The Powell Expedition

"The Powell Expedition is a thought-provoking, nuanced work that reads at times like a detective story, and it should offer much fodder for historians."
—The Wall Street Journal

"Lago examines many theories about the fate of three members of Powell’s expedition who left the river before the end of the journey and were never seen again. While the true fate of these explorers may never be known, there are enough leads in this account to entertain Colorado River rafters around campfires for years. Grand Canyon enthusiasts will find much to consider in this book."
 —Library Journal

"This is no straightforward river adventure, but rather a collection of multiple intriguing theories about various disputed facts, making for excellent campfire stories after a long day on the river." 
—Publishers Weekly

"Lago is a storyteller, and his accessible, sprightly writing style makes what could be a mind-numbing collection of facts read like an adventure yarn." 
—New York Journal of Books

"Written in a refreshingly transparent first-person style, Lago demythologizes Powell, corrects past libels and properly puts the focus on his crew. This book will be of interest to historians and river rats alike."
—True West Magazine
 

"Lago’s latest book is the result of 20 years of research across 13 states, digging into the history of the expedition’s individual crew members to tell a far more specific story that the broad tale of river running and canyon mapping.” 
—Grand Canyon News

"Don Lago’s The Powell Expedition: New Discoveries about John Wesley Powell’s 1869 River Journeytakes a new, fresh look at the 1869 expedition down the Green and Colorado Rivers led by John Wesley Powell. He concentrates especially on the often-overlooked members of the crew, and the events that led to distrust, tension, and the eventual departure of three members of the party, as well as an in-depth look at the deaths of those three and the subsequent lives of most, if not all, of the men. The book is definitely a significant and novel contribution to the literature on Powell, and that’s saying something. The sources Lago consulted are astounding, in a word.”
—Roy Webb, author of Riverman: The Story of Bus Hatch and High, Wide, and Handsome: The River Journals of Norman D. Nevills

“Don Lago has spent over 20 years researching Powell’s 1869 river expedition, ferreting out details nobody else has discovered, myth-busting, speculating, and clarifying the whys and wherefores of the trip. This book is a culmination of those details and speculation, with updates on his previous writings and adding a wealth of new material. Lago covers topics no other Powell biographer/author has addressed, or ones in this depth.”
—Richard Quartaroli, special collections librarian emeritus, Northern Arizona University