23rd Annual Student Research Conference
John Wesley Powell and Colin Fletcher: Exploring Attitudes Toward the Grand Canyon
Laura E. Ferry♦
Dr. Alanna Preussner, Faculty Mentor
John Wesley Powell and Colin Fletcher stand out as two explorers of the Grand Canyon who provide entry points to the Canyon from two very different time periods. Through examining these two men's motivations, we see how they correlate with our own motivations and with those of tourists who visit the Grand Canyon today. How have these explorers' attitudes influenced the way they and others interact with the land? How do we interact with the land today? Powell and Fletcher's desires, whether they be to learn about the Canyon, to appreciate its aesthetic wonders, to challenge themselves, to tread through it as an untouched territory, or to assess the resources associated with it, illustrate what our attitudes are towards the Grand Canyon might be, and call us to question how those attitudes affect our treatment of the land.
Keywords: Grand Canyon, American West, John Wesley Powell, Colin Fletcher, exploration, explorers, The Man Who Walked Through Time, Colorado River
Topic(s):English
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 63-2
Location: VH 1432
Time: 3:00