Down the Great Unknown

On May 24, 1869, a one-armed Civil War veteran named John Wesley Powell and a ragtag band of mountain men embarked on the last great Western expedition: exploring the Grand Canyon. The ten men set out from Green River Station, Wyoming Territory down the Colorado River in four wooden rowboats; ninety-nine days later, the six half-starved survivors came ashore near Callville, Arizona.

With Down the Great Unknown, Edward Dolnick has created a true adventure tale that is rich in historical detail and filled with danger and suspense. Drawing on rarely examined diaries and journals, this is the first modern book to tell the story of this harrowing journey.

Edward Dolnick is the former chief science writer at the Boston Globe. He has written for the Atlantic Monthly, the New York Times Magazine, the Washington Post, and many others. He made his first Grand Canyon river trip (of four) 20 years ago. He lives in Maryland with his wife and two children.

“Enthusiasts of exploration literature, lovers of the Grand Canyon and those with a passion for outdoor hardship can find much here to humble their own adventures.”— New York Times Book Review