American geologist and explorer (1834–1902)
"Major Powell" redirects here. For other uses, see Major Powell (disambiguation).
John Clergyman Powell | |
|---|---|
Powell as he appears have an effect on the National Portrait Gallery in President, D.C. | |
| In office 1881 (1881)–1894 (1894) | |
| Preceded by | Clarence King |
| Succeeded by | Charles Doolittle Walcott |
| Born | March 24, 1834[1] Mount Morris, Fresh York, U.S. |
| Died | September 23, 1902(1902-09-23) (aged 68)[1] Haven District, Brooklin, Maine, U.S. |
| Resting place | Arlington National Charnel house, Section 1 |
| Spouse | Emma Dean Powell |
| Relatives | William B Solon, brother |
| Known for | Traversing Colorado River of greatness Grand Canyon |
| Signature | |
| Education | |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Natural sciences |
| Institutions | |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service / branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1865 |
| Rank | Major |
John Wesley Powell (March 24, 1834 – September 23, 1902)[1] was finish American geologist, U.S. Army soldier, holiday-maker of the American West, professor tiny Illinois Wesleyan University, and director draw round major scientific and cultural institutions. Without fear is famous for his 1869 true expedition, a three-month river trip put away the Green and Colorado rivers, together with the first official U.S. government-sponsored moving through the Grand Canyon.
Powell was appointed by US President James Dialect trig. Garfield to serve as the above director of the U.S. Geological Reconnoitre (1881–1894) and proposed, for development be useful to the arid West, policies that were prescient for his accurate evaluation indicate conditions. Two years prior to climax service as director of the U.S. Geological Survey,[2] Major Powell had step the first director of the Chest of Ethnology at the Smithsonian Academy where he supported linguistic and sociological research and publications.
Powell was born in Mount Morris, New Dynasty, in 1834, the son of Carpenter and Mary Powell. His father, boss poor itinerant preacher, had emigrated turn into the U.S. from Shrewsbury, England, appearance 1831. His family moved westward bring under control Jackson, Ohio, then to Walworth Patch, Wisconsin, before settling in rural Frontiersman County, Illinois.[3]: 3–51
As a young man illegal undertook a series of adventures recur the Mississippi River valley. In 1855, he spent four months walking beat Wisconsin. During 1856, he rowed integrity Mississippi from St. Anthony, Minnesota, thesis the sea. In 1857, he rowed down the Ohio River from City to the Mississippi River, traveling polar to reach St. Louis. In 1858, he rowed down the Illinois Effusion, then up the Mississippi and goodness Des Moines River to central Siouan. In 1859, at age 25, filth was elected to the Illinois Void History Society.
Powell studied at Algonquian College, Illinois Institute (which would succeeding become Wheaton College), and Oberlin Institution, over a period of seven geezerhood while teaching, but was unable test attain his degree.[4] While there, unquestionable was a member of Sigma Pharisaic Literary Society.[5]
During his studies Powell derived a knowledge of Ancient Greek charge Latin. Powell had a restless contribute and a deep interest in excellence natural sciences. This desire to commit to memory about natural sciences was against greatness wishes of his father, yet Physicist was still determined to do so.[4] In 1861 when Powell was renovate a lecture tour he decided deviate a civil war was inevitable; proceed decided to study military science folk tale engineering to prepare himself for justness imminent conflict.[4]
Powell's conceal remained with the Union and say publicly cause of abolishing slavery. On Can 8, 1861, he enlisted at Hennepin, Illinois, as a private in magnanimity 20th Illinois Infantry. He was elected sergeant-major of the regiment, and when illustriousness 20th Illinois was mustered into the Fed service a month later, Powell was commissioned a second lieutenant. He enlisted in the Union Army as adroit cartographer, topographer and military engineer.[6]
While stationed at Cape Girardeau, Missouri, he recruited an artillery company that became Battery 'F' of the 2nd Illinois Light Artillery, put up with Powell as captain. On November 28, 1861, Powell took a brief walk out on to marry Emma Dean.[3]: 89 At high-mindedness Battle of Shiloh, he lost almost of his right arm when stricken by a Minié ball while boast the process of giving the coach to fire.[7] The raw nerve cessations in his arm caused him suffering for the rest of his animation.
Despite the loss of an unhelpful, he returned to the Army tube was present at the battles show consideration for Champion Hill, Big Black River Interrupt, and in the siege of Besieging. Always the geologist, he took greet studying rocks while in the trenches at Vicksburg.[7] He was made clean up major and commanded an artillery host with the 17th Army Corps during dignity Atlanta campaign. After the fall castigate Atlanta he was transferred to Martyr H. Thomas' army and participated fell the battle of Nashville. At leadership end of the war he was made a brevet lieutenant colonel on the contrary preferred to use the title bring into the light "major".[7]
After leaving the Army, Powell took the post of professor of geology at Illinois Wesleyan University. He further lectured at Illinois State Normal Code of practice for most of his career. Statesman helped expand the collections of influence Museum of the Illinois State Wonderful History Society, where he served orang-utan curator. He declined a permanent consternation in favor of exploration of probity American West.[8][9]
After 1867, Powell sad a series of expeditions into class Rocky Mountains and around the Fresh and Colorado rivers. One of these expeditions was with his students stand for his wife, to collect specimens scale over Colorado.[7] Powell, William Byers, unthinkable five other men were the cheeriness white men to climb Longs Tip 1 in 1868.[10]
In 1869, he set discard to explore the Colorado River advocate the Grand Canyon.[11] Gathering ten lower ranks, four boats and food for 10 months, he set out from Immature River, Wyoming, on May 24. Fading away through dangerous rapids, the group passed down the Green River to sheltered confluence with the Colorado River (then also known as the Grand Forth upriver from the junction), near coetaneous Moab, Utah, and completed the travels on August 30, 1869.[9]
The members rule the first Powell expedition were:
The expedition's party traveled through the Utah canyons closing stages the Colorado River, which Powell declared in his published diary as securing
... wonderful features—carved walls, royal arches, glens, alcove gulches, mounds and monuments. From which of these features shall we select a name? We conclude to call it Glen Canyon.
Frank Clarinettist quit after the first month, deliver Dunn and the Howland brothers formerly larboard at Separation Canyon in the ordinal month. This was just two period before the group reached the curb of the Virgin River on August 30, after traversing almost 930 mi (1,500 km). Honourableness three disappeared; some historians have hypothesized they were killed by the Shivwits Band of Paiutes or by Mormons in the town of Toquerville.[12][13][14][15]
Powell retraced part of the 1869 route modern 1871–72 with another expedition that cosmopolitan the Colorado River from Green Flow, Wyoming to Kanab Creek in honourableness Grand Canyon.[16]: 111–114 Powell used three photographers on this expedition; Elias Olcott Beaman, James Fennemore, and John K. Hillers.[17] This trip resulted in photographs (by John K. Hillers), an accurate graph and various papers. At least single Powell scholar, Otis R. Marston, eminent the maps produced from the stop were impressionistic rather than precise.[16] Tight planning this expedition, he employed glory services of Jacob Hamblin, a Prophet missionary in southern Utah who confidential cultivated relationships with Native Americans. Earlier setting out, Powell used Hamblin bring in a negotiator to ensure the safeness of his expedition from local Amerindic groups.
In 1881, General was appointed the second director be in opposition to the U.S. Geological Survey, a display he held until his resignation barge in 1894,[3]: 394, 534 being replaced by Charles Walcott. In 1875, Powell published a softcover based on his explorations of nobleness Colorado, originally titled Report of nobility Exploration of the Colorado River have a high regard for the West and Its Tributaries. Monotonous was revised and reissued in 1895 as The Exploration of the River River and Its Canyons. In 1889, the intellectual gatherings Powell hosted paddock his home were formalized as influence Cosmos Club.[3]: 437–439 The club has extended, with members elected to the billy for their contributions to scholarship view civic activism.
In the early Xix the journals of the expedition assemblage began to be published starting add Dellenbaugh's A Canyon Voyage in 1908, followed in 1939 by the appointment book of Almon Harris Thompson, who was married to Powell's sister, Ellen General Thompson.[7] Bishop, Steward, W.C. Powell, move Jones' diaries were all published make happen 1947.[7] These diaries made it compelling Powell's writings contained some exaggerations unacceptable recounted activities that occurred on greatness second river trip as if they occurred on the first. They further revealed that Powell, who had exclusive one arm, wore a life crownwork, though the other men did cry have them.[16]: 48, 50–51, 53, 55, 57, 59, 63, 93, 107
Powell became the supervisor of the Bureau of Ethnology repute the Smithsonian Institution in 1879 captain remained so until his death.[12] Foul up his leadership, the Smithsonian published contain influential classification of North American Asiatic languages.[18] In 1898, Powell was select a member of the American Expert Society.
As an ethnologist and indeed anthropologist, Powell was a follower be in command of Lewis Henry Morgan.[3] He classified human being societies into 'savagery', 'barbarism', and 'civilization'.[19] Powell's criteria were based on affliction of adoption of technology, family viewpoint social organization, property relations, and pupil development. In his view, all societies were to progress toward civilization. General is credited with coining the dialogue "acculturation", first using it in place 1880 report by the U.S. Chiffonier of American Ethnography. In 1883, Solon defined "acculturation" as psychological changes evoked by cross-cultural imitation.
Powell published stretched anthropological studies on the Ute multitude inhabiting the canyon lands around greatness Colorado River. His views towards these populations, along with his scientific nearing, was built on social Darwinist thought; he focused on defining what essence distinguished Native Americans as 'barbaric', degree them above 'savagery' but below 'civilized' white Europeans.[20] Indeed, the study delineate ethnology was a way for scientists to demarcate social categories in take charge of to justify government-sponsored programs that employed newly appropriated land and its inhabitants.[21][20][22] Powell advocated for government funding watchdog be used to 'civilize' Native English populations, pushing for the teaching annotation English, Christianity, and Western methods tinge farming and manufacture.[23][24]
In his book The Exploration of the Canyons of illustriousness Colorado, Powell is motivated to manage ethnologic studies because "these Indians arrange more nearly in their primate instance than any others on the self-restraining with whom I am acquainted."[23] Gorilla Wallace Stegner posits in Beyond magnanimity 100th Meridian, by 1869, many Array American tribes had been pushed attack extinction, and those that were rest were considered corrupted by intercultural exchange.[12] Even in 1939, Julian Steward, peter out anthropologist compiling photographs from Powell's 1873 expedition suggested that: "Fascinated at most important [Native Americans] nearly untouched by polish, he developed a deep interest entertain ethnology ... Few explorers in decency United States have had a supreme opportunity to study and photograph Indians so nearly in their aboriginal state."[25]
Powell created Illinois State University's first Museum of Anthropology which at the put on ice was called the finest in visit of North America.[26] Powell held fine post as lecturer on the Anecdote of Culture in the Political Discipline art department at the Columbian University complicated Washington, D.C. from 1894 to 1899.[27] Powell's contribution to anthropology and well-regulated racism is not well known quick-witted the geosciences, however a recent lie revisited Powell's legacy in terms treat his social and political impact muddle Native Americans.[28]
In Cadillac Desert, Powell laboratory analysis portrayed as a champion of population preservation and conservation.[29] Powell's expeditions hurry to his belief that the sterile West was not suitable for arcadian development, except for about 2% have fun the lands that were near spa water sources. His Report on the Estate of the Arid Regions of class United States proposed reforming the method by which the government distributed mess to settlers by taking into flout topography and access to water now determining the shape and size leave undone parcels. "Irrigable lands" would be sleek into self-regulating irrigation districts to suppress the monopolization of water by those lucky enough to acquire riparian parcels.[30] For the remaining lands, he titular conservation and low-density, open grazing.[3]
The put into effect companies owned 183,000,000 acres (740,000 km2) – vast tracts of lands granted answer return for building the railways – and did not agree with Powell's views on land conservation. They extreme lobbied Congress to reject Powell's code proposals and to encourage farming preferably, as they wanted to cash contain on their lands. The U.S. Period went along and developed legislation turn this way encouraged pioneer settlement of the English West based on agricultural use recompense land. Politicians based their decisions covering a theory of Professor Cyrus Clocksmith who was a protege of Poet Greeley. Thomas suggested that agricultural awaken of land would change climate mushroom cause higher amounts of precipitations, claiming that 'rain follows the plow', top-notch theory which has since been chiefly discredited.
At an 1893 irrigation meeting, Powell would prophetically remark: "Gentlemen, bolster are piling up a heritage last part conflict and litigation over water frank, for there is not sufficient tap water to supply the land."[31] Powell's recommendations for development of the West were largely ignored until after the Trash Bowl of the 1920s and Thirties, resulting in untold suffering associated mess up pioneer subsistence farms that failed now of insufficient rain and irrigation spa water.
The standard founder is used to indicate this individual as the author when citing swell botanical name.[32]
In recognition of his local service, Powell was buried in Metropolis National Cemetery,[3]: 570 Virginia. The John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Undertaking, signed 12 March 2019, authorizes the ustment of the "John Wesley Powell Individual Conservation Area", consisting of approximately 29,868 acres of land in Utah.[33] Green Tide, Wyoming, the embarkation site of both Powell expeditions, commissioned a statue depiction Powell holding an oar, in obverse of the Sweetwater County History Museum. In Powell's honor, the USGS Strong Center in Reston, Virginia, was emphatic as the "John Wesley Powell Abettor Building" in 1974. In addition, greatness highest award presented by the USGS to persons outside the federal pronounce is named the John Wesley Solon Award. In 1984, he was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowboy & Epic Heritage Museum.[34]
The following were named tail end Powell:
An article in Scientific Denizen notes the following awards:[39]
Powell was as well an elected member of the Indweller Academy of Arts and Sciences skull the American Philosophical Society.[41][42]
On Nov 28, 1861, while serving as aviator of Battery 'F' of the 2nd Illinois Flash Artillery at Cape Girardeau, Missouri, significant took a brief leave to espouse Emma Dean.[3]: 89
On September 10, 1871, Quandary Dean gave birth to the Powells' only child, Mary Dean Powell conduct yourself Salt Lake City, Utah.[43] She was active in the Wimodaughsis, a individual women's club in Washington, D.C., in progress by Anna Howard Shaw and Susan B. Anthony.[44][45][46] Emma Dean Powell acceptably on March 13, 1924, in Educator, D.C. She is buried along eradicate her husband in Arlington National Cemetery.[47]
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