Headwaters of Exploration

Headwaters of Exploration. . , In 1869, a Civil War veteran turned college professor, Major John Wesley Powell, led nine men on the last great exploration of the continental United States. Powell and his men set out from Green River, Wyoming, on May 24, 1869, on a journey to map the uncharted regions of the Green and Colorado rivers. Jack Sumner and Andy Hall continued for nearly four months to the river's end in the Bay of California. While the story of their river adventure is well known, the expedition's ties to Middle Park and Hot Sulphur Springs are not. , John Wesley Powell and Middle Park , Powell's relationship with Middle Park began in 1867 when Powell and his wife, Emma Dean Powell, spent two months living in Jack Sumner's cabin at the nearby hot sulphur springs while exploring the area. During this time Sumner and Powell discussed future expeditions to map the regions of the Colorado and Green rivers that included the Grand Canyon. , In 1868 Powell returned to Middle Park with a party of more than 20 students, professors, boosters, and, of course, Emma Dean. The expedition collected specimens and data for research. In August Powell, his brother Walter, and two students led by William Byers, Jack Sumner, and Ned Ferrell conduct the first recorded ascent of Longs Peak. Other notable visitors to the hot springs were Schuyler Colfax, later to be the vice president of the U. S.; Lt. Governor William Bross of Illinois; journalist Samuel Bowls; famed frontiersman Jim Baker; and 600 Northern Utes. , From the original 1868 expedition, only Powell and his brother remained when Powell pushed off into the Green River in Wyoming for his epic expedition. George Badley, Andy Hall, and Frank Goodman joined in Wyoming. Oramel and Seneca Howland, Billy Hawkins, Bill Dunn, and Jack Sumner joined Powell in Colorado. Sadly the Howland brothers and Billy Dunn, fearing for their lives, left the expedition never to be heard from or seen again. , [photo captions] , . Longs Peak, elevation 14,259 feet , . This William Henry Jackson photograph shows the hot sulphur springs in 1874. It would have looked similar when the Powells were here in 1867 and 1868. , . Emma Dean Powell was one of the earliest non-Indian women to visit the hot sulphur springs. , Sponsors: Barbara Mitchell, Grand County Historical Association and Town of Hot Sulphur Springs , To learn more about Grand County history visit the Pioneer Village Museum in Hot Springs.