Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1869-10-20
GRAND DAMON OF COLORADO.


the following extracts from the report of
I Colonel Powell the Colorado explorer, who
has Just returned to his home in Illinois:
Ny great purpose was to explore for my
self this wonderful curiosity-the grand
Canon of Colorado. With this end in view
| came from the mountains to Chicago last
spring to procure outfit and build boats
Four of these were made on a mode devised
for the purpose of navigating canon streams
and taking them out to Green River Sta
ton. where the Union Pacific Raiiro d
crosses the Green, was ready to embark
There | had a party Of nine men awaiting
my arrival and anxious to enter the great
unknown with me-men all experienced
IN the wild life Of the country, and most of
them in boating on dangerous streams. On
the oath Of May we started For few days
our way was through river of low canons
and small green valleys, until We reached
the Uiutah Mountains. Through this range
the river has cut winding channel, form
Ing the UiGtah system OF canons. Near
the lower end of this series the Yampa riv-
or enters the Green hy canon. Further
down. in 4 valley portion of the river, the
Uiu'ah and White come in. Below this
poiut about thirty miles we enter sill anoth
er series Low walls Of gray, buff and rust
colored sandstone shut us il. These walls
slowly increase in hight as We advance.
The gray rocks are lost; red sandstones ap-
pear: the walls are broken down by lateral
canons, increasing in number until we are
in the heart of the Canon OF deSolaton
Sometimes these lateral canous are so crowd
ed that the rcck between them stands As
narrow wall, hundreds of feet high, the end
toward the MAN canon. Some lateral can
ons have their own lateral canOns--a third
series - cutting the walls into sections,
whose towering SUBMITS, though large e
nough to support cathadrals, seem scarcely
to furnish footing for man. Two thousand
ieet-three thousand feet overhead is the
summit OF the walls while rocks and crags
aud peaks rise higher, aud still higher away
back from the river, until they reach al
titude 9! nearly 5000 ieet. These rus, y,
gray, aud dark red sand5tones, have no
beauty OF color. \ few greensh gray ce
dars are seen, looking not like pyramids OF
evergreen spray, but like clumps OF knotty
war cllbs, bedecked with spines. These,
with little sage, constitute all the verdure.
We ran through Coal Canon. The river
winds through this with a quiet caIrcnt a
if in 30 haste to leave this beautiful canon
carved out Of the orange sandstone. All a
: long its walls domed alcoves and amphlthc
aires have been cut out of the solid rock
! grottoes and caves abound, narrow latera
t canons, channels of rivulets born Of shower
and born again Of shower, are cut c.e;t.
! in the rock, aud at every curve On the innc,
r side, is spot Of wiiow bordered meadow
: Then the wa IS grow higher, the river swift
er, and we glide around to the junction o
the Grand and Green. Here the walls are
nearly thirteen hundred feet high But a
r way back from the rver are lateral canon
and canon valleys. the floors OF which ar,
e at about the same altitude the iinmcdi
ate walls Of the main canon, and the wall
: of this upper set are hundreds of feet h gh
e Lateral to the second there Is often thr,
T series, with floors at u greater altitude thai
: the 1oors of the second then the country
e back is cut into labyrinth of canons. Th
: main walls at the junction are not vertica!
d but have the slope Of broken rocks tumble
IS down, while the lateral canous have mostl
vertical walls with sloping taius at III
+ base. We remained at this point Severa
a days and then rowed out into Cataract Can
on. Soon we heard the roar Of waters, an
le came upon a succession OF rocky rapids an
E. cataracts; over some OF tlese We were con
ID pelled to make portageS; usually only tn
to cargoes were carried over the rocks, aud tn
boats were let down with lines, but now an
ie then boats and all had to be carried. W ae
re these rapids and cataracts were unobstruc
al ed by rocks, or when there was any passage
we were able to run them, never finding au
n fall greater than nineteen feet in this canon
- Sometimes the waves below would roll ov,
w boat and fill the open part, but they cou
not sink it, as each one was decked fore al
O. aft, and so had a water tight compartmel
at either end Now and then boat won
L roll over, bat cinging to its sides until th,
1t could right it, the nlcn would swim to Il
ke shore towing it with them.
IT We found much difficulty in the whil
pools below 1t was almost impossible
get out of them at time. Iney would ca
ry us back under the tails, dash Us again
g the rocks, or send us whiriing down Il
US river For twelve days We toiIed thgoug
this canon, stopping once 10 measure the
titude of It's walls near the highest point
and finding it nearly 2,50O feet. This W
at the axis of vast iuld IN the strata, al
from that point the upper rocks slowly can
down with u gentle dip to the southwest u
till we reached the foot OF the canon, tort
five miles from It's head \ rocky vail
conon was found here on the ieii, aud I
river made bend around a sharp point
.o3 the right which poiOt vas set win 1
!. thousand crags aud ragged rocks " c ca
~ edit Mile cray Bend, and sweeping aroU
-bo this in a rapid current our boats shot II
Two Narrow Canon, down winch We giided
+bo almost railroad speed, the Was rising "