John Wesley Powell was born in Mount Morris, New York, in 1834, the son of Joseph and Mary Powell. His father, a poor itinerant preacher, had emigrated to the U.S. from Shrewsbury, England, in 1830. The family moved westward to Jackson, Ohio, then Walworth County, Wisconsin, before settling in rural Boone County, Illinois. As a young man, Powell undertook a series of adventures through the Mississippi River valley. In 1855, he spent four months walking across Wisconsin. During 1856, he rowed the Mississippi from St. Anthony, Minnesota, to the sea. In 1857, he rowed down the Ohio River from Pittsburgh to the Mississippi River, traveling north to reach St. Louis. In 1858, he rowed down the Illinois River, then up the Mississippi and the Des Moines River to central Iowa. In 1859, at age 25, he was elected to the Illinois Natural History Society. Over seven years, while teaching, Powell studied at Illinois College, Illinois Institute, which would later become Wheaton College, and Oberlin College, but was unable to attain his degree. During his studies he acquired a knowledge of Ancient Greek and Latin. He had a restless nature and a deep interest in the natural sciences, and despite his father's wishes, he remained determined to pursue that interest. In 1860, while on a lecture tour, he decided that the Civil War was inevitable and chose to study military science and engineering to prepare for the imminent conflict. After 1867, Powell led a series of expeditions into the Rocky Mountains and around the Green and Colorado rivers. One of these expeditions, with his students and his wife, collected specimens all over Colorado. In 1868, Powell, William Byers, and five other men became the first white men to climb Longs Peak in Colorado. In 1869, he set out to explore the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon. With nine men, four boats, and food for 10 months, he departed from Green River, Wyoming, on May 24. Passing through dangerous rapids, the expedition traveled down the Green River to its confluence with the Colorado River, then also known as the Grand River upriver from the Junction, near present-day Moab, Utah, and completed the journey on August 30, 1869.