In Celebration of Colorado River Days — Flagstaff

Monday, Sept 9

Brown Bag Lecture: What did John Wesley Powell Learn about the Colorado River from Jacob Hamblin?

12:15-1:00pm

Presented by Richard Quartaroli

Free

Many folks might recognize the name of Jacob Hamblin from early Mormon history in the Southwest, perhaps by his nickname “The Buckskin Apostle.” If anyone has read about John Wesley Powell and his 1869 river expedition through the Grand Canyon, they should have heard Hamblin’s name in regard to the unsolved mystery of the disappearance of the Howland brothers and William Dunn. They left Powell’s trip at what is now known as Separation Rapid, hiking to the north rim of the Grand Canyon to an oft-discussed unknown fate. Hamblin was the interpreter for Powell in 1870 when they met with members of the Shivwits Paiutes, some of whom admitted to the killing of the three men. What else did Powell rely upon from Hamblin for information about the Grand Canyon and specifically the Colorado River, some of which Hamblin ran in 1867.