John Wesley Powell (1834-1902)

John Wesley Powell (1834-1902) (HM2HON)

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N 38° 56.899', W 77° 22.135'

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Explorer, Geologist, Ethnologist

—USGS: Science for a changing world —

The man who would become the second Director of the Geologic Survey, grew up exploring and teaching himself about natural history. In 1861, he enlisted in the Union Army, was commissioned as an artillery officer, lost his right forearm to a Confederate Minié ball at the Battle of Shiloh, promptly returned to active duty, and was promoted to the rank of Major. After the Civil War, he resumed exploring, leading several expeditions including a daring 99-day voyage down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon that made him famous.

In the following years, Powell led several geologic and ethnological explorations in Arizona and Utah under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution. His reports of the West contained much insightful information about Native Americans. In 1877 he published a pioneering work on Indian languages that led to his appointment in 1879 as the first Director of the U.S. Bureau of Ethnology of the Smithsonian Institution, a post held simultaneously while serving as the second Director of the USGS (1881-1894). He continued to direct the Bureau of Ethnology until his death in 1902.

Powell was widely recognized as one of the leading scientists of his era. He was a founder and president of the Cosmos Club in Washington, a founder and president of the Anthropological Society of Washington, and an organizer



of the Geological Society of Washington. He helped establish the National Geographic Society and Geologic Society of America. In 1888, he was elected president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, then considered the highest honor for the American scientist. He also received honorary degrees from several universities at home and abroad.
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HM NumberHM2HON
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Placed ByUnited States Geological Survey, U.S. Department of the Interior
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Monday, June 10th, 2019 at 2:02pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 294709 N 4313709
Decimal Degrees38.94831667, -77.36891667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 38° 56.899', W 77° 22.135'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds38° 56' 53.94" N, 77° 22' 8.1000000000001" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling North
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