John Wesley Powell

1. John Wesley Powell March 24, 1834 – September 23, 1902

2. Early Life • He was born in Mount Morris, New York in 1834. • He was born to Joseph Powell, a poor preacher, and Mary Powell • His family moved a lot when he was young. They moved from Ohio to Wisconsin to Illinois • He attended Illinois College , Wheaton College, and Oberlin College, acquiring the knowledge of Ancient Greek and Latin but he never graduated. He had a deeper interest in the natural sciences.

3. Life • Powell enrolled in the army and fought in the civil war in 1861 • A few months later, he married his first cousin, Emma Dean • In war, he hurt is arm bad and it was amputated. Because of this he resigned from the army • After leaving the Army, Powell accepted a short-lived appointment at Illinois Wesleyan University as a professor of geology

4. First Exploration • In May of 1869, Powell led his first exploration of the Green and Colorado Rivers (the areas now known as the Grand Canyon). • In 1870, Powell published the first account of the Colorado River expedition entitled “New Tracks in North America.“ • He also led series of expeditions into the Rocky Mountains and around the Green and Colorado rivers

5. Literary Works • The Most Sublime Spectacle On Earth -This poem describes all the things that he saw in the Grand Canyon that were beautiful • The Canyons of the Colorado -a somewhat romanticized account of the first expedition through the Grand Canyon • He also wrote a book called The Exploration of the Colorado River and its Canyons -he wrote this book describing all of his accounts during his journeys

6. Death • Powell died from a cerebral hemorrhage at his summer home in Haven, Maine, Sept. 23, 1902 • Powell is buried in the Arlington Cemetery