Since we left the Colorado Chiquito we have seen no evidences that the
tribe of Indians inhabiting the plateaus on either side ever come down
to the river; but about eleven o'clock to-day we discover an Indian
garden at the foot of the wall on the right, just where a little stream
with a narrow flood plain comes down through a side canyon. Along the
valley the Indians have planted corn, using for irrigation the water
which bursts out in springs at the foot of the cliff. The corn is
looking quite well, but it is not sufficiently advanced to give us
roasting ears; but there are some nice green squashes. We carry ten or a
dozen of these on board our boats and hurriedly leave, not willing to be
caught in the robbery, yet excusing ourselves by pleading our great
want. -from "August 26" Sometimes published under the name The
Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons, but more properly
known by its original title, Canyons of the Colorado is the gripping
personal account of the first navigation of the Colorado River, in 1869,
by the man who led the journey. American geologist and explorer JOHN
WESLEY POWELL (1834-1902), head of the Powell Geographic Expedition and
later director of the U.S. Geological Survey, here regales us with the
thrilling tale of the ten-man team and its assignment to map the last
unmapped regions of the western territories of the United States. The
highlight of their three-month trip: the first known river journey
through the wildness of the Grand Canyon. This replica of the 1895
edition includes all the original halftone illustrations. A classic of
real-life adventure literature, it continues to captivate armchair
explorers today.
