Inside the book, readers can view historical pictures and documents relating to the expedition and John Wesley Powell. Dolnick helps the reader understand river hydrology while explaining some of the pitfalls one might encounter including foot entrapments, one of the quickest ways to die on a river. Dolnick reconstructs the hellish sequence of events Powell and his men encountered on this treacherous stretch of river.
In chapter nine, the reader is transported through Dolnick’s writing to ‘Hell’s Half Mile,’ a stretch of river found just within Colorado’s Territory. Dolnick also spends time on members of the expedition helping the reader understand the day-to-day struggles and personalities. The historical background also provides strong context for the reader and helps unveil Powell’s sometimes-insane drive. Constantly I wanted to continue reading at the end of a chapter, which typically wasn’t more than a ten pages long.Īs the book continues, Dolnick focuses on Powell’s own leadership skills and “his ability to preserve in the face of calamity.” Dolnick pulls from Powell’s personal background and uses it to explain Powell’s decision-making skills. Though some of Dolnick’s critics have pointed out they felt he goes overboard at times describing the scene, I personally found it interesting and gripping. Dolnick uses accounts from several of the men to tell the story not shying way from the lower moments one might now find when reading a glossy account of the expedition. Though Dolnick includes a larger map of the Colorado River at the front of the book, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to pick up a copy of a map of the Colorado River to use when reading.Īs Dolnick chronicles the expedition he doesn’t shy away from the wild ups and downs the crew faced during the first few weeks on the water. After setting up the expedition, Dolnick jumps into the expedition by using crude maps at the beginning of chapters to help the reader understand where the action takes place. Dolnick uses several of the expedition’s personal journals to create a strong connection between reader and Powell’s team. Dolnick weaves historical ideology with today’s river runners’ knowledge to help readers understand Powell’s task and the mechanics of such a large river.ĭolnick then goes into how Powell selected his crew and some of his men’s own personal struggles.
Dolnick quickly engages the reader and draws them into Powell’s dream by not shying away from the potential lunacy of Powell and his expedition. It was an expedition so risky the ten participating men set out on a river through a part of America yet to be mapped. He was writing about one of America’s most spectacular expeditions and with a wide variety of resources.
The end result is Down The Great Unknown, a thoroughly researched day-by-day account of Powell’s journey, his teams’ personal lives and the newspaper stories that gripped a nation and brought worldwide attention to the Grand Canyon.ĭolnick’s vision was not easy. Instead, Dolnick set out to write the most detailed historical count of Powell’s journey from notes, journals, interviews and factual information gathered through hundreds of hours of research. Edward Dolnick didn’t set out to write the next great American novel when he began researching John Wesley Powell’s expedition down the Colorado River.
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