Talk:History of the Grand Canyon area

Hi All, Say, this para needs work:

Tired of being constantly cold, wet and hungry and not knowing they had already passed the worst rapids, three of Powell's men climbed out of the canyon in what is now called Separation Canyon.[18] Once out of the canyon, all three were reportedly killed by Shivwits band Paiutes who thought they were miners that recently molested and killed a female Shivwit.[18] All those who stayed with Powell survived and that group successfully ran most of the canyon.

- The first sentence states “Tired of being constantly cold, wet and hungry and not knowing they had already passed the worst rapids, three of Powell's men climbed out of the canyon in what is now called Separation Canyon.[18]

Yes, everyone was wet and hungry, but cold? The water temps were in the 70’s and the daytime air temps in the 100’s. There had been issues on the trip between the Major, his brother, and some of the crewmembers. The group as a whole didn’t know if hiking out or traveling on by boat was the appropriate action. The group split amicably, wishing each other well. (See Marston Ref)

Before the filling of the reservoir behind today’s Hoover Dam, the worst rapid on the river was Lava Cliff at the mouth of Spencer Canyon, downstream of Separation Rapid. Bradley noted the rapid at Separation was the worst they had seen yet, and he hadn’t seen Lava Cliff yet. (See Marston Ref)

The second sentence doesn’t match with John Wesley Powell which notes “Frank Goodman quit after the first month, and Dunn and the Howland brothers left at Separation Canyon in the third month. This was just two days before the group reached the mouth of the Virgin River on August 30, after traversing almost 930 mi (1,500 km). The three disappeared; some historians have speculated they were killed by the Shivwits Band of Paiutes or by Mormons in the town of Toquerville.[14]: 131–2 [15][16][17]”

The third sentence doesn’t recognize those who stayed with Powell survived and that group successfully ran ALL of the canyon. With this in mind, I offer the following:

On August 27, 1869, the men, wet, hungry, and dealing with contention among the trip members, came upon a rapid worse than any they had yet seen. The group didn’t know if hiking out or traveling on by boat was the appropriate action. The next day they split amicably into two groups with William Dunn, Oramel and Seneca Howland heading on foot up a side canyon now called Separation Canyon.[18] The three men were never seen again while Powell and the others stayed on the river and exited Grand Canyon two days later.^[1]

Your thoughts are appreciated!

July 8, 20205. Updated text and citations. RRFWTommartin (talk) 18:19, 8 July 2025 (UTC)