“John Wesley Powell . . . was one of the few who believed in evolution by endeavor and who fought for intelligent and scientific planning for the development of society. He believed that progress comes by increasing cooperation among men, and he dreamed of developing a science that would provide the knowledge whereby men could live together in peace and mutual cooperation.”
– William T. Pecora, Director U.S. Geological Survey
John Wesley Powell is a famous figure in American history. He is remembered mainly for his exploration of the Grand Canyon, yet his entire life is replete with historical significance. Powell has local ties – both to Jackson, Ohio and to the Lucas family, people so dear to the roots of the local community.
I hope to illustrate these connections in two entries. This is the first writing that deals with Powell, himself. A second will follow chronicling the importance of John Colton Sumner, grandson of Robert Lucas who served as Powell's guide during his celebrated trip down the Colorado River.
John Wesley Powell, the son of Joseph and Mary Powell, was born in Mount Morris, New York, in 1834. Joseph was a poor farmer, a tailor, and an itinerant preacher who had emigrated to the U.S. from Shrewsbury, England. Mary, his wife, was a missionary.
In 1830, John Wesley's family moved westward to Jackson, Ohio, when he was about four years old and lived there for eight years before moving to Walworth County, Wisconsin and eventually settling in Boone County, Illinois.
Mary Powell Joseph Powell
The Jackson, Ohio Connection
It was September 24, 1838 when the Powells purchased their home in Jackson, Ohio, located on the hill at the north end of Main Street between Portsmouth and Locust Streets. Mr. Joseph Powell was a Wesleyan minister. A native of Wales, he delivered his sermons in Welsh to the large contingent of Welch living in the area. Besides holding services in Jackson, he also preached in Winchester and McKendree in Gallia County.
Young John Wesley was an extremely precocious child. He displayed gifted tendencies very early in life. In the journal The Open Court, a publication devoted to the Science of Religion, the Religion of Science, and the Extension of the Religious Parliament Idea, it was written ...
“He (Powell) instinctively gathered every curious shell and pebble within his reach, and read a lesson in every leaf and flower. Yet, judging from the interest he took in his Biblical studies, it would have been more reasonable to predict for him future eminence as an ecclesiastic than the brilliant career as a scientist upon which he was destined to enter. He early committed to memory the entire Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, much to the delight of his father.”
In addition to being faithful, the Powells were politically liberal for the times, and in Jackson many were pro-slavery. “Wes,” as he was known, was bullied by his peers because of it. He was an intelligent boy who looked forward to starting school, but he was unpopular because of his father's devout abolitionist views. Young Powell was even stoned by his classmates for his family's anti-slavery stand.
After John Wesley suffered these attacks, the Powells decided that it was best to get a private tutor for John and found one in 300 pound “Big” George Crookham. Crookham was a self-educated scholar. He was a salt boiler, an educator, a geologist, a local historian, and an abolitionist. Thus, he became the perfect tutor for John Wesley.
One of Crookham's primary interests was the discovery of the region's pre-settlement history. To that end, he collected Native American and pre-historic artifacts and wrote a book on the history of the region. Crookham took young John Wesley to many of the areas where rock strata and other geological formations were present. He explained their origins and the geology of the area.
“Wes” was a quick learner. One of the favorite areas for exploring was the Salt Lick Creek gorge downstream from Jackson. Crookham's home and school were located about a mile north of the area. Here, Powell found his passion for studying rock formations and geologic curiosities – this proved invaluable later when John Wesley studied the Grand Canyon.
Crookham's tutelage of the young Wes greatly inspired Powell's interest in geology. Crookham emphasized learning nature firsthand, and Powell's interest in natural history grew during their numerous junkets to collect specimens of plants, animals, birds, and minerals.
George also taught Wes to be true to his own beliefs. One day Crookham took Powell to an area where Wes had never been. There, in the caves high above the water, Big George intoduced Wes to three men who had run away from enslavement in the South. The men were following the Underground Railroad to freedom in Canada. The caves were a station where runaways could get food, rest, and directions. Big George was a conductor on their journey north, a man risking his own well-being for the freedom of others.
And, there is evidence Big George did suffer mightily for this cause. Many of the artifacts that Crookham collected were lost in a fire when a group of local Jacksonians burned Crookham's home for his abolitionism.
Joseph Powell was on intimate terms with other men identified with the movement throughout the State, and the boy frequently saw Professors Finney and Williams, then of Oberlin College; Salmon P. Chase, who afterwards became Chief Justice of the United States; Joshua R. Giddings, who represented Ohio in the U.S. House of Representatives, and other distinguished abolitionists.
To the people of Southern Ohio, many of whom had originally emigrated from Virginia and other slave States, anti slavery sentiments were extremely obnoxious. For several years an aggressive agitation was kept up; meetings were held in various portions of the State, and pamphlets in the interest of the cause were published and distributed.
At one time, a pamphlet “Thoughts on Slavery” by John Wesley, the early leader in the Methodist movement, was issued and widely circulated by a “coterie” of men living in Jackson. The result ...
“This publication led to a great uproar in the town, and four of the leading agitators were mobbed, and soon afterwards one of the professors of Oberlin College was assaulted on the street while on his way to the Powell residence. These years constituted a very exciting epoch in the boy's life. He was now old enough to appreciate the character of his father's course, and keenly felt the terrorism in which the family was constantly held.”
Historical Note – Wesley's pamphlet “Thoughts upon Slavery” opens with a definition of slavery. His first note of condemnation appears when he shows that slavery first originated in "barbarous" times and died out with the rise of Christianity in Europe. He proposes that it was only the discovery of America and the need for large amounts of inexpensive labor that brought it back.
Wesley then moves on to refute the notion that slavery rescues Africans from the harshest of conditions, quoting from many authorities attesting to the great fertility of Western Africa. He also points out that African nations are highly organized and cultured, using examples from several major tribes and nations to prove his point. Given this evidence, Wesley cannot support the notion that slavery represents an improvement to the Africans.
Wesley's third point discusses how African slaves are procured and brought to America. The details as he gives them are meant to be damning; he recounts numerous instances of fraud and violence, then describes the middle passage in some detail--again, in a clear attempt to condemn the practice as barbaric and cruel. He describes the inhumane treatment of slaves in the West Indies and other slave states (including the southern United States), providing considerable detail as to modes of punishment and the laws that allow punishments to be meted out without limit.
Wesley then moves on to refute the notion that slavery rescues Africans from the harshest of conditions, quoting from many authorities attesting to the great fertility of Western Africa. He also points out that African nations are highly organized and cultured, using examples from several major tribes and nations to prove his point. Given this evidence, Wesley cannot support the notion that slavery represents an improvement to the Africans.
Wesley's third point discusses how African slaves are procured and brought to America. The details as he gives them are meant to be damning; he recounts numerous instances of fraud and violence, then describes the middle passage in some detail--again, in a clear attempt to condemn the practice as barbaric and cruel. He describes the inhumane treatment of slaves in the West Indies and other slave states (including the southern United States), providing considerable detail as to modes of punishment and the laws that allow punishments to be meted out without limit.
The local unrest about the issue of slavery caused many conflicts. The four main supporters of the abolitionist movement in Jackson were Powell, Professor W.W. Mather, Samuel Montgomery, and George L. Crookham. Bitterly condemned on one occasion when they were holding an abolition meeting on the court house steps, they were pelted with eggs and forced to take refuge in a nearby residence. It was this incident that convinced Rev. Powell to take his family elsewhere in 1846.
Jackson and John Wesley Powell Memorial
Historical Note – The John Wesley Powell Memorial is located in the John Wesley Powell Memorial Plaza at 201 Main Street in Jackson, Ohio. The John Wesley Powell Memorial is dedicated to the one time Jackson resident and geologist. The building contains artifacts pertaining to Powell, who was the first American to navigate the length of the Colorado River and explore the Grand Canyon in 1869.
John Wesley continued his adventurous natural pursuits wherever he lived. He loved the outdoors and had a penchant for wandering and exploring. He was an intense, ambitious young man obsessed with getting things done.
As a young man, he undertook a series of adventures through the Mississippi River valley. In 1855, he spent four months walking across Wisconsin. During 1856, he rowed the Mississippi from St. Anthony, Minnesota, to the sea. In 1857, he rowed down the Ohio River from Pittsburgh to the Mississippi River, traveling north to reach St. Louis. In 1858 he rowed down the Illinois River, then up the Mississippi and the Des Moines River to central Iowa. At age 25, he was elected in 1859 to the Illinois Natural History Society.
Powell studied at Illinois College, Illinois Institute (which would later become Wheaton College), and Oberlin College, over a period of seven years while teaching, but was unable to attain his degree. During his studies Powell acquired a knowledge of Ancient Greek and Latin. Powell's restless nature helped solidify his deep interest in the natural sciences. In 1860, he switched his focus to military science and engineering in order to prepare for the looming Civil War.
Powell's loyalties remained with the Union and the cause of abolishing slavery. On May 8, 1861, he enlisted at Hennepin, Illinois, as a private in the 20th Illinois Infantry. He was described as "age 27, height 5' 6-1/2" tall, light complected, gray eyes, auburn hair, occupation – teacher." He was elected sergeant-major of the regiment, and when the 20th Illinois was mustered into the Federal service a month later, Powell was commissioned a second lieutenant. He enlisted in the Union Army as a cartographer, topographer and military engineer.
John Wesley Powell and his wife, Emma, in Detroit in 1862.
During the Civil War, he served first with the 20th Illinois Volunteers. While stationed at Cape Girardeau, Missouri, he recruited an artillery company that became Battery "F" of the 2nd Illinois Light Artillery with Powell as captain. On November 28, 1861, Powell took a brief leave to marry the former Emma Dean. At the Battle of Shiloh, he lost most of his right arm when struck by a minie ball while in the process of giving the order to fire. The raw nerve endings in his arm would continue to cause him pain for the rest of his life.
Despite the loss of an arm, he returned to the Army and was present at Champion Hill, Big Black River Bridge on the Big Black River and in the siege of Vicksburg. Always the geologist he took to studying rocks while in the trenches at Vicksburg. He was made a major and commanded an artillery brigade with the 17th Army Corps during the Atlanta Campaign. After the fall of Atlanta he was transferred to George H. Thomas' army and participated in the battle of Nashville. At the end of the war he was made a brevet lieutenant colonel, but preferred to use the title of "Major.”
After the war, Powell accepted a position as a geology professor at Illinois Wesleyan University and served as curator of the museum of the Illinois State Natural History Society, but declined a permanent position in order to explore the American West. Starting in 1867, he led multiple expeditions to explore the Rocky Mountains and the Colorado River.
Despite the loss of an arm, he returned to the Army and was present at Champion Hill, Big Black River Bridge on the Big Black River and in the siege of Vicksburg. Always the geologist he took to studying rocks while in the trenches at Vicksburg. He was made a major and commanded an artillery brigade with the 17th Army Corps during the Atlanta Campaign. After the fall of Atlanta he was transferred to George H. Thomas' army and participated in the battle of Nashville. At the end of the war he was made a brevet lieutenant colonel, but preferred to use the title of "Major.”
After the war, Powell accepted a position as a geology professor at Illinois Wesleyan University and served as curator of the museum of the Illinois State Natural History Society, but declined a permanent position in order to explore the American West. Starting in 1867, he led multiple expeditions to explore the Rocky Mountains and the Colorado River.
The Grand Canyon and the Colorado River
John Wesley Powell became the leader of the first scientific exploration of the last unknown area in the continental United States: In 1869, Powell and his team became the first people of European descent to travel the length of the Grand Canyon – a journey of three months and more than 900 miles.
On their maps, 19th century cartographers labeled it, “The Great Unknown” – a big blank space representing a vast expanse of territory in the heart of the United States, 200 miles wide and 500 miles long, covering the present states of Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. Native American folklore spoke of a “grand canyon” that was bottomless, a region inhabited evil spirits. Incredible as it seems, in 1869 the region was a section of the nation as mysterious to Americans as the rings of Saturn. Jack Pearl in his article “Fantastic Odyssey” (Boys' Life, May 1969) writes …
“Of its (the “Great Unknown”) many mysteries, the one that intrigued scientists the most was the Colorado River, the turbulent stream that had, over many centuries, cut a deep gorge through the middle of the wild, desolate country. A handful of anonymous white trappers and explorers had set out to navigate the Colorado River in earlier years; they vanished and were never heard of again. All of them, it had to be assumed, were victims of the treacherous rapids, crashing falls and boiling whirlpools of the river as it plunged deeper and deeper in to gorge.
During the trip, the team (which originally numbered ten men) rode the river through smaller rapids and portaged their four boats and supplies around larger ones. However, the journey was a difficult one through unknown territory. The team lost two boats and the bulk of their supplies to the river, and had no way of knowing what lay ahead of them.
One of the men left the expedition at a resupply stop after the first month. Several weeks later, at a place now called Separation Canyon, three additional members of the team decided the journey ahead was too dangerous; they climbed out of the canyon and started walking toward civilization. They were never seen again. Two days later, Powell and the remaining five team members reached the mouth of the Virgin River, where they were met by settlers.
Student members of Powell's Expedition
It was written by Martin J. Anderson in The Journal of Arizona History …
“No observer questioned Powell's courage, but one might have questioned his wisdom, for the trip had begun with a crew of ten. Twenty years after the voyage, when a reporter asked the Major how he was able to make it safely, Powell replied, 'I was lucky.' Powell's brother-in-law Almon Harris Thompson, fellow explorer and close acquaintance writes: '... as far as I know, the Major never had any idea of exploring the Colorado before 1868-69... I think the idea grew up with him in 1868.'”
The Lucasville Connection
John Colton Sumner, known as “Captain Jack,” was the guide and lead boatmen for Major Powell when he made his first trip down the Colorado River in 1869. Captain Jack had also served in the Civil War. He became a corporal and sharpshooter in the 32nd Iowa Volunteer Infantry.
Sumner was an excellent manager of the expedition’s lead boat. The status of his journal of the exploration has been controversial over the years, as various copies and transcriptions have surfaced.
Jack's grandfather was Robert Lucas. As we well know, Robert was twice governor of Ohio and the first territorial governor of Iowa. Robert also distinguished himself by keeping a journal of his experiences in the War of 1812. Robert's father, William, was a captain in the Revolutionary War. Jack's wife's grandfather, John Brown, also served in the Revolutionary War. And, Robert's brother John was the founder of Lucasville, Ohio.
Sources
Martin J. Anderson. “First Through the Canyon: Powell's Luck Voyage in 1869.” The Journal of Arizona History. Vol. 20, No. 4 (Winter 1979).
Mrs. M.D. Lincoln (Bessie Beech). “John Wesley Powell.” December 1902 The Open Court: Devoted to the Science of Religion, the Religion of Science, and the Extension of the Religious Parliament Idea. VOL. XVI. (NO. 12.)
Michael Elsohn Ross. Exploring the Earth with John Wesley Powell. 2000.
“John Wesley Powell Memorial.” https://www.theclio.com/web/entry?id=59788.
“John Wesley Powell.” Remarkable Ohio. . . http://www.remarkableohio.org/index.php?/category/784.
John Wesley Powell.” http://www.jacksoncountyohiogen.com/PDF%20docs/Brochures/John%20Wesley%20Powell.pdf.
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