Down the great unknown

Down The Great Unknown

May 11, 1869. A group of roughnecks gather in the dust bucket of Green River, Wyoming, waiting for their one-armed leader to take them down the last great mystery of the western United States; the Grand Canyon. 35-year-old John Wesley Powell arrives by train with four flat-bottomed, flat-ended boats with which the team will negotiate the uncharted waters of the Green and Colorado Rivers. They bring with them 10 months worth of coffee, flour, and other provisions for what will ultimately end up being about three months worth of traveling. Powell set out in hopes to chart and map the Grand Canyon in its entirety. The only way of doing this was by boat via the Colorado. The other men were mostly just looking for an adventure. These were knowledgeable, capable adventurers who seemed like they would be beyond Powell’s control, but for the most part, these men never questioned their leader.
For the crew, the adventure began on May 24, when the boats wer...