A river running west : the life of John Wesley Powell
(Book)

Includes bibliographical references (p. [611]-644) and index.

Intrepid explorer, careful scientist, talented writer, and dedicated conservationist, Powell led the expedition that put the Colorado River on American maps and revealed the Grand Canyon to the world. In A River Running West, Donald Worster tells the story of Powell's great adventures and describes his historical significance. Worster paints a vivid portrait of how this man emerged from the early nineteenth-century world of immigrants, fervent religion, and rough-and-tumble rural culture, and barely survived the Civil War battle at Shiloh. The heart of Worster's biography is Powell's epic journey down the Colorado in 1869, a tale of harrowing experiences, lethal accidents, and breathtaking discoveries. After years in the region collecting rocks and fossils and learning to speak the local Native American languages, Powell returned to Washington as an eloquent advocate for the West, one of America's first and most influential conservationists. But in the end, he fell victim to a clique of Western politicians who pushed for unfettered economic development, relegating the aging explorer to a quiet life of anthropological contemplation.

"Intrepid explorer, careful scientist, talented writer, and dedicated conservationist, John Wesley Powell led the expedition that put the Colorado River on American maps and revealed the Grand Canyon to the world. A River Running West is the first biography of this towering figure in almost fifty years - a book that captures his life in all its heroism, idealism, and ambivalent, ambiguous humanity." "Donald Worster re-creates Powell's great adventures and places them in rich historical context. Powell emerged from the early-nineteenth-century world of immigrants, fervent religion, and rough-and-tumble rural culture, and barely survived the Civil War battle at Shiloh. But nature, not war, would pose his greatest test of fortitude. Powell's epic journey down the Colorado River in 1869 unfurls at the heart of this book with memorable accounts of his harrowing experiences, lethal accidents, and breathtaking discoveries. After years in the region collecting rocks and fossils and learning to speak the local Native American languages, Powell returned to Washington as an eloquent advocate for the West, one of America's first and most influential conservationists. The conflict between Powell's urge to preserve the land and the forces pushing for unfettered economic development has continued down to our own day."--BOOK JACKET.