Colorado River Water Discovery

This exploration was underway on May 24, 1869 and concluded 3 months and 6 days later, on August 30, 1869. Powell assembled a crew of nine men and four a small, shallow-draft dory boats. Dories are usually a lightweight boat with high sides, a flat bottom and sharp bows. The crew travelled from Green River to the Grand (also known as the Colorado River) wash cliffs. During this exploration, Powell was said to have travelled through a new channel which is now known as the Grand Canyon. Although Powel and his men gathered food that would last them well over the time that they expected to travel, food became, overturned, scarce and rancid throughout their travels.
John Wesley Powell’s exploration through the West, was one that was not an easy feat at all. Days were hot, reaching 106° and nights were quite chilly and left the men shuddering, due to the regions high interior massiveness. The extreme conditions left the men highly edgy and quickly susceptible to explosions between each other. Additionally, later in the exploration, the seemingly slow progression didn’t help …show more content…
Powell’s ideas on irrigation was that farming was hopeless without a proper irrigation plan in place. Powell also believed that the water supply should not be monopolized by the state; rather, the farmers should be independent and use their own money to build new channels, so that the water would reach them, when the rainfall alone wouldn’t help to “fuel” the farmers growing crops. Due to the inadequate amount of rainfall in that area, it was logical to irrigate, at least to Powell. New channels would also encourage the individuals using the water to conserve, based on the restricted means. Powell also argued that misuse and increased pollution would hurt everyone in the long