Ridin' Down the Canyon Trivia Quiz

Answer: Purdue University

John Wesley Powell (1834-1902) was born in New York state and moved with his family to Ohio first, then Wisconsin, before settling in Illinois. Powell attended Oberlin College, Wheaton College, and Illinois College at different times in the 1850s, although he did not earn a degree at any. He later lectured at Illinois Wesleyan University and Illinois State Normal University in the 1860s. He did not have a connection with with Purdue University as a student or a lecturer.

The picture is my representative of the Boilermaker Special, the official mascot of Purdue University.

Answer: Hudson River

Powell's long journeys by rowboat all occurred in the Trans-Appalachian west. They include rowing most of the length of the Mississippi (1856), rowing the length of the Ohio River (1857), the Illinois River (1858), and the Des Moines River in Iowa (1859). In addition he spent four months walking across Wisconsin in 1855.

The picture shows my representation of the Statue of Liberty, which is associated with New York City, and which is close to the Hudson River.

Answer: In the Army

Powell came from a family that was opposed to slavery (his father, a minister, had preached sermons opposing it). He enlisted as a private in the 20th Illinois Infantry in May 1861, though he would soon rise in rank to be an officer. Transferring to the artillery, he served in several battles including Vicksburg and Shiloh (where he lost his right arm due to injury). He finished the war as a Brevet Lieutenant Colonel, though he preferred the title "Major".

The picture shows a compass which is pointing to W (for west), suggesting West Point (associated with the Army), although Powell himself did not attend West Point.

Answer: New Mexico

The expedition began in Wyoming Territory at Green River Station travel down the Green River into Utah Territory. It crossed briefly into Colorado Territory before recrossing into Utah Territory (where the Green River joins the Colorado River. The expedition then moved into Arizona Territory (where the Colorado River passes through the Grand Canyon). Powell's expedition ended in the state of Nevada, although the Colorado River goes onto to leave the United States on the border between California and Arizona. Although the expedition lasted from May 24 until August 30, 1869, it did not cross into New Mexico Territory. The 1960 Disney film "Ten Who Dared" is based on Powell's expedition.

The picture represents the state flag of New Mexico.

Answer: Oramel Howland, the mapmaker

John Wesley Howell was probably exempt from rowing because of the loss of his right arm at the Battle of Shiloh, in addition to being the leader of the expedition. Printer and editor Oramel Howland also served as the mapmaker for the expedition. Near the end of the expedition, Howland, his brother Seneca, and William Dunn left the group, citing weariness of travelling the rapids. After they left the group, their fate is largely lost to history. Suggestions by historians include the men being killed by Shivwits Indians or by Mormon settlers, who considered the men "spies".

The picture shows a map and compass, that might be associated with a mapmaker.

Answer: No Name

The "Emma Dean" was 16 feet long and made of pine while the other three boats were each 21 feet and made of oak. On June 09, while traveling through Lodore Canyon, Powell ordered the boats pulled ashore as they approached an area of rapids on the river. While the other three boats were brought ashore in time, the "No Name" was not and instead smashed in two on the rocks. While no one was killed, the expedition lost a significant amount of supplies, including the barometers. They were later able to recover some of the barometers which were very important as they were the expedition's means of determining altitude during the journey.

The picture shows a name tag that has "hello" but only a question mark for a name.

Answer: A pair of pants

Powell would occasionally climb to higher ground to be better survey the upcoming journey. On one occasion, in the area of what is now called Echo Park, he had ascended several hundred feet from the canyon floor, when he found himself stuck. He was holding onto the rock with his one arm and could not move up or down. Expedition member George Bradley stripped off the bottom of his clothing (described in different sources as pants or long underwear bottoms) and lowered them to where Powell was able to grab hold. He was then pulled to safety.

The picture shows all four objects, but the pants/long underwear bottoms are a slightly different shade than the other objects.

Answer: August

The expedition entered the Grand Canyon on August 5 and exited on August 29. Some of the swiftest rapids of the whole journey are encountered here and at some points the walls of the Grand Canyon rise a mile above the men in the boats. Before this point, the Grand Canyon had been generally seen as a desolate area and a barrier to travel by Europeans and European-Americans. It is not until the 20th century that it truly becomes a tourist attraction.

The picture shows an eight sided shape, suggesting the eighth month of the year.

Answer: Photographs were taken

In his published writings about the expedition, any photographs come from the second journey. In some cases, his writing is purposely vague about whether he is describing the 1869 trip or the 1871-1872 trip. There were scientists on the second trip. However, Powell and his crew did collect fossils and gather some scientific data on the first trip. Both trips included mapping of the river although the 1871-1872 map is considered noticeably more accurate. Both trips were on rowed boats.

The picture shows a picture frame, where a simple picture (photo) has been placed.

Answer: Secretary of the Interior

Powell served as the Director of the US Geological Survey from 1881 until 1894. He served as Director of the Bureau of Ethnology of the Smithsonian Institution from 1879 until 1902. He was a Lecturer on the History of Culture at Columbian University from 1894 until 1899. He never served as the Secretary of the Interior. Some of Powell's views expressed in his post expedition career were progressive and some less so. He described the Native Americans of the west as midway between savagery and civilization. On the other hand, he foresaw that water issues would be a key factor in the west in the future.

The picture suggests the saying "Think outside the box". In this case, the word think is on the exterior of the box, not the interior.