NationMaster - Encyclopedia: John Wesley Powell

John Wesley Powell (March 24, 1834 - September 23, 1902) was a U.S. soldier, geologist, and explorer of the American West. He is famous for the 1869 Powell Geographic Expedition, a three-month river trip down the Green and Colorado rivers that included the first passage through the Grand Canyon. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (504x700, 217 KB) John Wesley Powell, second Director of the USGS. Served from 1881-1894. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (504x700, 217 KB) John Wesley Powell, second Director of the USGS. Served from 1881-1894. ... The United States Geological Survey (USGS) is a scientific agency of the United States government. ... March 24 is the 83rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (84th in leap years). ... 1834 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... September 23 is the 266th day of the year (267th in leap years). ... 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic - President George Walker Bush (R) - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... This article includes a list of works cited but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... The Western United States, also referred to as the American West or simply The West, traditionally refers to the region constituting the westernmost states of the United States (see geographical terminology section for further discussion of these terms). ... 1869 (MDCCCLXIX) is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... First camp of the John Wesley Powell expedition, in the willows, Green River, Wyoming, 1871 The Powell Geographic Expedition was a groundbreaking 19th century U.S. exploratory expedition of the American West, led by John Wesley Powell in 1869, that provided the first-even thorough investigation of the Green and... The Green River, a tributary of the Colorado, is shown highlighted on a map of the western United States. ... Colorado River in the Grand Canyon from Desert View The Colorado River is a river in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately 1,450 mi (2,333 km) long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. ... The Grand Canyon is a very colorful, steep-sided gorge, carved by the Colorado River, in the U.S. state of Arizona. ...

Biography

Powell was born in Mount Morris, New York, the son of Joseph and Mary Powell. His father, a poor intinerant preacher, had emigrated to the US from Shrewsbury, England in 1830. His family moved westward to Chillicothe, Ohio, then Walworth County, Wisconsin, then finally settling in Illinois in rural Boone County. He studied at Illinois College, Wheaton College, and Oberlin College, acquiring a knowledge of Ancient Greek and Latin but never graduating. Powell had a deep interest in the natural sciences, with a restless nature. As a young man, he undertook a series of adventures through the Mississippi River valley. In 1855 he spent four months walking across Wisconsin. In 1856 he rowed the Mississippi from St. Anthony to the sea, in 1857 he rowed down the Ohio River from Pittsburgh to St. Louis, and in 1858 down the Illinois River, then up the Mississippi and the Des Moines River to central Iowa. He was elected to the Illinois Natural History Society in 1859. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1540x996, 318 KB)First camp of the John Wesley Powell expedition, in the willows, Green River, Wyoming Terr. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1540x996, 318 KB)First camp of the John Wesley Powell expedition, in the willows, Green River, Wyoming Terr. ... The timeline of environmental events is a historical account of events that have shaped humanitys perspective on the environment. ... Mount Morris, New York refers to two locations in Livingston County, New York, both named after Robert Morris, the financier of the American Revolution, and later owner of the The Morris Reserve, from which the lands around Mount Morris were sold to settlers. ... In most Protestant churches, a minister is a member of the ordained clergy who leads a congregation or participates in a role in a parachurch ministry; such a person may also be called a Pastor, Preacher, Bishop, Chaplain or Elder. ... Statistics Population: 70,059 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SJ495123 Administration District: Shrewsbury and Atcham Shire county: Shropshire Region: West Midlands Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Shropshire Historic county: Shropshire Services Police force: West Mercia Fire and rescue: {{{Fire}}} Ambulance: West Midlands Post office and... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification - by Athelstan AD 927 Area - Total 130,395 kmÂ² (1st in UK) 50,346 sq mi Population - 2006 est. ... Liberty Leading the People by EugÃ¨ne Delacroix commemorates the July Revolution 1830 (MDCCCXXX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Nickname: Ohios First Capital Location in the state of Ohio Coordinates: Country United States State Ohio Counties Ross Mayor Joseph P. Sulzer (D) Area - City 25. ... Walworth County is a county located in the state of Wisconsin. ... Official language(s) English Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Area Ranked 25th - Total 57,918 sq mi (149,998 kmÂ²) - Width 210 miles (340 km) - Length 390 miles (629 km) - % water 4. ... Boone County is a county located in the state of Illinois. ... Illinois College is a private liberal arts college affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church (USA); it is located in Jacksonville, Illinois. ... Wheaton College is a private, independent, evangelical Protestant, coeducational, liberal arts college located in Wheaton, Illinois, USA. Wheaton has an enrollment of approximately 2,400 undergraduate students. ... Oberlin College is a small, selective liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, in the United States. ... Note: This article contains special characters. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... The lunar farside as seen from Apollo 11 Natural science is the rational study of the universe via rules or laws of natural order. ... The Mississippi River, derived from the old Ojibwe word misi-ziibi meaning great river (gichi-ziibi big river at its headwaters), is the second-longest river in the United States; the longest is the Missouri River, which flows into the Mississippi. ... 1855 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Official language(s) None Capital Madison Largest city Milwaukee Area Ranked 23rd - Total 65,498 sq mi (169,790 kmÂ²) - Width 260 miles (420 km) - Length 310 miles (500 km) - % water 17 - Latitude 42Â°30N to 47Â°3N - Longitude 86Â°49W to 92Â°54W Population Ranked... 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Aerial view of Saint Anthony Falls with the upper dam; there is also a lower dam. ... 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The Ohio River is the largest tributary by volume of the Mississippi River. ... Nickname: Steel City, Iron City, City of Champions, City of Bridges, City of Colleges, P-Burgh, The Burgh Motto: Benigno Numine Location in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Allegheny County Founded 1758 Mayor Luke Ravenstahl (D) Area - City 151. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... 1858 (MDCCCLVIII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... This article is about the river in the U.S. state of Illinois. ... Des Moines River - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... 1859 (MDCCCLIX) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar). ...

Civil War and aftermath

During the Civil War, he enlisted in the Union Army, serving first with the 20th Illinois Volunteers. At the Battle of Shiloh, he lost most of one arm when struck by a musket ball. The raw nerve endings in his arm would continue to cause him pain the rest of his life. Despite the loss of an arm, he returned to the army and was present at Champion Hill and Big Black River Bridge. Further medical attention to his arm did little to slow him; he was made a major and served as chief of artillery with the 17th Army Corps. In 1862 he married Emma Dean. Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action, 258,000 total... In this map: Union states prohibiting slavery Union territories Border states on the Union side which allowed slavery Kansas, which entered and fought with the Union as a free state after the Bleeding Kansas crisis The Confederacy Confederate claimed and sometimes held territories During the American Civil War, the Union... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders Ulysses S. Grant Don Carlos Buell Albert Sidney Johnstonâ€ P.G.T. Beauregard Strength Army of West Tennessee (48,894) and Army of the Ohio (17,918) Army of Mississippi (44,699) Casualties 13,047 (1,754 killed, 8,408... The Minie ball is a type of ordnance. ... Nerves (yellow) Nerves redirects here. ... Grants Operations against Vicksburg The Battle of Champion Hill, or Bakers Creek, fought May 16, 1863, was the pivotal battle in the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. ... Grants Operations against Vicksburg The Battle of Big Black River Bridge, or Big Black, fought May 17, 1863, was part of the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. ... Major is a military rank the use of which varies according to country. ... XVII Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War. ...

After leaving the Army he took the post of professor of geology at the Illinois Wesleyan University. He also lectured at Illinois Normal University, helping found the Illinois Museum of Natural History, where he served as the curator, but declined a permanent appointment in favor of exploration of the American West. This article includes a list of works cited but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Ames Library, located on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington. ... Illinois State University (usually abbreviated as ISU) is a public university in Normal, Illinois. ... A curator of a cultural heritage institution (e. ...

Expeditions

From 1867 he led a series of expeditions into the Rocky Mountains and around the Green and Colorado rivers. In 1869 he set out to explore the Colorado and the Grand Canyon. He gathered nine men, four boats and food for ten months and set out from Green River, Wyoming on May 24. Passing through dangerous rapids, the group passed down the Green River to its confluence with the Colorado River (then also known as the Grand River upriver from the junction), near present-day Moab, Utah. The expedition's route traveled through the Utah canyons of the Colorado River, which Powell described in his published diary as having …wonderful features—carved walls, royal arches, glens, alcove gulches, mounds and monuments. From which of these features shall we select a name? We decide to call it Glen Canyon. Although the area was already populated by many busty babes. One man (Goodman) quit after the first month and another three (Dunn and the Howland brothers) left at Separation Rapid in the third, only two days before the group reached the mouth of the Virgin River on August 30, after traversing almost 1,500 km. The three who left the group late in the trip were later killed; exactly how and why they died remains a mystery debated by Powell biographers. Powell retraced the route in 1871-1872 with another expedition, producing photographs, an accurate map, and various papers. Image File history File links John_Wesley_Powell_year_1869. ... Image File history File links John_Wesley_Powell_year_1869. ... Paiute women and children in Yosemite Valley 1891. ... 1867 (MDCCCLXVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Rockies may also refer to the National League Baseball team, the Colorado Rockies. ... The Green River, a tributary of the Colorado, is shown highlighted on a map of the western United States. ... Colorado River in the Grand Canyon from Desert View The Colorado River is a river in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately 1,450 mi (2,333 km) long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. ... Green River is a city in southwestern Wyoming in Sweetwater County. ... May 24 is the 144th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (145th in leap years). ... Moab is a city in Grand County, Utah, United States. ... Glen Canyon, in southeastern and south central Utah and northwestern Arizona within the Vermilion Cliffs area, was carved by two rivers, the Colorado River and the San Juan River. ... The Virgin River, a tributary of the Colorado, is shown highlighted on a map of the southwestern United States The Virgin River is a tributary of the Colorado River, 200 mi (322 km) long, in the southwestern United States. ... August 30 is the 242nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (243rd in leap years), with 123 days remaining. ... 1871 (MDCCCLXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1872 (MDCCCLXXII) was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ...

After the Colorado

In 1881 he became the second director of the US Geological Survey, a post he held until 1894. He was also the director of the Bureau of Ethnology at the Smithsonian Institution until his death. In 1895 he published a book based on his explorations of the Colorado originally titled Canyons of the Colorado, now known as The exploration of the Colorado River and its canyons. Powell was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) is a scientific agency of the United States government. ... The Bureau of American Ethnology was founded in 1879 and produced a series of annual reports on Ethnology and Linguistics. ... The Smithsonian Institution Building or Castle on the National Mall serves as the Institutions headquarters. ... [[ Historical Information Arlington National Cemetery Section 27 Facts Pvt. ...

As an ethnologist and early anthropologist, Powell subscribed to a particularly rigid form of cultural evolutionary theory. In his writings, he divided all societies into "Savages," "Barbarians," and "Civilizations." For the savages, Powell clearly had in mind the Native Americans he encountered in his travels; for the barbarians he probably was thinking of the Huns and other European chiefdoms that had conquered Rome in antiquity. By civilization, Powell clearly had his own society in mind. In his view, all societies naturally progressed toward civilization; those who had not achieved industrialization had not fulfilled their potential. His view is held as typical of the nineteenth-century cultural evolutionists and is now wholeheartedly rejected by anthropologists. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (667x805, 666 KB)This 3D image requires RED-CYAN plastic or paper glasses to see 3D stereo effect. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (667x805, 666 KB)This 3D image requires RED-CYAN plastic or paper glasses to see 3D stereo effect. ... Image File history File links 3d_glasses_red_cyan. ... Anthropolology (from the Greek word , man or person+knowledge) consists of the study of humanity (see genus Homo). ... Cultural evolution is the structural change of a society and its values over time. ... Cities are a major hallmark of human civilization. ... Native Americans are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska. ... A chiefdom is any community led by an individual known as a chief. ...

Lake Powell, a huge reservoir formed by the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam, is named after him. Lake Powell is a man-made reservoir on the Colorado River, straddling the border between Utah and Arizona. ... Glen Canyon Dam on 19 June 2005. ...

References

Edward Dolnick is an American writer, formerly the chief science writer at the Boston Globe. ... Wallace Earle Stegner (1909-1993) was an American novelist and environmentalist. ... Flag of the National Geographic Society The National Geographic Society, is a not-for-profit scientific organization based in the United States. ...

Trivia

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) is one of the largest media and entertainment corporations in the world. ... The Ozark Mountain Daredevils were a music group from the 1960s and 1970s. ... The Colorado River from the bottom of Marble Canyon, in the Upper Grand Canyon Colorado River in the Grand Canyon from Desert View The Colorado River from Laughlin The Colorado River is a river in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately 1,450 mi (2,330 km) long... South Park is an American, Emmy Award-winning animated television comedy series about four fourth grade school boys who live in the small town of South Park, Colorado. ... Simpsons redirects here. ...

External links

Categories: 1834 births | 1902 deaths | American explorers | Explorers of North America | American geologists | Smithsonian Institution people | Burials at Arlington National Cemetery | Oberlin College alumni | People of Illinois in the American Civil War | United States Geological Survey | Early Grand Canyon river runners Project Gutenberg logo Project Gutenberg (often abbreviated as PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize, archive, and distribute cultural works via book scanning. ... Ames Library, located on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington. ... Page is a city located in Coconino County, Arizona near Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell. ... Image File history File links Commons-logo. ...

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