194 
The Colorado River 
the Uinta mountains stretch in a long line; high peaks thrust into 
the sky, and snow-fields glittering like lakes of molten silver; and 
pine forests in sombre green; and rosy clouds playing around the 
borders of huge black masses; and heights and clouds and moun¬ 
tains and snow-fields and forests and rock-lands are blended into 
one grand view,” 
This was the country before him. The Uinta Mountains, 
stretching their picturesque and mighty barrier across the de¬ 
termined course of the river, produce the first series of superb 
canyons on the threshold of which Powell and his daring band 
were now setting foot. On the third day they were at Henry’s 
Fork, in the neighbourhood of that first camp in this locality 
made by Ashley in 1825, and of his start in the experiment in 
canyon running which so nearly terminated his brilliant career. 
The “Suck,” noted for its danger among the early trappers, 
was easily passed and Powell makes no mention of it. So far 
as I can ascertain there were two records kept on this expedi¬ 
tion, one by Powell on strips of brown paper, and the other by 
Jack Sumner on foolscap. The latter, comprised in some six 
or eight pages, was the more complete, I believe, and is now in 
Washington. I have not seen it since 1871, when we were in 
the habit of daily reading its thrilling pages to find out what 
we might next expect in our descent. If any other diary or 
journal was kept by the men of this expedition I have not 
heard of it. 
The first rapid is in Horseshoe Canyon, and it was no ob¬ 
stacle, being small and docile, but when they had gone through 
the next canyon, named Kingfisher, they found themselves 
at the beginning of a new and closer, deeper gorge. Red 
Canyon, where the waters first begin to exhibit their grim in¬ 
tention. Here they encountered real rapids, the boats often 
dashing along at railroad speed, the waves fiercely breaking 
over them, and bailing becoming an imperative accomplish¬ 
ment. The attempt of a Ute to run through this canyon was 
described in picturesque terms by one of the tribe. “Rocks, 
heap, heap, high,” he said; “water go hoowoogh, hoowoogh; 
water-pony heap buck; water catch um; no see um Injun any 
