Biographical Memoir of John Wesley Powell, 1834-1902


Read by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont

(4.2 stars; 2 reviews)

This is Volume VIII of the National Academy of Sciences Biographical Memoirs series. It is read as 33 sections using the memoir headings. John Wesley Powell (1834-1902) was a leading figure in the geological explorations of the West and helped establish the federal U.S. Geological Survey in 1879. He also led the Bureau of Ethnology and advocated for better treatment and study of Native American tribes and culture. He wrote a definitive study of the arid western U.S., advocating for thoughtful irrigation and land management practices. Powell predicted that water rights purchased by corporations, rather than tied to the land, would be a major political and environmental issue. John Wesley Powell was a scientific frontiersman. His life reveals the energetic working of a vigorous and independent personality, full of inspiration, power, and enterprise. He was a founder of major scientific organizations, including the National Geographic Society, Geological Society of America, and the Cosmos Club. Powell lived most of his life in Washington, DC. The memoir was written by William Morris Davis (1850-1934) was a prominent professor of geology, geography, and meteorology at Harvard and knew Powell personally. Summary by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont (3 hr 40 min)

Chapters

Early Life 5:39 Read by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont
Service in the Civil War 5:03 Read by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont
Visit to the Rocky Mountains, 1867-1868 4:28 Read by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont
Exploration of the Colorado Canyon 9:18 Read by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont
Geological Survey of the Territories and Report on the Colorado Canyon 11:10 Read by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont
Antecedent Rivers 11:10 Read by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont
Geological Work 6:20 Read by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont
Physiographic Work 8:16 Read by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont
Baselevel of Erosion 7:58 Read by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont
Planation 5:20 Read by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont
Physiographic Essays 7:23 Read by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont
Lands of the Arid Region 21:03 Read by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont
The Geological Survey 11:19 Read by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont
Topographical Map 5:26 Read by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont
Reports and Folios 4:10 Read by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont
Irrigation Survey 1:59 Read by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont
Administration 7:21 Read by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont
Resignation from the Survey 7:22 Read by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont
Residence in Washington 3:29 Read by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont
Ethnological Work 7:22 Read by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont
Bureau of Ethnology 3:21 Read by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont
Indian Languages and Mythology 7:00 Read by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont
Savagery, Barbarism, and Civilization 3:27 Read by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont
Synthetic Essays 9:42 Read by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont
Mannerisms 3:12 Read by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont
Views on Evolution 6:58 Read by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont
Evolution of Music 11:49 Read by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont
Inductive Studies 1:40 Read by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont
Indian Linguistic Families 4:45 Read by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont
Philosophical Studies 6:23 Read by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont
Pentalogic Series 2:39 Read by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont
Truth and Error 4:44 Read by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont
Personal Estimates 3:35 Read by Melanie Schleeter McCalmont