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34 THE GREED RIVER Al1ll lie ? 11Lll :?i+ +•
<br />Everything went well until the party- reached the falls nientio:
<br />by General Ashley, which now bear his name. In their effort
<br />line the empty boat past this obstruction it was caught by the si
<br />current and pinned against a big rock in the stream, so tightly
<br />Manly savs, "that we could no more move it than the rock USE
<br />Undaunted by the loss of their boat the party made two car
<br />from two pine trees 2 feet in diameter, lashed, them together,
<br />proceeded on their way. It was soon concluded that this dol
<br />canoe had insufficient carrving capacity, so a second pair was n;
<br />about half a mile downstream. Finally after some further thril
<br />experiences with this crude equipment the party reached the U
<br />Basin. Here the watercourse was abandoned after Walker,
<br />Indian chief, had pictured to them the canyons ahead. Manly
<br />his men with two pack horses given them by the Indians heE
<br />toward Salt Lake City, but they came upon a train of prairie sch
<br />ers bound for California and gladly joined it.
<br />POWELL
<br />There is apparently no record of any other boat trips througl
<br />canyons until 1869, when Maj. John Wesley Powell made his me
<br />able expedition in the interests of science. The funds were
<br />vided by the State institutions of Illinois and the Chicago Aca
<br />of Sciences, and Congress by a joint resolution permitted!
<br />--
<br />- - - rations to be taken from western Army Posts. For two years t
<br />the exploration Powell made geologic studies among the hew
<br />the canyons leading to the Colorado, and the desire to exploi
<br />main canyons grew upon him 4D Accordingly a party was orgy
<br />in the spring of 1869, boats were built in Chicago and shipp
<br />- rail to Green River, Wyo., and the trip was started on May 24i
<br />- The party consisted of 10 men, with 4 boats and enough su
<br />to last 10 months.
<br />Major Powell named the canyon gorges as he went down the
<br />and eve of the mountain appropriate and
<br />which thevenh
<br />--great_ mass 4-- e ,
<br />its entrance into the Uinta Mountains fine-named -Flaming
<br />because of the bright-vermilion rocks of which it is composed,
<br />elongated U of the next few miles of the river's course betwe6
<br />rock walls he called Horseshoe Canyon. As he emerged from
<br />= shoe Canyon into a little park and then entered another c
<br />the great number of kuigfisherB PlaPlug about- . suggested the
<br />Mngfisher Canyon.:
<br />Qrr, une 2 theparty reached the falls, where'they found the is
<br />° lion left irye?6r81 Ashley. In writmg of it Powell saves.;
<br />- word, `Ashley' is- a warning to us; . and we resolve on great u
<br />y rowan, I, W, Ziplorsthw of the Colorado River of the west, 11-i87?, P. 1z, 2373.
<br />bEEEN RIFER CANYONS 35
<br />1,1,1, y Falls is the name we give to the cataract." The canyon in
<br />which Ashley Falls is situated was named Red Canyon and it opens
<br />into Browns Park. Within this park
<br />zpur of red mountain stretches across the river, which cuts a canyon through
<br />Here the walls are comparativel • low but vertical. A vast number of
<br />?,11oas have built their adobe houses on the face of the cliffs on either side
<br />n` the ricer. The raters are deep and quiet, but the swallows are swift and
<br />-:cd= enough, sweeping be in their curved paths through the air or chattering
<br />r, t'.:e rocks. The young birds stretch their little heads on naked necks through
<br />^:e doorways of their mud houses, clamoring for food. They are a noisy people.
<br />Tl (1-all this Swallow Canyon.
<br />\i1ie daps was spent by the Powell party in getting through the
<br />C nyon of Lodore. The second day one of the party suggested
<br />-fit the canyon be called Lodore, and the name was adopted. Such
<br />n?-:anes as Disaster Rapid and Hell's Half ;Nile are indeed suggestive
<br />;l` the thrilling experiences of the party in this canyon.. One of
<br />these experiences nearly became. a catastrophe when one of the boats
<br />wss dashed to pieces, and two of the occupants narrowly escaped
<br />drowning at Disaster Rapid. Upon reaching the mouth of the canyon
<br />Powell 31 wrote:
<br />TLis has been a chapter of disasters and toils, notwithstanding which the
<br />CscVon of Lodore was not devoid of scenic interest, even beyond the power of
<br />f%n to tell
<br />. The roar of its waters was heard unceasingly from the hour we
<br />entered it until we landed here. loo quiet in all that time. But its walls and
<br />c'.ffs, its peaks and crags, its amphitheaters and alcoves tell a story of beauty
<br />and grandeur that I hear yet-and shall hear.
<br />The little open area at the confluence of the Yampa and Green
<br />Rivers was named Echo Park, and the next canyon was called Whirl-
<br />pool Canyon. Passing out of this canyon the party came into
<br />`'a beautiful park" and went into camp on an island. "The broad,
<br />deep river meanders through the park, interrupted by many wooded
<br />islands," so the place was named Island Park.
<br />On climbing the mountain to the east Powell saw that at the lower
<br />end of the park the river reenters the long spur of the mountains
<br />froth which it has just come -and after reaching the center of the
<br />ridge it turns to the southwest, splitting the mountain longitudinally;
<br />accordingly, this gorge was named Split Mountain Canyon. The
<br />tap through this canyon was marked by some additional experi-
<br />wce-s with rapids and one portage of the rations was made. The
<br />Lyon opens into the Uinta Basin, and the broad valley through
<br />Which the river flows was at one time the home of many- antelope. -
<br />Ir vas known to the Indians as Won'sits Yu-av, Antelope Valley.
<br />ter spending about a week in the Uinta Basin :the party resumed.
<br />t16 Voyage into what NWel ealis the Terrace Canyons" A few -
<br />0'?EK south of the mouth of the Uinta, the Green River enters the
<br />0 Idea, p, 5a. a Idea, pp, m--E6,167.
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