Skilled, Indigenous: Floating down the Grand Canyon Although perhaps not given as much credit as is due, Native Americans were skilled boaters with a rich history of building elaborate and sturdy watercraft, especially at the lower end of the Colorado River basin Author: Jonathan Romeo The Durango Herald DURANGO, Colo. — Throughout the history of the West, it’s commonly accepted that the grizzled, one-armed Civil War major and geologist John Wesley Powell was the first to journey by river into the treacherous and unknown depths of the Grand Canyon. But is it possible, or even likely, Native Americans had long preceded Powell in floating down the big ditch?