Jun

Today in Smithsonian History: June 11, 1868

Major John Wesley Powell (1834-1902) seated at his desk in his office in the Adams Building on F Street in Washington, D.C. Following the Civil War, there were four national survey leaders. One was geologist and western explorer Powell, who led expeditions and conducted surveys of the American West. In 1869 he set out by boat to explore the Colorado River from the Green River, Wyoming Territory, to the foot of the Grand Canyon. When Congress created the Bureau of Ethnology in 1879, Powell was named its first director (1879-1902), a post he held until his death. Placed under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution, the bureau, whose name was changed to the Bureau of American Ethnology, was to be the repository of the “archives, records, and material relating to the Indians of North America, collected by the geographical and geological survey of the Rocky Mountains”. (Photographer unknown, possibly “Sawyer” via Smithsonian Instiitution Archives

June 11, 1868 The United States Congress authorizes the Secretary of War to provide rations for 25 men on an expedition to the Colorado River, under the direction of explorer John Wesley Powell. Following the Civil War, there were four national survey leaders. One was geologist and western explorer Powell, who led expeditions and conducted surveys of the American West. In 1869 he set out by boat to explore the Colorado River from the Green River, Wyoming Territory, to the foot of the Grand Canyon. His expedition is otherwise funded by his own salary and small grants from Illinois scientific societies.

When Congress created the Bureau of Ethnology in 1879, Powell was named its first director (1879-1902), a post he held until his death. Placed under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution, the bureau, whose name was changed to the Bureau of American Ethnology, was to be the repository of the “archives, records, and material relating to the Indians of North America, collected by the geographical and geological survey of the Rocky Mountains.”