G. A. Henty 
In the Heart of the Rockies [EPUB ebook] 

G. A. Henty’s "In the Heart of the Rockies" is set in the mid-nineteenth century. It is the story of sixteen-year-old Tom, an eng boy, who after the loss of his parents, is uncertain how to make his way in the world, especially since he wants to take care for his two sisters. Tom decides that it would be best for him to leave for America where he hopes to join his uncle who was prospecting for gold. Tom soon finds his uncle and some new friends as well, including two Native Americans. Together they endure a bitter Rocky Mountain winter, fight off attacks by hostile Native Americans, and are eventually forced to navigate the wild and dangerous white-waters of the Colorado River through the uncharted Grand Canyon…