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1861 Report Upon The Colorado River - Signed - $175 (Irondequoit)
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Title "36th Congress, 1st Session. Senate. Ex. Doc. Report Upon The Colorado River Of The West, Explored in 1857 And 1858 By Lieutenant Joseph C. Ives, Corps Of Topographical Engineers, Under The Direction Of The Office Of Explorations And Surveys, A. A. Humphreys, Captain Topographical Engineers, In Charge. By Order Of The Secretary Of War."
Published by Government Printing Office. Washington. 1861. First edition.
The Federal government needed a route for the transportation of troops and supplies to Utah, where the Mormon War was intensifying. The 1857 Army Appropriation Act provided governmental funds for the Colorado Exploring Expedition, also known as the Ives Expedition, in order to determine the navigability of the river. The expedition’s primary objectives were to chart the river's course and conduct a hydrographic survey that included accurately mapping the Colorado and her tributaries in the region.
The report describes the activities of the expedition on the Colorado in 1857-58 under the command of Lieutenant Joseph Christmas Ives. A long, carefully written journal, with a maximum amount of attention to scientific observation. The primary work on the exploration of the Colorado. One of the most desirable books in the Colorado River field, for it is the first that deals specifically with the river itself. One of the most important and best illustrated army surveys of the American West.
Ives purchased a steamboat in Philadelphia. The vessel was taken apart and shipped via the Isthmus of Panama to California and thence to the mouth of the Colorado River, where Ives and the members of his expedition rendezvoused late in 1857. Ives and his men reassembled the steamboat and christened it the Explorer. They launched the ship on December 31, 1857 and set out on their journey of reconnaissance. They progressed northward for two months, passing through Mojave Canyon and Bill Williams's Fork, before the ship hit a rock on March 5, 1858. Following this setback, Ives divided his men into two parties, one to return with the boat, the other to return by land. Ives led the latter group. The groups parted company on March 23, 1858, and Ives's group soon entered the most rewarding part of their travels. On April 3, 1858 they had their first sight of what Ives called the 'Big Cañon' (what today is called the Grand Canyon). Ives and his men descended as far as they could that day, and the next morning (April 4, 1858) they stood on the floor of the Grand Canyon. Ives's party pushed on and visited Cataract Canyon on April 12, 1858. On May 2, 1858 Ives divided his party again and led a small group to the villages of the Moqui. He and his men then pushed eastward and reached Fort Defiance on May 23, 1858, concluding their journey there.
Book is complete. No missing pages. Contains 2 large foldout maps. 8 foldout panorama views. 8 native color portraits. 12 engravings, and numerous illustrations. Gilt image of steamship on front cover. Gilt lettering on spine is mostly worn away. Book measures 12 x 9 inches.
Both foldout maps are in good condition. Foxing is present throughout the book. Binding is barely holding together. A few pages are loose. Last 20 pages are stained from dry mold.
Former owners United States Senator Solomon Foot (1802-1866) and Reverend Edwin Hall (1802-1877). Both were graduates of Middlebury College, Vermont. Inside front cover is signed by Reverend Edwin Hall.
Solomon Foot was a member of the United States House of Representatives 1843-1847. Also a United States Senator 1851-1866. Also President pro tempore of the Senate 1861-1864.
Edwin Hall was a Presbyterian clergyman. Principal at Franklin County Grammar School, St. Albans, 1826-1827. Tutor in Middlebury College, 1827-1828. Principal Addison County Grammar School, Middlebury, 1828-1830. Principal Bloomfield Academy, NJ, 1831-1832. Pastor, First Congregational church Norwalk, Conn., 1832-1854. Professor of Christian Theology, Auburn NY Theological Seminary, 1854-1877. He also authored many books.