A recent, two-day, John Wesley Powell symposium hosted by the Glen Canyon Lecture Series partners brought together academic scholars, interpreters and the general public in a wonderful shared experience. The two-day event featured numerous interpretative talks highlighted by an "On the River" experience through Glen Canyon in search of expedition river camps that were used on Powell’s second exploration of the Colorado River.

Led by in-costume river guides Frank Talbott and Mick Swapp, symposium participants floated the river and used actual Powell expedition maps provided by river historian Richard Quartaroli and the journal of Frederick Dellenbaugh to identify the locations of the second expedition’s October 19, 1871 noon camp and two overnight camps used above Lees Ferry.

John Wesley Powell himself was not on this particular stretch of the river during the second expedition. He had previously left the river farther upstream in Glen Canyon at a site known as the "Crossing of the Fathers". Powell traveled to Kanab using Mormon supply guides, and then traveled on to Salt Lake City to visit his wife Emma Dean who had recently given birth to their only child, Mary Dean Powell.

The symposium participants learned these facts first hand from Powell’s wife, Emma Dean (portrayed by Pipe Spring National Monument ranger, Debbie Judd) as she spoke to the symposium audience in her flamboyant turn-of-the-century attire and her high-society, city of Detroit perspectives.

When the workshop attendees reached Lees Ferry, they were greeted by historical figure, Emma Lee, the wife of John Dee Lee. Participants were treated to lunch and a walking tour of the Lonely Dell Ranch, including a special tour of the Weaver Ranch House currently under restoration by Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

The symposium lectures included Gary Ladd, Arizona Highways photographer, who provided an excellent geologic perspective of the Grand and Glen Canyons and explained to the audience that the Grand Canyon was neither "old" nor "big", depending on the proper geologic perspective. Ladd began his talk contrasting the knowledge of geology during the Powell expeditions with our present day understanding of plate tectonics and the impact theory of mass species extinctions.

Harvey Leake, great-grandson of John Wetherill, contributed his historical knowledge of the discovery of the Mesa Verde ruins and the prevailing turn-of-the-century notion of "cultural evolution", which describes the apparent social progress from ‘savagery’ to "civilization". Powell subscribed to this ethnographic theory as was evident in his essays written late in his life.

The keynote address was provided by river historian Richard Quartaroli who discussed the Powell expedition’s astronomical observations (or lack there of) and their overland survey triangulation techniques. In his talk, Quartaroli made reference to the 1935 discovery of a rare and a valuable hand-written document left behind in a survey rock cairn located north of the Pipe Spring fort. A copy of the survey note is on file at the John Wesley Powell Museum.

© 2008 Powell Symposium
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