Special Exhibit:

 

Beyond the Rainbow: The 1927-1928 Expeditions in Rainbow Bridge Country
On display at the Powell Museum from April 25, 2009 through February, 2010

Rainbow Bridge has been known to indigenous peoples of the southwest for hundreds of years. The first publicized sighting of Rainbow Bridge, however, did not occur until August 14, 1909. On this date, two groups of Anglo explorers known as the Cummings-Douglass party, and their Paiute guides Jim Mike and Nasja Begay, "discovered" the natural bridge. Less than a year later, on May 30, 1910, President William H. Taft issued a proclamation that designated 160 acres surrounding the bridge as Rainbow Bridge National Monument.

In 2009-2010, the Powell Museum will recognize the 100th anniversary of the dedication of Rainbow Bridge as a National Monument with an exhibit of historical photographs from the northern Arizona and southern Utah areas by James J. Hanks, and repeat photography by his son Tom C. Hanks.

The exhibit, Beyond the Rainbow, highlights a sampling of an important collection of photos, letters, diaries, and memorabilia kept by James Hanks from his 1927 and 1928 trips to Rainbow Bridge. The expeditions, led by well-known anthropologist Clyde Kluckhohn, were archaeological, anthropological, and ethnographic expeditions dedicated to research cultures of northern Arizona and southern Utah. As expedition photographer, James Hanks took hundreds of photographs chronicling the ecology, geology, and people of the area. Nearly one hundred years later, James Hanks' son, Tom Hanks, returned to the exact spot his father had stood in 1927-28, and recreated the photographs using virtual repeat photography.

The 1927-28 expedition discoveries and adventures are described in Kluckhohn's book, Beyond the Rainbow, published in 1933, and are recounted in the exhibit of the same name displayed at the Powell Museum. The exhibit, which was created by Northern Arizona University Cline Library, will be on display from April 25, 2009 to February 2010.

Join Tom C. Hanks at the Powell Museum on Saturday April 25 at 4:00 p.m. for the exhibit opening reception. The event is free and open to the public.

For more information, call the Museum staff at 645-9496 weekdays, Monday through Saturday between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.

POWELL MUSEUM
6 N. Lake Powell Blvd.
P. O. Box 547
Page, AZ 86040
Ph. (928) 645-9496
Fax. (928) 645-3412