Second Powell Expedition

In 1871 the country under your feet was the last blank on the map of the United States. That year Major John Wesley Powell ran his second expedition down the Green and Colorado, then sent his brother-in-law Almon Thompson overland to chart what they called 'the unknown country.' Over four years Thompson filled it in — naming the Escalante, the last river to be found in the lower forty-eight, and climbing the Henry Mountains, the last range to be surveyed. Highway 12 traces his route. In 1879 Clarence Dutton named the pink cliff above you Powell Point.

What the plaque says

In 1871, this region was part of the last uncharted territory in the continental United States. That year, Major John Wesley Powell launched the Second Powell Expedition to explore and map this frontier, continuing the work he had begun three years earlier. Powell led the expedition safely through the wild waters of the Green and Colorado rivers to the Paria River. He then instructed his brother-in-law Almon H. Thompson to lead the expedition overland to map what they called "the unknown country." In 1872, the expedition members climbed the slippery slopes of the badlands on which you now stand. Thompson then scaled the brilliant pink formations above you to view the surrounding country. Over the next four years, Thompson's explorations filled in this last blank spot on the U.S. map. In 1879, surveyor Clarence Dutton named this spectacular landmark "Powell Point," in honor of Major Powell. Highway 12 now follows the 2nd Powell Expedition's exact route from Henrieville all the way to Head of the Rocks, east of Escalante.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Henrieville — 9.4 mi
  A blink-and-you-will-miss-it ranching hamlet
• Cannonville — 13 mi
  Gateway to Kodachrome Basin and the Grand Staircase
• Kodachrome Basin State Park — 13 mi
  A valley of 67 stone chimneys rising from the desert floor
• Grosvenor Arch — 13 mi
  A massive double arch named for the National Geographic Society president

More markers nearby

• Minerals in the Mesas — 11 mi
• Veterans Memorial Park — 13 mi
• Ebenezer Bryce Cabin — 13 mi
• Tropic Pioneers — 13 mi