The doomed 1853 expedition that discovered Colorado’s “Snake Canyon”

Gunnison’s Fatal 1853 Railroad Survey Through Black Canyon

In 1853, Captain John Williams Gunnison led a team west to map a train route through the Rockies. The West Point grad had earned his stripes on Great Lakes surveys before tackling this new challenge.

By September, his crew stood at the rim of what we now call the Black Canyon, where Gunnison wrote it looked like “a huge snake in motion.”

After one look at those steep walls, he knew no train could pass through. Sadly, his quest ended weeks later when Pahvant Utes killed him and seven men in Utah.

Today, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park stands as a monument to the man who first put this wonder on the map.

The Brilliant West Point Grad Behind a Deadly Expedition

John Gunnison finished second in his 1837 West Point class of fifty students.

He first fought Seminoles in Florida as an artillery officer. Health problems forced him to join the Corps of Topographical Engineers in 1838.

The army sent him to map unknown Florida areas and find supply routes, but his poor health eventually drove him out of Florida completely.

Mapping the Great Lakes Kept Him Busy for Years

From 1841 to 1849, Gunnison explored the Great Lakes region. He mapped the Wisconsin-Michigan border and checked out western Lake Michigan.

He also looked at Lake Erie’s coast during this time. The army promoted him to first lieutenant on May 9, 1846.

While mapping lakes, Gunnison married Martha A. Delony on April 15, 1841.

Mormon Territory Beckoned the Rising Star Officer

In spring 1849, the army picked Gunnison as second-in-command for Howard Stansbury’s trip to the Great Salt Lake valley.

A tough winter trapped them there.

Gunnison used this time well by working with Mormon scientist Albert Carrington to map Utah Lake and the Jordan River.

While stuck in Salt Lake City that winter, he wrote a book called “The Mormons, or Latter-Day Saints, in the Valley of the Great Salt Lake.”

Jefferson Davis Tapped Him for a Critical Railroad Mission

Gunnison’s Mormon book became popular after coming out in 1852. The army made him captain on March 3, 1853, thanks to his good work in Utah and the Great Lakes.

Just two months later, on May 3, he got orders to find a Pacific railroad route between the 38th and 39th parallels.

War Secretary Jefferson Davis gave him this job as part of a bigger plan to find the best paths for a cross-country railroad.

The Team Headed West With Big Dreams

The group left Fort Leavenworth in Kansas Territory on June 23, 1853. Lieutenant E.G. Beckwith served as Gunnison’s helper on the trip.

The team included map-maker Richard H. Kern, German plant expert Frederick Creutzfeldt, and Mormon guide William Potter.

They traveled up the Arkansas and Cucharas Rivers, towards the Colorado mountains.

Rocky Mountain Crossing Led to His Future Namesake

Gunnison’s team crossed the Sangre de Cristo Range to reach the San Luis Valley.

They pushed northwest across the valley until they hit the Continental Divide, crossing at the unmapped Cochetopa Pass.

The group then went down the Grand River, now called the Gunnison River, toward the Tomichi Valley.

The town of Gunnison, Colorado sits there today, named after the captain who first led Americans through this rough country.

His First Look at Black Canyon Left Him Stunned

On September 7, 1853, Gunnison’s team first saw the Black Canyon at Lake Fork.

In his report, Gunnison wrote that it looked like “a stream in a narrow and winding canyon, like a huge snake in motion.”

The captain rode into the canyon several times that day to get a better look. He called the area “the roughest, most hilly and most cut up” he had ever seen.

The Canyon Proved Too Tough for Railroad Dreams

Looking at the steep walls and rushing river, Gunnison wrote that while they could possibly build a railroad there, it would need “huge amounts of cutting, filling and stone work.”

He quickly decided a cross-country railroad through this route would cost too much and face too many building problems.

The group went around the canyon, heading south toward what is now Montrose. His report gave the first official description of the Black Canyon to the government.

Utah Territory Welcomed Them Into Danger

By mid-October, the survey team reached Manti in Utah Territory.

They found damage from recent Paiute attacks on Mormon towns. Gunnison didn’t know about the Walker War between Ute Indians and Mormon settlers.

Local people told the group not to worry because peace talks had happened, and the survey team faced no immediate danger.

Cold Weather Pushed a Fatal Decision

The weather turned “cold and raw” with snow starting to fall. Gunnison wanted to finish mapping before winter stopped them.

On October 21, 1853, he took seven men from Cedar Springs to explore the Sevier Lake area. At the lake, the team split into two groups, with Gunnison leading 11 men downstream.

On the morning of October 26, 1853, a band of Pahvant Utes attacked Gunnison’s camp near Sevier River while most men still slept.

The Massacre Changed Western Exploration

Gunnison and seven of his men died in the attack. Only four escaped. The government later renamed the Grand River as the Gunnison River to honor the fallen captain.

Among the dead were Richard H. Kern who made the maps, Frederick Creutzfeldt who studied plants, William Potter who guided them, and four army privates.

Lieutenant Beckwith took over leadership and finished the survey work. After this tragedy, later government expeditions in the 1850s completely avoided the Black Canyon.

Visiting Gunnison National Park, Colorado

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park honors Captain John Gunnison’s 1853 railroad survey that first documented this dramatic canyon.

You’ll need a $30 seven-day pass or $55 annual pass to enter at 9800 Highway 347 in Montrose. The visitor center opens year-round.

Drive the South Rim road to see 12 viewpoints including Chasm View and Painted Wall. Get wilderness permits at the visitor center if you want to hike down into the canyon.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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