Part 1 (2/2)

which lies about forty-five miles northeast of Williams and is a prominent feature on the landscape, as it is the only one to be seen anywhere along the south wall of the Grand Canyon for a distance of over fifty miles It lies in the plain about twelve miles from the Canyon wall As I had spent considerable ti for a silver prospect reported to be there, I knew there was no such pile of rocks as he described and never had been within the knowledge of the oldest inhabitant in this region I could not find enough rocks on the top of thatlocation I also knew of others who had been there on the same mission and they can verify this stateical work in this section failed to locate any such station as was claireatrelated by Major Powell Accordingly, when I secured a copy of the Government publication entitled: ”Exploration of the Colorado River of the West and its Tributaries, Explored in 1869, 1870, 1871 and 1872, under the Direction of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution,” and found it ritten by Powell, it did not have the saht with me that it would have done had I not had these personal experiences with him

It will be recalled by h the Canyons of the Colorado Yet in this Government-published volume he makes scant reference to the second trip, and utterly fails to do credit to the members of his party Why he should have failed to include his experiences and record the names of the men who constituted his force on this second trip has always been a mystery to various explorers of the Canyon, and especially to the h In his account of this trip in his book, ”The Romance of the Colorado River,” published in 1906, he states that perhaps this omission was for the sake of dramatic unity Be this as it may, it has always seemed as if for some reason Powell did not care to do full justice to the brave men who accompanied him on this trip

When, therefore, a monument was erected to Powell on the south riress of the United States, and a full list of the iven on the bronze tablet placed on that monument, it ith considerable astonishment that I noted that the names of three men who accompanied the first expedition were omitted

[Illustration: Inscription of Powell Monument, Grand Canyon National Park]

These men were O G Rowland, Seneca Rowland and Williae oe 96, under date of August 27, he tells of the great difficulties they were beset with:

Thisthe river takes a more southerly direction The dip of the rocks is to the north, and we are rapidly running into lower forain into the granite This gives us some anxiety Now and then the river turns to the west and excites hope that are soon destroyed by another turn to the south About nine o'clock we co that we see the river enter these black, hard walls At its very entrance we have to e; then we have to let doith lines past soly rocks Then we run a mile or two farther, and then the rapids below can be seen

At eleven o'clock we come to a place in the river where it seems much worse than any we have yet met in all its course A little creek coht, and claranite pinnacles for a mile or two, but can see no way by which we can let down, and to run it would be sure destruction

After another page devoted to discussing the dangers and difficulties ahead of thee 98:

After supper Captain (O G) Rowland asked to have a talk with me We walk up the little creek a short distance, and I soon find that his object is to reainst my determination to proceed He thinks that we had better abandon the river here Talking with him, I learn that his brother, Williao no farther in the boats So we return to ca is said to the other men

For the last two days our course has not been plotted I sit down and do this now,As soon as I determined all this, I spreaddown by the river, and show him where I suppose we are and where several Mormon settlements are situated

We have another short talk about the ain; but forI pace up and down a little path, on a few yards of sand beach, along the river Is it wise to go on?For years I have been conte this trip To leave the exploration unfinished, to say that there is a part of the canyon which I cannot explore, having already ale, and I detero on

I wake my brother and tell him of Rowland's determination, and he promises to stay with me; then I call up Hawkins, the cook, and he makes a like proree to go on

August 28 At last daylight co said as to the future The meal is as solemn as a funeral

After breakfast, I ask the three men if they still think it best to leave us The elder Howland thinks it is, and Dunn agrees with hio on with the party, failing in which, he decides to go with his brother Two rifles and a shotgun are given to theout I ask them to help themselves to the rations, and take what they think to be a fair share

This they refuse to do, saying they have no fear but that they can get so to eat, but Billy, the cook, has a pan of biscuits prepared for dinner, and these he leaves on a rock

The last thing before leaving, I write a letter to ives hi that it be sent to his sister should he not be heard froain The records of the expedition have been kept in duplicate One set of these is given to Howland, and noe are ready For the last tio on, and tell us that it is o safely through it; and, further, that the river turns again to the south into the granite, and a few miles of such rapids and falls will exhaust our entire stock of rations and then it will be too late to cli; each party thinks the other is taking the dangerous course

Thus they part; Powell and the o on and finally leave the exploration incomplete at a point a little further down The three men who left the party--the tlands and Dunn--were never seen again alive On the following expedition Powell spent some time with the shi+vwit Indians, in company with Jacob Hamblin, a Mormon pioneer and missionary Froes 130-131, he thus recounts the story After he had talked with the Indians, one of them made a reply, and in his speech said:

Last year we killed three white reat lies We thought the fools We are very sorry

After the council had broken up, so Powell says:

Mr Hamblin fell into conversation with one of the Indians and held him until the others had left, and then learned more particulars of the death of the three e alue They were supplied with food, and put on their way to the [Mormon] settlements Shortly after they had left, an Indian froe and told the killed a squaw in a drunken brawl, and no doubt these were the men No person had ever co to hide their guilt In this way he worked thee They followed, surrounded the men in ambush, and filled them full of arrows