The publications, addresses, and official documents of explorer and scientist John Wesley Powell comprise a body of work representing many of the great historical movements and intellectual landscapes of 19th century America. Powell's work yields an astonishing array of contributions to geology, geography, anthropology and ethnography, environmental history, Native American Studies, and natural science. Specifically, there are important social and political issues connected to Powell--the fate of the indigenous people of North America, the role of the federal government in the affairs of...