Notes

• "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