Explore the real-world places that appear in Major Impossible by Hale, Nathan. Each location on the map shows what happens there in the novel, the real history of the place, and what's there today. Featured locations include Green River Launch Site, Flaming Gorge, Lodore Canyon and Disaster Falls, Echo Park, Gunnison Valley and Desolation Canyon and 7 more.
Green River, Wyoming — Where the 1869 expedition set out
On May 24, 1869, Major John Wesley Powell and nine men push off in four wooden boats: the Emma Dean, Kitty Clyde's Sister, Maid of the Canyon, and No Name. Powell sits in a chair lashed to the Emma Dean, his one arm ready on the oar. The crew includes his brother Walter Powell, Jack Sumner, and Bill Dunn. This is the cheerful, overconfident start of the voyage.
Green River was a Union Pacific railroad town on the newly completed transcontinental line. It served as the practical launching point for Powell's 1869 expedition down the Green and Colorado Rivers.
Green River is a small Wyoming city with riverside parks. A monument and the Expedition Island park commemorate the Powell expeditions.
Visit: Expedition Island Park (park)
Wyoming–Utah border — Red cliffs at the canyon's entrance
Powell's party reaches the brilliant red walls of the first canyon and Powell christens it Flaming Gorge. The men marvel at the scenery while Powell, ever the geologist, studies the rock layers and takes notes. It is a peaceful moment before the rapids begin to test the crew.
Powell named Flaming Gorge in 1869 for its vivid red sandstone cliffs. A dam was completed in 1964, creating a reservoir that submerged much of the upper river.
Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area offers boating, fishing, and overlooks. The dam and reservoir are major attractions.
Visit: Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area (park)
Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado — Loss of the No Name
In Lodore Canyon the No Name, captained by Frank Goodman's fellow crew Jack Sumner's companions Bill Dunn, Seneca Howland, and Frank Goodman, smashes against rocks in the rapids at Disaster Falls. The boat is destroyed and a large share of the food and instruments is lost. The three men are stranded on an island and rescued by Powell's crew, who now face the trip with far fewer supplies.
Disaster Falls was named by Powell after the 1869 wreck of the No Name. Powell's second expedition in 1871 also passed through Lodore, which he named for a poem by Robert Southey.
Lodore Canyon is a popular whitewater rafting section within Dinosaur National Monument. Disaster Falls is a rapid that rafters still navigate with caution.
Visit: Dinosaur National Monument (park)
Confluence of the Green and Yampa Rivers — Camp and echoes
Powell's weary party camps in a peaceful bend where the canyon walls throw back echoes. The men shout and sing, enjoying a brief rest after the disaster in Lodore. Powell uses the pause to take measurements and plan the next stretch.
Echo Park was named by Powell for its striking echoes. In the 1950s, a proposed dam here sparked a major conservation battle that helped shape the American environmental movement.
Echo Park is a remote campground and scenic area in Dinosaur National Monument, reached by a long dirt road.
Visit: Echo Park, Dinosaur National Monument (park)
Utah — Long stretches of rough desert river
The party drifts through Desolation and Gray Canyons, where the walls rise and the desert heat bakes the men. Their supplies are moldy and rationed, and their flour is soaked and spoiled. Powell climbs cliffs to survey the land, risking his one arm on difficult ascents.
Powell named Desolation Canyon in 1869 for its remote, barren character. It remains one of the longest stretches of wild canyon in the American West.
Desolation Canyon is a popular multi-day rafting trip through Bureau of Land Management wilderness.
Visit: Desolation Canyon (landmark)
Canyonlands National Park, Utah — Where the rivers meet
In mid-July 1869, the expedition reaches the confluence where the Green meets the Grand River, which together form the Colorado. Powell is thrilled by the milestone and the party rests, repairs, and takes stock of the remaining supplies. Ahead lies the unknown Cataract Canyon and, beyond it, the Grand Canyon.
Powell's expedition recorded the confluence in 1869; the Grand River was later renamed the Colorado River in 1921. The area is now part of Canyonlands National Park.
The confluence can be viewed from Canyonlands overlooks, such as the Confluence Overlook trail, and by river trips.
Visit: Canyonlands National Park (park)
Utah — Violent rapids below the confluence
Below the confluence, the river plunges through Cataract Canyon, a gauntlet of roaring rapids. The men line and portage the boats, nearly drowning more than once, and the strain begins to wear on the crew. Powell keeps pushing the party onward while worrying about dwindling food and morale.
Powell named Cataract Canyon in 1869 for its dense series of rapids. Today the upper reaches are partly affected by Lake Powell's fluctuating water level.
Cataract Canyon offers some of the most thrilling whitewater in North America, run by commercial outfitters.
Visit: Cataract Canyon River Trips (tour)
Utah and Arizona — Calm, beautiful stretch before Marble Canyon
After the harrowing rapids, the party floats through the quiet red walls of Glen Canyon, which Powell names for its glens and side canyons. The men relax, hunt, and explore side canyons. It is a rare interlude of beauty and calm before the dark depths of the Grand Canyon.
Powell named Glen Canyon in 1869. The canyon was largely flooded after Glen Canyon Dam was completed in 1966, forming Lake Powell.
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Lake Powell offer boating, houseboating, and hiking. Glen Canyon Dam has a visitor center.
Visit: Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (park)
Arizona — Gateway to Marble Canyon and the Grand Canyon
The expedition passes the site that would later become Lees Ferry and enters Marble Canyon, where the walls rise ever higher. The river becomes faster and the men grow more anxious. Powell knows they are about to enter the Grand Canyon proper, with food nearly gone and no turning back.
Lees Ferry became a Colorado River crossing established by John D. Lee in the 1870s. It is the starting point for Colorado River miles in Grand Canyon river guides.
Lees Ferry is part of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, with a historic district, boat launch, and fishing access.
Visit: Lees Ferry Historic District (historic site)
Western Grand Canyon, Arizona — Where three men left
Fearing the next rapid is impassable, Oramel Howland, his brother Seneca's kin Frank... in fact Oramel Howland, Seneca Howland, and William Dunn abandon the expedition at what Powell names Separation Rapid. They climb out of the canyon on foot, while Powell and the others run the rapid safely. The three deserters are later killed, reportedly by Native people, a tragic end that haunts the story.
Separation Rapid was named by Powell in 1869 after the three men left the party. The site is now beneath or near the upper reach of Lake Mead's historic extents and is remote.
The area is within Lake Mead National Recreation Area and Grand Canyon-Parashant region, accessible only by river or remote routes.
Arizona — The heart of the 1869 expedition
Inside the Grand Canyon, Powell and his men battle enormous rapids, towering walls, rain, and hunger. Powell strapped to a chair in the boat and climbing cliffs with one arm shows his famous determination. The reader sees both the horror and the astonishing beauty of the canyon as the survivors struggle onward.
The Grand Canyon was carved by the Colorado River over millions of years. Powell's 1869 trip was among the first documented descents through the canyon by Americans.
Grand Canyon National Park draws millions of visitors every year, with rim viewpoints, trails, and river trips.
Visit: Grand Canyon National Park (park)
Near Lake Mead, Nevada — The expedition's end
On August 30, 1869, the six remaining explorers emerge from the canyon near the mouth of the Virgin River, where they meet Mormon settlers who had been looking for them. Ten men started and only six survived. Powell has become one of the most celebrated explorers in American history.
The Virgin River joins the Colorado near what is now Lake Mead. The expedition's end was reported across the country, since many had presumed Powell dead.
The area lies within Lake Mead National Recreation Area, and the old river mouth is largely submerged beneath the reservoir.
Visit: Lake Mead National Recreation Area (park)
More by Hale, Nathan: All Hale, Nathan books
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