JOHN WESLEY POWELL. 
305 
volving courage and audacity of the highest type, especially 
when we remember that the leader was a man bereft of his 
right arm. 
The exploration of this extraordinary and unknown re¬ 
gion opened up many problems for solution. The private 
and institutional funds by which his work had hitherto been 
supported were no longer adequate for the vast field into 
which he had penetrated. He applied to Congress for na¬ 
tional aid and received it. The force which he organized 
took the name of the Survey of the Rocky Mountain Region. 
The line of the Colorado River was retraced by boat in 1871- 
1872, and a survey of the adjacent region was carried on and 
expanded with increasing success until 1879. In 1873 he 
accepted a temporary commission from the Indian Bureau, 
giving him opportunity for visiting many Western tribes 
and extending his ethnological researches. In 1874-1875 he 
made a special study of the Uinta Mountains and the adja¬ 
cent parts of the Green River basin. Later he devoted much 
time and energy to proposed reforms in the land laws of the 
United States and to the development of plans for irrigation. 
In most of this he was far in advance of his time and the 
popular opinion of the day, yet his endeavors opened the 
door to changes which are only now beginning to make their 
way and win a merited appreciation. The Public Lands 
Commission, of which he was made a member, devoted much 
time in 1879-1880 to investigations and reports filling four 
large volumes. 
In 1879 Congress decided to consolidate the various geo¬ 
logical surveys of the West in a new organization, the United 
States Geological Survey, of which the late Clarence King 
was appointed Director. King resigned in March, 1881, and 
Powell’s nomination to the post was promptly and unani¬ 
mously confirmed by the Senate and approved by public 
opinion. A special provision having been made for ethno¬ 
logical work, with the view of preserving the fast disappear¬ 
ing data in regard to the native tribes of North America, 
Powell was made Director of this Bureau also, a post in which 
he continued until his death. 
