved walls, royal arches, glens,
alcove gulches, mounds and monuments.
We decide to call it Glen Canyon.”

 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: ExplorationWaterways & Vessels. A significant historical date for this entry is August 3, 1869.
 
Location. 36° 56.146′ N, 111° 29.058′ W. Marker is near Page, Arizona, in Coconino County. It can be reached from U.S. 89. Marker is located on the south side of Glen Canyon Dam, off US Route 89 at the Colorado River. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Page AZ 86040, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Arizona’s Flagstaff & High Country, in the Navajo Nation, and in Hopi. It is also in the American Southwest, in the Mountain West, in Colorado Plateau, and at the Four Corners. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself
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in what was once New Spain and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Glen Canyon Dam (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Lake Powell (about 400 feet away); Dinosaur Tracks (about 500 feet away); Bureau of Reclamation Memorial Fountain (about 500 feet away); Wicket Gates (about 600 feet away); Glen Canyon Bridge / Cableways (about 600 feet away); Concrete Bucket / Concrete Core Sample (about 600 feet away); Hydroelectric Power - A Green and Renewable Energy Source (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Page.
 
More about this marker. Marker is on the Glen Canyon Dam generator level, overlooking the Colorado River to the south. Access to this marker is via guided tour.
 
Also see . . .  Major John Wesley Powell's 1869 Journey Down the Green and Colorado Rivers. The purpose of Powell’s 1869 expedition was to survey the geology, geography, and water resource potential for settling the region, and document ethnography and natural history of the canyons of the Green and Colorado Rivers. The 710-foot-high
Major John Wesley Powell Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 13, 2016
2. Major John Wesley Powell Marker
(Glen Canyon Dam on left • Colorado River on right)
Glen Canyon Dam, located just south of the Utah border near Page, Arizona, was authorized by Congress in 1956 to provide water storage in the upper Colorado River basin. Powell no doubt would be shocked and amazed to see the reservoir that bears his name. (Submitted on September 10, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.) 
 
Glen Canyon Dam & Major John Wesley Powell Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 13, 2016
3. Glen Canyon Dam & Major John Wesley Powell Marker
(looking down on Glen Canyon Dam from US 89 Bridge •
marker visible near left canyon wall
)
Glen Canyon • Colorado River image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 13, 2016
4. Glen Canyon • Colorado River
(looking south from marker)
John Wesley Powell image. Click for full size.
Library of Congress
5. John Wesley Powell
John Wesley and Emma Dean Powell image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, December 11, 2017
6. John Wesley and Emma Dean Powell
Headstone in Arlington National Cemetery.
Colorado River & Glen Canyon image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 13, 2016
7. Colorado River & Glen Canyon
(looking south from US 89 Bridge • above marker)
Glen Canyon Dam Generator Level image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 13, 2016
8. Glen Canyon Dam Generator Level
(looking east from marker)
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on September 13, 2020. It was originally submitted on September 9, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 433 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 10, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.   5, 6. submitted on September 13, 2020, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.   7, 8. submitted on September 10, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
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Jul. 18, 2026