Powell150
150th Anniversary of the 1869 Powell Expedition
Welcome to the Powell150 education and outreach site!
2019 Expedition, Then and Now
For information about the 1869 and 2019 Colorado River Exploring Expeditions, follow this link.
MoreUSGS Science Today
To learn more about the science USGS is doing today, including experiments along the route, click here.
Click HereLessons and Activities
For lessons and activities that are related to rivers and John Wesley Powell, click here.
Click HereIn 2019, the USGS Youth & Education in Science (YES) team marked the 150th anniversary of the first John Wesley Powell expedition down ~1000 miles of the Green & Colorado rivers with a national-scale educational project known as "Powell150." Educational resources about the science along the rivers and a social media campaign around the theme of exploration were developed to engage youth and the public. The project included a partnership with the Sesquicentennial Colorado River Exploring Expedition (SCREE) where small groups of interdisciplinary USGS staff participated in a trip down Powell's path, sharing their experiences online and with their local communities after their time on the river.
The USGS continues to do important science along this river system today, and to contribute information to decision-makers who are working to manage the river basin as a resource for water, recreation, and power in Western states. The focus of the education and outreach efforts surrounding the Powell150 Expedition is to inform and engage the public around the geology and ecology of rivers in general and this river system in particular and to raise public awareness of the natural resources of the Colorado River Basin and USGS science.
While the USGS marked this occasion as an opportunity to highlight the science of the Colorado River Basin, it’s important to note that indigenous people have inhabited the area for over 15,000 years, and tribes in the 19th century had a great deal of knowledge about the river and ecosystems of their homeland. Western migration by white settlers brought conflict and devastating consequences to Native peoples and their natural and cultural resources. In acknowledgment of this, we listened to Native American perspectives on river science, including traditional cultural practices, during community outreach events and discussions throughout the expedition.
Related Content
The Powell-Ingalls Special Commission meeting with Southern Paiutes
The Powell-Ingalls Special Commission meeting with Southern Paiutes near St. George. Standing figure at far left is Major John Wesley Powell - note empty shirt sleeve.
Major John Wesley Powell talking to a Paiute Indian
Major John Wesley Powell talking to a Paiute Indian, northern Arizona Survey, Arizona. circa 1869.
"Emma Dean"
Major John Wesley Powell's boat, the Emma Dean, moored on a bank of the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon.
John Wesley Powell's Swivel Chair
This swivel chair is an original and is believed to have been used by John Wesley Powell. Object ID: USGS-575126
John Wesley Powell Monument
John Wesley Powell Monument. Arlington Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia. 1968.
John Powell, Wild Hank Sharp, Kentucky Mountain Bill, and Jesus Alviso
Typed information on back of photograph: Studio portrait in partial Navajo costume. Left to right: Mjaor J.W. Powell, Wild Hank Sharp, Kentucky Mountian Bill, and Jesus Alviso. Apparently taken in the same studio and year as Navajo Delegation photographs of 1874. National Archives No. 64-1N-201.
John Wesley Powell and party in the Grand Canyon
Painting by Henry C. Pitz showing John Wesley Powell and his party going through the Grand Canyon, presumably during the historic 1869 Colorado River expedition. The 1869 expedition gave to Powell and his party the distinction of being the first to travel the entire distance of the Colorado River, a remarkable feat that many had formerly believed impossible. A curious
...Green River, below Union Pacific Railroad bridge, Utah
Green River, about 1/2 mile below Union Pacific Railroad bridge, showing boats soon after they had been run down from unloading at bridge. River flows to the left. 1871. Handwritten notes on back of duplicate photograph: Our Boats, 1871, at Green River, Wyoming.
The first camp of Powell's Second Expedition
The first camp of Powell's Second Expedition. Shown from left to right are: Professor Almon Harris Thompson, Andrew Hattan, S.V. Jones, John F. Steward, W.C. Powell, Frank C.A. Richardson, Frederick Dellenbaugh, and F.M. Bishop. Green River, Wyoming. May 4, 1871.
The famous Powell armchair in Marble Canyon
The famous Powell armchair in Marble Canyon. Grand Canyon National Park. Coconino County, Arizona. August 20, 1872.
Boats in Colorado River, Marble Canyon, Coconino County, Arizona
Typed information on back of photograph: Marble Canyon, Colorado River, Utah. 1872. Side view of Major Powell's boat, the Emma Dean. Note: This photo shows clearly the two life preservers attached to sides of Major Powell's chair.
Lighthouse Rock in Canyon of Desolation
Lighthouse Rock in Canyon of Desolation, Green River. The three boats are anchored near shore on left side. Utah. August 11, 1871.
Boats of Powell's Second Expedition
Left bank of Green River. Boats of Powell's Second Expedition, before the start of the journey. The boats are "Canonita," "Emma Dean," and "Nellie Powell." Just below the Union Pacific Railroad bridge at Green River Station. The famous eleven of the Powell party were Andy Hattan, W. Clement Powell, S.V. Jones, Major John W. Powell, Frederick S. Dellenbaugh, Professor Almon
...The 150th anniversary of the 1869 Powell expedition—USGS participation in the Sesquicentennial Colorado River Exploring Expedition and reflections from the ~1,000-mile journey down the Green and Colorado Rivers
In 1869, John Wesley Powell completed the first well-recorded scientific river journey to explore an extensive region of the Colorado River Basin. Powell later helped to establish the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and served as its second director (1881–94), cementing his position in the folklore of the Survey. In 2019, the USGS marked the 150th...
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One hundred years ago John Wesley Powell and nine adventure-seeking companions completed the first exploration of the dangerous and almost uncharted canyons of the Green and Colorado Rivers. By this trip, Powell, a 35-year old teacher of natural history, apparently unhampered by the lack of his right forearm (amputated after the Battle of Shiloh)...
John Wesley Powell and the anthropology of the Canyon Country
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A century ago John Wesley Powell-teacher, scientist, and veteran of the Civil War-set out to explore the unknown reaches of the Colorado River. He emerged from the forbidding canyons with a compelling interest in the nature of the western lands and how they could be developed for the greatest benefit to the Nation. A man gifted with imagination,...
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In the middle decades of the 19th century, American science matured rather rapidly. The general scholar with an interest in natural history gave place to the specialist in a particular science, and the various sciences themselves became distinct from each other and from the general body of knowledge. The geological sciences made especially rapid...
Rabbitt, Mary C.Stratified rocks of the Grand Canyon: Chapter B in The Colorado River region and John Wesley Powell (Professional Paper 669)
The record of the earth's history in the walls of the Grand Canyon has been deciphered through hard work by many people during the past 100 years. Much still remains unsolved. John Wesley Powell's contributions were of a pioneering type, though he was not the first to discuss the rocks of the Grand Canyon. Far more important than his own...
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Leopold, Luna Bergere