THE MIGHTY COLORADO. 



AN ACCOUNT OF THE DISCOVERY, EXPLORATION AND CHARACTER- 

 ISTICS OF A FAMOUS RIVER OF ARID AMERICA. 



BY J. A. YOUNG. 



MUCH has been written about the Colorado river, 

 now so famous on account of the deep winding 

 ravines through which its turbulent waters flow. 

 History informs us that this river was discovered in 

 1540 by some Spanish explorers. Sitgreave's expedi- 

 tion, in 1851, crossed the Colorado about one hundred 

 and fifty miles above Yuma. On New Year's day, 

 1854, Lieutenant Whipple, when making a survey 

 for a railroad, came in sight of high cliffs in the 

 vicinity of this river and subsequently made dis- 

 coveries relating to the existence of the Grand can- 

 yon. The War Department sent out an expedition 

 under Lieutenant Ives, in 1857, to explore the Colo- 

 rado as far as found safe and practicable. He 

 ascended the river to within a few miles of the Vir- 

 gin. Previous to this time, and for many years 

 after, the true source and exact course of the Colo- 

 rado were not definitely known. In a general way, 

 it was understood that several hundred miles of its 

 channel lay in deep gorges. At many places along 

 its course it was hazardous to approach the rim of 

 the channel, much less descend to the edge of 

 the water. It was generally believed that its course 

 was beset with numerous rapids, falls and whirlpools, 

 over which boats could not safely pass, and that for 

 hundreds of miles this river disappeared and ran 

 beneath the surface of the earth. It was taken for 

 granted that certain death would be the fate of any 

 one attempting its navigation. We are told that 

 James White, an unsuccessful prospector, and a 

 companion took refuge in the Grand canyon in order 

 to escape from the Indians. Numerous romantic 

 adventures were narrated from time to time, by per- 

 sons who claimed to have invaded the mysteries of 

 the Grand canyon, but for the most part that river 

 remained unknown to the geographer. 



MAJOR POWELL'S EXPLORATION. 



In 1869, Major J. W. Powell undertook the explo- 

 ration of the Colorado. He left Green River city, 

 on the Green, in Utah, May 24th, with nine men and 

 four boats, and on August 30th, landed at the mouth 

 of the Virgin, more than one thousand miles, by the 

 river's channel, below the place of starting. One of 

 his men abandoned the expedition at an Indian 

 reservation agency, before the party reached Ari- 

 zona. Three more, after encountering unprece- 

 dented terrors for many weeks, having made many 

 hair-breadth escapes, preferred to risk the perils of 



an unknown desert rather than face " grim death " 

 any longer. They abandoned the expedition and 

 were killed by Indians. 



In order to more fully comprehend the dangers of 

 such a voyage, we must consider that this river has a 

 fall of about 5000 feet in 500 miles. It is beset with 

 hundreds of rapids and cataracts, and along its chan- 

 nel there are numerous short turns or angles. There 

 are hundreds of projecting and overhanging rocks; 

 on the right and on the left many obstructions rise 

 up here and there to break the direct current, and 

 there are hidden snags and sandbars at frequent 

 intervals, all of which combine to make a safe voy- 

 age almost impossible. It was one of the most 

 venturesome voyages ever made on inland waters. 

 Major Powell's graphic description of his adventures 

 entitled, "An Exploration of the Colorado River of 

 the West,'' is a story of true heroism. It portrays 

 trials and hardships that none but a true patriot and 

 soldier would be likely to endure. The conquest 

 that he and his companions gained, in this explora- 

 tion, is even greater than one that is won on the 

 battlefield. In his official report he describes the 

 Colorado with its canyon walls in this terse language: 

 " Ten million cascade brooks unite to form ten 

 thousand torrent creeks ; ten thousand torrent creeks 

 unite to form a hundred rivers beset with cataracts; 

 a hundred roaring rivers unite to form the Colorado, 

 which rolls a mad, turbid stream into the Gulf of 

 California." 



THE GRAND CANYON. 



The Grand canyon lies almost wholly in northern 

 Arizona, and for the present is not accessible by any 

 railroad, the nearest station being Flagstaff, Ari- 

 zona, on the Santa F route, from whence a stage line 

 runs to the canyon ; hence comparatively few persons 

 have had an opportunity to behold this sublime spec- 

 tacle. Geologists and others differ in regard to the 

 length of the Grand canyon and the extent of the 

 "Grand canyon district." The Grand canyon proper 

 is about 220 miles long. The Marble canyon, which is 

 really a part of the Grand canyon, is about 70 miles in 

 length, making in all 290 miles. There are scores of 

 other streams that join the main river, each of which 

 has its canyon. Each of these again is subdivided 

 into other " barrancas '' that intersect it, making al- 

 together hundreds of gorges. The gorge of Niagara 

 would sink into insignificance when compared with 



