I grew up in Pierre, SD, which lies along the 100th Meridian. This meridian was astutely identified by John Wesley Powell as the dividing line. To the east, there is enough rainfall for small farms to thrive without irrigation. In contrast, the arid west has less than 20% farm-able land, and that is only possible due to the irrigation program achieved through a massive government works project that dammed most rivers in the west. Eastern South Dakota was the domain of church-going farmers and small town shop owners. Meanwhile, West River, along the Missouri River, was home to big arid ranches, large arid reservations, significant disparities, and a big beautiful sky. There is also a difference in time zones, with Pierre in the central time zone and Ft. Pierre, just across the river, in the mountain time zone.

Stegner's biography is more like two books. The first part is an adventure story retelling Powell's trip down the Colorado River in 1869. The second part is the political saga of his time in Washington, leading various bureaus and managing the scientific exploration and documentation of the western US. In the second part, Stegner is rather self-righteous about Powell as a man of science leading the battle for truth in a corrupt Washington, which almost spoils the story. However, he salvages the narrative with an engaging discussion about the battle between myth and reality in the arid lands beyond the 100th meridian. Before 1900, two-thirds of all homesteaders failed to stay on the land.

Stegner's book is worth reading for the story of Powell's trip down the Colorado, as a detailed history of the politics of land policy in the 1880s and 1890s, and perhaps for some of Stegner's discussion of Powell's geological ideas about erosion and canyon formation. However, Stegner does a poor job of considering Powell as an ethnographer. His section on why tribal names make 'un-poetic' place names is hard to read, and his review of Powell's 'classification' of tribal societies is repulsive. Overall, it is somewhat of a caricature of itself, useful if you are interested in mid-20th century writers and public voices.

Stegner's book seems more about Stegner's perception of Powell than a serious biography. Mark Bramhall was a fine narrator, with the right tone for the narrative, as if he was channeling Stegner. I would read another Stegner book if I wanted to know about his thoughts on a particular topic, but I don't read Stegner because I think he is a great writer. As Naipaul said, he read Conrad because Conrad was one of the few writers writing about places he cared about - the same goes for me.

Wallace Stegner’s “Beyond the Hundredth Meridian” is a captivating biography that delves into the remarkable career of Major John Wesley Powell. Powell was a multi-faceted figure, being a geologist, a soldier, an intrepid explorer of the Grand Canyon, a respected professor, the director of the U.S.G.S., and the director of Ethnology at the Smithsonian Institution.

He is perhaps most renowned for his 1869 expedition, a momentous three-month river journey along the Green and Colorado rivers, which included the first official U.S. government-sponsored passage through the Grand Canyon.

Powell’s exploration of the high desert, canyons, and plateaus of southeast Utah was of great significance. This region was the last part of the contiguous United States to be mapped, and Powell was the first explorer to undertake a systematic exploration of these rivers, mountains, and plateaus. However, his later activities had even greater importance for the nation. His attempts to bring order and rationality to the chaotic drive to settle the West will be his enduring legacy.

Despite the fact that Powell’s overly ambitious plan to consolidate government science and control agrarian settlement faced significant challenges due to populist sentiment, his ideas have become more evident in their importance today than they were in 1902, the year of his death.

Powell’s ideas were not well-received by a group of Congressmen and a land-hungry public. The Homestead Act, which made sense on the American prairie, was not feasible in the vast desert West without irrigation for agriculture. His warnings were ignored, and it was only decades later that the full consequences were realized. The subsequent water wars have persisted over time.

Wallace Stegner, a novelist, short story writer, environmentalist, and historian, is widely regarded as the preeminent Western writer of his generation. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, this study is an essential read for students of the American West.

Powell was truly an extraordinary individual. It was fascinating to witness how he essentially initiated geologic studies in the West and began scientific government-funded investigations. His contributions were of great significance. He dedicated himself to exploring the uncharted territories of the West, delving deep into the mysteries of the earth's geology. With his unwavering determination and scientific acumen, he laid the foundation for future generations of geologists. His work not only advanced the field of geology but also had a profound impact on our understanding of the natural world. Powell's efforts in starting these important studies are highly commendable and continue to inspire scientists and researchers today.

This should have been much more boring than it actually was.

Part I, which details Powell's exploration of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, is just one aspect of this book. The majority of it focuses on Powell's career as the leader of the US Geological Survey. In this role, he held significant power in deciding how the West would be opened up for settlement.

The second half of the book chronicles his futile battle with politicians who opposed his overall plan.

So, why is this such an interesting read? Stegner's dry humor and powerful writing are on full show, and his love for the West shines through the pages. He doesn't shy away from criticizing those disillusioned optimists who advocated for blind homesteading (Sam Adams, Gilpin, and Stewart are especially targeted). Clearly, Stegner believes Powell was on the right path.

This is not an objective work, nor does Stegner try to make it seem that way. He is a Powell supporter and wants to make it known that Powell is a forgotten name who merits remembrance.

Informative and well-written, it is an excellent read.

I have always been fascinated with Stegner, so I decided to read his biography. I grew up near him in Los Altos when he was teaching writing at Stanford to renowned authors like Ken Kesey. I truly like his fiction and deeply admire the numerous things he accomplished in his life.

I respect that he had to write this non-fiction book about John Wesley Powell, who is an important American figure in the context of exploring, settling, mapping, and surveying the west. However, Wallace Stegner is no Timothy Egan when it comes to making non-fiction come alive. Powell also has the unfortunate situation of being like the Avis Rent A Car of early American exploration. He came just after and was second to Lewis and Clark. And the writing in Stegner's book did not do for Powell what Steven Ambrose did for Lewis and Clark in "Undaunted Courage".

I was fascinated to discover that President Garfield was a great friend and provided budgetary support to Powell, long before his assassination. In fact, Powell even rigged up the first air conditioner to provide comfort to Garfield on his death bed. It's these kinds of interesting details that make the study of history and the lives of these figures so captivating.

While Stegner admits in the introduction that this work is not a linear biography of John Wesley Powell, the structure of the narrative is truly hard to digest. The organization of this book seems rather chaotic. Stegner begins by abruptly dropping us into Powell's first navigation of the Green/Colorado without providing any context of time or place. To such an extent that I had to pause and make sure my audiobook wasn't set to 'random' tracks. Even those with a good understanding of post-Civil War America will still feel a bit lost in the first half of this book due to its passing and referential nature. Names and events are simply listed without any explanation. I'm not certain I could have continued reading this book without a solid knowledge of navigation, rafting, the American West, and the social environment of the 1870s. Fortunately, I had just finished a book on the settlement of Utah and Colorado, which was beneficial. If you are new to any of these aspects, this is definitely not the place for you to start.

We then transition into broader and more comprehensive commentary on land settlement, scientific organization, and government bureaucracy. A particularly excellent chapter on Public Domain appears more than two-thirds into the book, and 1870s America is skillfully depicted through Stegner's prose. However, Stegner's descriptions of the interactions between white men and Native Peoples are filled with problematic (at best) and downright propagandist (at worst) vocabulary. This undermines and ultimately derails the prevailing idea that Powell and his contemporaries 'unlocked' the 'virgin' West. Powell and his associates do deserve credit for mapping and documenting (according to Western standards) the topographical details of a significant portion of North America. But Stegner's book fails to address any of the moral and social implications of manifest destiny.

This was truly awesome.

Wallace Stegner wrote two books, for all practical purposes, and both of them were simply incredible.

The life of John Powell is nothing short of insane.

The first book is a thrilling tale of adventure and exploration as a group of crazy individuals navigate the Colorado River from beginning to end in inappropriate wooden boats. They are constantly on the verge of capsizing, running out of food, and generally managing to avert disaster by a hair's breadth.

The second book delves into Powell's career in politics, specifically his creation of the Bureau of Reclamation and the complex issues surrounding western politicians, water, and the growth of the west.

Each book was not only fascinating and fun to read but also highly educational. I was truly amazed that this book was written in the 1950s. Stegner is an incredibly talented author who has the ability to bring not only the narrow canyons of the Colorado River but also the halls of power in Washington, D.C. to vivid life in the reader's mind.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in water issues in the west or politics in general.

John Wesley Powell is an incredible man with a fascinating story that is deeply intertwined with the history of the western U.S. development in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Despite losing an arm in the Civil War, he achieved a remarkable feat by becoming the first person to raft the entire length of the Colorado River. This was an extremely physically demanding journey, filled with violent rapids, long portages, and a great deal of scrambling up cliff walls to scout the course.

After his successful exploration of the Colorado River, Powell dedicated his life to public service and laid the foundation for the successful development of the West. He established and managed numerous government agencies that mapped the West and provided the essential knowledge required to formulate policies for its development.

This book effectively highlights the true history of the West's development, challenging many deeply ingrained myths. All previous land development and policies were based on the conditions east of the Mississippi, which had generally open and fertile land with consistent rainfall suitable for farming. However, the West was completely different, featuring mountains, canyons, and large areas of arid land that could not support farming. Therefore, a completely different approach to development was needed.

Powell was one of the first to recognize this and fought hard for policies that could lead to the sustainable development of the West. He opposed simply applying the Homestead Act policies, which gave settlers 160-acre plots under the assumption that all such plots could support a farming family. In reality, in the arid West, many plots of 400+ acres could not support a family unless they happened to include a stretch of the Colorado River. Western development thus required significant government intervention in managing water resources to prevent water rights from being concentrated in the hands of corporations, contrary to the common myth of homesteaders developing the West through their individualism and grit.

I read this book while traveling through the canyon country of Utah and Arizona and thoroughly enjoyed learning more about the region's history. The first third of the book, which focuses on Powell's initial journeys down the Colorado River, is well worth reading for those interested in the natural history of the area. However, if you are not interested in Western development and the exploration of the Colorado, some parts of the book may seem a bit dense and slow, as it was written in the 1950s and reflects a slightly different pace.

As a Midwesterner who has made the move to live in the West, I have a deep desire for a book that can comprehensively explain the rich history and unique culture of this region. I was fortunate enough to come across Stegner's work.

His prose, while at times a bit over-extended, manages to draw the reader in with its vivid descriptions. The level of detail he provides is truly remarkable, almost on par with what one would expect in a PhD thesis in American History. However, what makes this book truly outstanding is the amazing story it weaves.

It is a tale of one man's heroic fight against the lies, graft, and political maneuvers that have unfortunately characterized Western history. This captivating narrative keeps the reader engaged from start to finish. Overall, I would highly recommend this book with a rating of 5/5. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the history and culture of the West.

The first half of this book was truly captivating. It detailed John Wesley Powell's humble beginnings and his remarkable journey of running the Green and Colorado rivers through the Utah canyon country and the Grand Canyon. The account of the river run was particularly fascinating, filled with excitement and adventure.

The second half, on the other hand, focused on his work in running topographical surveys in the west for the government to assist in planning water distribution. It also delved into his efforts in Washington, DC to educate and lobby for proper water usage in the west. While this part was not as gripping as the first half, it was of utmost importance in the grand scheme of things.

Tragically for Powell, people were not receptive to his recommendations, which were quite radical at that time. As a result, he was unable to achieve his larger goals. What is even more disheartening is that some of those recommendations are still not in use today or have only recently been reversed. This state of affairs truly makes me frustrated.

This book was published five years before Alaska and Hawaii became states.

It was also at a time when the last soldiers of the Civil War were dying.

Stegner makes references to events that were common knowledge in 1954 but have since been lost to the present consciousness.

For instance, he refers to Jay Cooke's collapse three times without explaining who Jay Cooke was or what kind of collapse he experienced.

In his Author's Note, Stegner says he has "dwelt somewhat long on an early and relatively unimportant, though adventurous, episode: the running of the Colorado River."

However, as it turns out, that is the most interesting part of the story.

Perhaps Stegner intended to draw the reader's attention to this often overlooked aspect.

Or maybe he simply recognized the inherent drama and excitement in the exploration of the Colorado River.

Either way, it adds a layer of depth and intrigue to the book that keeps the reader engaged from start to finish.

A truly wonderful story that unfortunately was presented in an agonizingly boring manner. It was such a pity as the potential of the story was great. I found myself skimming through the last half of it just to discover the various jobs he held during his career.

It would have been so much more engaging if the author had found a more interesting way to tell the tale. Instead of the dull and monotonous narrative, perhaps some vivid descriptions, interesting anecdotes, or a more dynamic writing style could have been used.

Nevertheless, despite the lackluster presentation, the information about his career jobs was still somewhat interesting. It gave a glimpse into the different paths he took and the experiences he gained along the way.