John Wesley Powell: A Chronology
|
| 1834 |
John Wesley Powell is born on March 24 in Mount Morris, New York, the
second son of Joseph and Mary Powell. |
| 1838 |
 The family moves from New York to Southern Ohio in the late spring. |
| 1846 |
Joseph moves his family to Walworth County, Wisconsin. |
| 1851 |
Joseph sells his Wisconsin land and buys property in
Illinois. |
| 1852 |
John gets a teaching job at a school in Jefferson County. |
| 1855 |
Makes his first of many exploring and collecting trips, crossing
Illinois to the Mississippi. He meets his 18-year-old cousin Emma Dean. |
| 1857 |
Attends Oberlin, a socially liberal institution, well-known for
its stance against slavery. He studies Greek, Latin and Botany. |
| 1861 |
The Confederacy fires on Fort Sumter on April 14.
Enlists to fight in the Civil War on May 8.
On June 13, promoted to second lieutenant to fill vacancy caused by the
resignation of the company commander.
 In November, asks General Grant to give him a leave of absence to marry
his first cousin Emma Dean at her family home in Detroit. She returns with him
to the war. |
| 1862 |
Shortly after 4pm on April 6, during the Battle of Shiloh, John Wesley
Powell raises his right arm to signal fire. A minie-ball strikes
him in the wrist.
 Doctors decide to amputate Powell's arm. He determines to
remain in active service if his wife could accompany him wherever he goes.
Leaves front lines at the end of August on a six-month recruiting mission.
Homestead Act passed, giving settlers the right to claim free land. |
| 1863 |
April 16 - July 4: Takes part in the Battle of Vicksburg. He calls
the siege "the forty hardest days of my life."
 Takes two months leave from the army during July and August to have a second
operation in Detroit on his arm. While convalescing in Detroit he is notified
of his promotion to the rank of major in the seventeenth Army Corps. |
| 1864 |
Confederate troops capture brother Walter in Atlanta on July 22. He
escapes from a Confederate prison hospital, but is recaptured. He struggles to
recover mentally and physically, but remains disturbed by his war experiences
for the rest of his life. |
| 1865 |
January 4: Decides that due to his disability he should resign from the
army. He submits a letter requesting discharge.
February 28: Submits a declaration of "total and permanent disability"
with the pension agency in Detroit.
 John Wilkes Booth assassinates President Abraham Lincoln on April 14.
May 1: Travels to Chicago to greet Lincoln's funeral train.
Accepts a job at Illinois Wesleyan University as a Professor
of Geology. |
| 1867 |
March 26: Named curator of the Illinois Natural History Society at a
salary of $1,500 a year.
 Sets off on his first scientific expedition to Colorado on June 1. His
wife Emma is one of the party of 12. On this trip she becomes the first woman
to climb Pike's Peak. |
| 1868 |
June: Sets off on his second expedition with a party of 23 that
includes his wife Emma and brother Walter. |
| 1869 |
May - August: Leads his first expedition down the Green and Colorado
Rivers.
Has become a national hero. He goes on the lecture circuit,
visiting Denver, Chicago and New York. |
| 1870 |
Publishes his first account of his Colorado River expedition in "New
Tracks in North America." |
| 1871 |
Gives the Bagley Boat Yard in Chicago an order for three
boats of an improved design.
 Sets off on a second expedition down the Green and Colorado
Rivers on May 22. This time his brother-in-law is second-in-command. He also brings
along photographer E. O. Beaman.
On July 7, while picking up supplies at an Indian Reservation, Powell discovers
his wife Emma is ill. He leaves immediately to see her.
He returns to camp on July 26.
Powell's only child, Mary Dean Powell is born in Salt Lake
City on September 8. |
| 1872 |
Resigns from his teaching position and moves to Washington D.C. |
| 1878 |
 Writes a report to the Secretary of the Interior on the arid region of
the U.S. and suggests a new plan for settling Western territories. |
| 1879 |
Helps set up the U.S. Geological Survey. In 1991, it completes its
project of providing 54,000 topographic maps of the U.S.
Smithsonian Institution sets up the Bureau of Ethnology, which he
directs for 23 years. |
| 1881 |
Becomes the director of the U.S. Geological Survey. |
| 1888 |
Powell is one of 33 men to found the National Geographic
Society.
 Senator William Stewart of Nevada pushes a resolution through
Senate authorizing Powell to do a survey of potential dam sites in the West.
|
| 1891 |
Following attacks on Powell from Senator William Stewart, Congress
slashes Powell's budget and eliminates his irrigation survey. |
| 1894 |
 On May 4, writes a letter of resignation as Director of the Geological
Survey to the President of the U.S. He then withdraws from public life. |
| 1902 |
With his wife and daughter at his side, John Wesley Powell
dies at his home in Maine on September 3. He is 68 years old. |
