The Powell Expedition began its famous 3 month journey in Western Wyoming on May 24, 1869. John Wesley Powell set out with a crew of 10 explorers in four different boats that Powell had specially made for the trip in Chicago, Illinois. The boats were shipped to Wyoming by way of the Union Pacific Railroad. The boats were made of oak wood and Powell’s boat was constructed of pine wood. Every boat was designed with three separate compartments and they were made watertight to keep their equipment and provisions dry. Major Powell’s boat, the “Emma Dean,” was designed to be light and fast and was the lead boat of the expedition. The crew was equipped with ammunition and traps, boat tools, and numerous scientific tools like thermometers, barometers, chronometers, and sextants.  

The journey started on the Green River in Wyoming on May 26th. Later hooking up with the Colorado River in the middle of July and continues on to end on August 29th where some of the party exited in the western part of the Grand Canyon. The timeline in the next few pages will highlight the main events of the journey taken from Powell's book, "The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons."