Biography: Jessica Flock was raised in Laramie, WY. Growing up, she traveled the state for swim meets, horse-pack trips, field trips, and rafting adventures. During those experiences, Jessica fell in love with the landscape, history, and people of Wyoming. Her latest adventures include documenting the murals, monuments, and memorials in Wyoming’s 99 Incorporated Municipalities, 104 Census-Designated Places (CDP’s), and 55 Unincorporated Communities. In 2019, Jessica was part of the Sesquicentennial Colorado River Exploring Expedition (SCREE / Powell 150), which re-traced the river journey of John Wesley Powell and his men down the Green and Colorado Rivers in 1869. The Powell 150 expedition floated the river for 70 days, hosted numerous outreach events, curated a multi-city art exhibition, and fostered much dialogue about water in the west. When she's not on the river, you may find her in downtown Laramie with her husband and three dogs operating a small outdoor recreation business.
About the Photo: As Jessica was traveling home from Salt Lake City, she liked the way the moonlight was shining upon the Wyoming landscape and thought it might be lighting up the murals and Powell monument in downtown Green River, WY, thus she took a quick detour off the Interstate. John Wesley Powell is remembered for numerous expeditions of the American West in the 1860s and 1870s, most notably his Colorado River Exploring Expeditions of 1869 and 1871. The explorers launched from Expedition Island on the Green River when Wyoming was still a Territory. The sculpture of Powell is on the grounds of the Sweetwater County Historical Museum. Inside the museum, there is a wonderful exhibit about John Wesley Powell and his impact on water in the West. Nationally renowned sculptor David Alan Clark, who grew up in Green River and resides in Lander, WY, created the monument. Photo of "John Wesley Powell Monument in Moonlight" taken on Sept.8, 2022.
History: John Wesley Powell, director of the Colorado River Exploring Expedition party had launched its boats from the town of Green River on the Union Pacific Railroad in the Wyoming Territory. They planned to follow the Green River to where it joins the Colorado River in present-day southeast Utah. From there, Powell hoped to float all the way to the junction of the Virgin and Colorado rivers, about 20 miles past the eastern end of the Grand Canyon in present-day Arizona. The heart of this region was the last in the continental United States, unknown to Euro-Americans. Although the trip would have been a daring exploit for any man, Powell was intent not on adventure, but on science.
More Information: https://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/john-wesley-powell-explorer-thinker-scientist-and-bureaucrat
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