Overview

This factual story (259 pages, 8.5 X 11 format) relates the story of one of the most extraordinary expeditions in the American West during the latter part of the 19th-century. The subtitle also reveals the nature of this interesting narrative about a very interesting explorer. The basis of which relates the legacy of the Civil War hero, Major John Wesley Powell, whose 1869 Green and Colorado River expedition was the first scientific expedition that surveyed the Green and Colorado rivers canyon country, starting in Green River, Wyoming and ending at the Grand Wash Cliffs (the western terminus of the Grand Canyon). Although this narrative has been told by many authors over the years, the novelty of this text is in the guise of a faux play where four principal performers recite their lines to an imaginary audience. Namely, thre three diarists who were part of the 1869 expedition, and a chorus, who, in this case, relates incidental details not divulged by the three other performers (which, includes Major Powell). As this 100-day odyssey unfolds, we hear from each diarist what happened on any given day. Remarkably, one of the diarists' (George Bradley) wrote exacting details in secret. That is, none of the other men even knew Bradley wrote those reports. As it turned out, Major Powell's journals were later published as a much larger account. That said, there were two expeditions: the inaugural 1869 exploration and the 1871-72 exploration, which he 'telescoped' into a seeming and single longer expedition. Moreover, he failed to mention the names of the crew on the second expedition. As a consequence of Powell's oversight, readers, in his time, took it for granted there was only one expedition manned by those mentioned names in the major's publications. It isn't until after the major's death at the turn of the century that readers of the heroic Powell expedition were apprised of the fact there were two different expeditions and two different crews. This book on John Wesley Powell reveals all the details, if not the machination, of the Powell saga. Moreover, the post-expedition years were the most intriguing, considering how some of the men on the first expedition griped about not getting paid for their services. Moreover, three of those men abandoned the expedition close to the end of that odyssey, whose bodies were never found. Thus, the trio marks the greatest human mystery and drama relative to the Grand Canyon, which Major Powell had bequeathed this moniker after the first expedition.

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9781542420907

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The author writes and publishes under the nom de plume, RK ALLEMAN because the name more accurately describes his heritage. After being Honorably Discharged from the Navy (submarine service), he has lived in the West and Southwest for over four decades. Earning three academic degrees in Eastern and Western Philosophy, for nearly 30 years RK (as RICH HOLTZIN, his legal name) made a living as an outdoors educator and interpreter teaching a variety of geosciences, human, and natural history geared to the Colorado Plateau Province. Additionally, RK was a professional studio and stage musician and taught guitar and music theory, including composing two soundtracks for the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone National Parks; a high school Educational Assistant and Substitute Teacher; a commercial pilot flying a variety of aircraft; a professional photographer; a GPS surveyor and topographical mapper for the U. S. Forest Service; a planetarium control room operator; a museum docent; and the Coconino County Sheriff's Office. What RK is more enthused about, however, is serving in the role of an interpretive guide and educator for the Grand Canyon Field Institute (a National Park Service endorsed outreach program (http: //bit.ly/1D6YS1u). He was also an instructor at Northern Arizona University and Yavapai College (respectively, Flagstaff and Prescott), as well as the owner of a Southwest eco and cultural tourism enterprise. Fairly recently, he became the Executive Director of a think tank in Albuquerque, based on astronautics and aerospace S.T.E.M. classroom projects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), including the co-author of a math-lab book based on rocketry. (www.stemfortheclassroom.com) For more of RICH HOLTZIN'S backstory, peruse his website under his legal name: www.richholtzin.com

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