Page 65 - LKP18 Flip Book

8
AREA HISTORY
2018
Lake Powell
Lake Powell is the second
largest man-made lake in the
United States. Its home is in
the Glen Canyon National
Recreation Area, which was
established in 1972. The area’s
early history dates back to the
ice age about 10,000 years
ago, when herds of mammoth
roamed the land and the
climate was cool and wet. As
it got hotter and dryer a new
culture arose, the Ancestral Puebloan (Anasazi) basket makers. It’s speculated that their increasing problems with drought and disease caused them to disappear. As they left the area, Paiute, Ute, and Navajo tribes moved in.
In 1776, two young Spanish priests, Dominguez
and Escalante, explored the area and nearly
died in a harsh winter. Then came Major John Wesley Powell: soldier, scholar, scientist, and
fearless explorer of Glen Canyon on the mighty Colorado River. He began the first of his two
River expeditions in 1869. From the Green River
in Wyoming to the lower Grand Canyon, Powell mapped, explored, and kept detailed journals of
the 1,000-mile trip. The Lake was named after this intrepid leader, who lost one arm in the civil war and still climbed up cliffs to plot his river maneuvers and map the first geological surveys of the canyon. Today Lake Powell attracts nearly 3 million
visitors annually to enjoy it’s sparkling water and breathtaking scenery. Recreation enthusiasts
explore the secrets of Powell by houseboat, jet boat, personal watercraft or even diving. A 50-mile run from Wahweap will take you to Rainbow Bridge, a stone arch spanning 275 ft. and rising more than 290 ft. Other surprises await the patient explorer, including ancient Native American petroglyphs and ruins.
John Wesley Powell
AREA HISTORY
Glen Canyon