| 1776 |
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Crossing of the Fathers, used by Escalante and Dominquez |
| 1869 |
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Major John Wesley Powell, an intrepid one-armed explorer, left Green River, Wyoming, leading an expedition down the Green and Colorado Rivers. The expedition started May 24 and ended on August 29, 1869, near grand Wash cliffs. |
| 1871 |
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John D. Lee established ferryboat service across the Colorado River at present-day Lees Ferry, providing the first accessible canyon crossing. |
| 1909 |
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Rainbow Bridge, the world's largest natural bridge, was discovered. The 278' wide span stands 290' above the stream bed. Today, it's part of Rainbow Bridge National Monument, a popular vacation attraction at Lake Powell. |
| 1956 |
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Construction started on Glen Canyon Dam, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower pressed a button from the White House, detonating the first powder charge. |
| 1957 |
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Navajo tribe exchanged more than 53,000 acres bordering the south bank of the Colorado River for a similar amount of land on McCracken Mesa near Montezuma Creek, Utah. This transfer provided the necessary land for the dam. |
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Page, Arizona was founded, named after John C. Page, the Commissioner of Reclamation between 1937 and 1943. |
| 1966 |
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The final two generating units at the Glen Canyon Dam began providing power |
| 1972 |
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Glen Canyon Recreational Area was established |
| 1980 |
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Lake Powell reached "full pool" for the first time at 3,700 foot elevation |
| 2004 |
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Lake Powell is at its lowest level since it filled in 1980. While this looks very dramatic on the lake's vast shoreline, there is still well over 300 feet of water in the lake's main channel, and plenty of space to safely recreate. |
