"The canyons of the Green and Colorado Rivers are the last great unknown in America. We plan to make them known."
 |
The River is Mine: John Wesley Powell's 1869 exploration
of the Green and Colorado Rivers and the Grand Canyon by Ardian Gill Local Color Press
book review by L.A. Webb
On May 24, 1869, one of America's greatest adventures began. John Wesley Powell, a one-armed Civil War Major, and nine other men began a 1,000 mile journey to map and explore the Green and Colorado Rivers. It was a journey no man had successfully completed. They were warned that if the river didn't swallow them up, the Indians would probably kill them. The explorers were not deterred, only emboldened.
With three specially constructed boats and a few supplies, the men left Green River City. They quickly found out the river would be anything but kind. At times, the river would roar like a locomotive. Running the rapids was out of the question. They would have to portage the cargo and line the boats. Dwindling supplies and the never-ending torment the river provided frayed nerves while tensions continued to build. It all ended three months later at the mouth of Rio Virgen, when six half-starved men, feared dead, emerged.
Gill has created a compelling fictionalized account of the Powell expedition. Relying on the actual diaries and letters the crewmen kept, while adding a little artistic license along the way, he has crafted a story that will keep readers riveted. Told from the viewpoint of Sergeant George Young Bradley, one of the crew, readers are given a front row seat to the struggles and triumphs of the expedition. Gill evokes the sheer beauty of this unforgiving desert landscape with his vivid descriptions, while showing how determination and perseverance can cause men to achieve greatness no one thought was possible.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review