379 
Epilogue 
he heard such wonderful tales dawned upon him. It was as 
near an inspiration as can be imagined. Henceforth his mind 
and energy were directed irresistibly toward the accomplish¬ 
ment of this conception. Again in 1868 he was in the field 
with the same financial backing, to which was added a small 
allotment from the Illinois Industrial University at Cham¬ 
paign, Illinois, a State school. All but Mrs. Powell and his 
brother Walter, of this 1868 party, returned East on the ap¬ 
proach of autumn, while with these and several trappers and 
hunters, among whom were the two Howlands, William Dunn, 
and William Rhodes Hawkins, afterwards of his party to explore 
the canyons, he crossed the range to White River and wintered 
there near the camp of Chief Douglass and his band of Utes. 
When spring came in 1869 he went out to Granger, on the 
Union Pacific Railway, and there disposed of his mules and 
outfit, proceeding immediately to Washington, where he in¬ 
duced Congress to pass a joint resolution endorsed by General 
Grant authorising him to draw rations from Western army 
posts for a party of twelve men while engaged in making 
collections for public institutions. Never was assistance better 
deserved. Then he returned to Illinois and obtained from the 
trustees of the Normal University permission to again divert 
his salary and the other funds to Western work. The trustees 
of the Illinois Industrial University allotted him five hundred 
dollars, and the Chicago Academy of Sciences, through the 
influence of Dr. Andrews, the curator, also contributed two 
hundred and fifty or five hundred dollars. In addition some 
personal friends contributed small sums. 
The object proposed was to make collections in natural 
history to be shared accordingly with the contributing institu¬ 
tions. While these collections were one of PowelPs objects, 
others were the examination of the geology, and particularly 
the solution of the greatest remaining geographical problem of 
the United States, the canyons of the Green and Colorado 
rivers. The Green, as has been explained in preceding pages, 
was known as far as the Uinta Mountains, and here and there 
at widely separated points on down to about Gunnison Valley. 
But there were long gaps, and below Gunniso^ Ci or ' g as far 
