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Down the Great Unknown
- John Wesley Powell's 1869 Journey of Discovery and Tragedy Through the Grand Canyon
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 13 hrs and 3 mins
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Publisher's Summary
Drawing on rarely examined diaries and journals, Down the Great Unknown is the first book to tell the full, dramatic story of the Powell expedition.
On May 24, 1869 a one-armed Civil War veteran, John Wesley Powell, and a ragtag band of nine mountain men embarked on the last great quest in the American West. The Grand Canyon, not explored before, was as mysterious as Atlantis - and as perilous. The 10 men set out from Green River Station, Wyoming Territory, down the Colorado in four wooden rowboats. Ninety-nine days later, six half-starved wretches came ashore near Callville, Arizona.
Lewis and Clark opened the West in 1803; six decades later Powell and his scruffy band aimed to resolve the West’s last mystery. A brilliant narrative, a thrilling journey, a cast of memorable heroes - all these mark Down the Great Unknown, the true story of the last epic adventure on American soil.
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What listeners say about Down the Great Unknown
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- HC-2 NAS Norfolk '92
- 08-17-19
Modern references take away
The story and history is, of course, wonderful. The stupid modern analogies of race cars and airplanes is annoying. These modern references distract and take away from the spirit of the diaries and works from where it came.
It would have been much better to keep it in the 1860s. If I wanted to hear how airplanes and race cars work, how highways and speedometers work, I would ,. Anyway, .
8 people found this helpful
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- Matthew Stein
- 07-06-19
Great story, perhaps over-narrated.
Good listening, also enjoyed diversions into geology, historical context and side stories of other explorers. My only critique is the extent to which Dolnick seeks to convince the reader that navigating a river is dangerous: employing analogies of bucking Broncos, plunging dolfins etc.- I might suggest excessively.
4 people found this helpful
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- Brian Hill
- 07-03-19
Entertaining Story
This book held my interest the entire time. It’s a great story with just the right amount of detail.
3 people found this helpful
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- Mundus
- 05-26-20
Spectacular
Truly amazing, highly recommended. 11 more words required. 7 more words required. 3 more words
2 people found this helpful
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- Driscoll
- 08-13-21
Great story but the endless comparisons
The story is great and important to learn about. Lots of interesting history. The endless silly comparisons and redundant telling of trivial information make the book far longer than it needs to be and at times very hard to listen to.
1 person found this helpful
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- Beth
- 06-19-22
No exaggerations
With regard to the reviewer that opined that the author had laid it on a bit thick: I wonder if they have experienced the power of the Colorado through the Canyon. I just finished my seventh trip. A woman died about 2 minutes ahead of my trip. I have already lost a colleague on a previous trip. I had the opportunity to “safely swim” a baby rapid late in one of my trips. Let me just say it was humbling and in many regards terrifying. To attempt such without a life jacket is clearly hopeless. What Powell accomplished in the regions preventing even scouting rapids is evidence of a beneficent God, to say the least!
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- C Jones
- 10-15-21
Down The Great Unknown
Excellent adventure book. The narrator was perfect for this book. The characters were brought to life in an excellent way. I have read this book half a dozen times and listening made it new and exciting all over again. Highly recommend.
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- Cameron Smith
- 09-26-21
Where was the editor?
I love stories of exploration and survival. This one is well researched. But it is ruined By all of the illustrations
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- Kelly Nelson
- 06-08-21
Such a well-written true story of adventure & history
The way Mr. Dolnick uses analogies, descriptions, and metaphors to bring the reader into a solid understanding of the times and the intricacies of the expedition is absolutely brilliant. For the layman who knows nothing of white-water rafting, you will gain a base understanding of it so you are able to follow along with the significant challenges the expedition faced. For someone who does not know how people lived in the late nineteenth century, you will gain an understanding. There is even a chapter dedicated to the civil war battle of Shiloh that educates the reader in a captivating way of the horrors of the war. Mr. Campbell has an old, gruff voice with great energy and inflection, who perfectly reads the story. Highly recommend this book. A+
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- Ak47
- 03-05-21
too long and drawn out,
I felt the book could have been shorter and conveyed the same information. the only other thing that bothered me was the constant use of weird metaphors and similies.