By Max Bowen
In Tim Piper’s new book, “The Powell Expeditions,” kicks off a historical adventure series set in the 1860s American West. Piper’s historical fiction is inspired by the Colorado River expeditions of real-life naturalist, college professor, and one-armed Civil War veteran Major John Wesley Powell, who was the first American explorer to hike the Longs Peak Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park, and navigate the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.
In this interview, Tim talks about how he learned of Wesley’s story and adapted it for his book, as well as what we can expect in future novels. He also goes into the research he did and building the character of Jubilee Walker.
“The Powell Expeditions” was released on Jan. 15 through Sunshine Parade Publishing. Learn more at www.timpiper-author.com.
Let’s begin with setting this in the 1860s. What about this time period appealed to you?
It was not the time period itself that appealed to me, but Major John Wesley Powell’s Colorado exploring expeditions during the summers of 1867, 1868 and 1869. I wanted to describe Powell’s adventures, but it seemed too daunting to tell the story from the point of view of a historical figure. I created Jubilee Walker, my fictional protagonist, and used his coming-of-age story as a vehicle to follow Powell’s adventures, and examine life during that era.
Who is Major John Wesley Powell and how did he inspire your book?
Powell was a geologist, soldier, explorer, professor and director of major scientific and cultural institutions. He is most famous for being the first to follow the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. Several years ago, I hiked the Longs Peak Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park. Afterward, I purchased a book on the history of the mountain. I was surprised to learn that the first person to summit it was Major John Wesley Powell, a professor at Illinois Wesleyan University in my hometown, Bloomington, Illinois. As I read more about Powell’s expeditions in his early years, I felt as though I were reading an adventure novel. When I searched for novels based on his exploring trips, I didn’t find any, so I decided to write one myself.
What kind of research was done for this book?
I started at the library. The archive librarian at Illinois Wesleyan University’s Ames Library allowed me access to their John Wesley Powell Special Collection. These materials, along with other resources suggested by the librarian, provided a wealth of information about Powell. As I started to develop my other characters, I found I needed to know what everyday life was like in Bloomington and in the wider United States during the post–Civil War years. I began reading through newspapers in online archives and seeking out books about that era to fill in these details.
It seems Jubilee Walker is a person who loves a good adventure. Why and how does this impact the story?
“The Powell Expeditions” is the story of Jubilee Walker, a young man whose mother dies when he is 17, leaving him to decide whether to continue farming or pursue a life of adventure, which he has often dreamed of. He turns to Major John Wesley Powell, a family friend, for advice, and learns Powell is leading a group of students on an exploring expedition in the West. Jubil sets his sights on joining Powell. But his plans for a life of adventure are complicated by his deepening feelings for his best friend, Nelly Boswell. She is very independent-minded and reluctant to spend her life with a man who insists on such a dangerous lifestyle. We join Jubil as he navigates the hardships and lawlessness of the American West and grapples with choosing between a life of adventure and the girl he loves.
What’s next for you?
The next book in the series is “The Yellowstone Campaign.” In this story, Jubil is drawn into the 1870 Washburn expedition that paved the way for the first formal geographic surveys of the Yellowstone Basin in 1871 by Dr. Ferdinand Hayden and Captain John Barlow. Jubil and his fellow adventurers find themselves in a wonderland of exotic geography that can be as deadly as it is awe inspiring.
“The Yellowstone Campaign” will be released in July 2024.
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