John Wesley Powell—civil-war veteran, college professor, long-time head of the U.S. Geological Survey, member of the National Academy of Sciences, president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and instrumental in the establishment of the National Geographic Society, the Geological Society of America, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Bureau of Ethnology, and the Bureau of Reclamation—is best-known for two expeditions down the Green and Colorado Rivers.

Born in Mount Morris, New York, of English-born parents, Powell was discouraged from education by his father who believed that the ministry was the only purpose for which one needed to be educated. The younger Powell however, worked at a variety of jobs to support his attendance at numerous schools, but never completed a degree. His...