Oh, people might have read John Wesley Powell’s 1875 book, ultimately titled “The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons,” but the book wasn’t so much a deep dive into the size, beauty and geology of the Grand Canyon as much as it was a tale of the Wild West.
“It was meant to be a geological treatise, but it was actually written more as an adventure novel because he needed to sell it and get more appropriations from Congress,” said Matthew Toro, Director of Maps, Imagery and Geospatial Services at the ASU Library.
ASU Library exhibit celebrates 140-year anniversary of Dutton's Atlas