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Grand Canyon Pioneers Society - Monthly Bulletin |
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| Vol 5, No 4 | April 2001 |
Grand Canyon River History
After a good lunch surrounded by a lot of Prescott's history at the Palace Bar, we wandered down Gurney Street a few blocks to the Sharlot Hall Museum for a wonderful talk on Grand Canyon River history by Todd Weber. Todd leads Elderhostel trips to Lake Powell and the lower Grand Canyon and has a vast knowledge about river runners going back to the beginning of white man's arrival in the area.
Todd, dressed in wool pants, and vest adorned with a Civil War medal and a gold watch chain, began the talk going back in time to around 900AD when a Hopi Indian boy was sent on a mission to find water to save the corn harvest. He accidentally wound up on a cottonwood traveling though the Grand Canyon to the mouth of the river thus becoming the first person to travel down the river. He ended up living with Indians on the Colorado Delta where he learned a dance similar to the rain dance. The story is no doubt a legend, but is now associated with the Hopi rain dance on the Hopi Reservation.
A more accurate recording of history began with the Spanish conquistadors, and later Ives' attempt to boat up the river from the Gulf of California to near where Hoover Dam stands today. From there the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River were left unexplored and virtually ignored until the real history of river running began. This naturally included John Wesley Powell's trips, Robert Brewster Stanton's survey for a railroad, the Kolb brothers picture-taking trip, and the fatal Hyde trip as well as others sandwiched in between.
Each personage covered was presented in an enthusiastic style and covered facts most of us never heard of before. For example, Todd gave a description of Powell that was the picture of an army major attempting to run a bunch of mountain men like he would a platoon of soldiers in the army. His method did not go over well with the men who ventured into an unknown world with short rations and worn clothes. None of this Powell cared about; he seemed content as long as he accomplished his goal of making a survey of the great river.
Robert Brewster Stanton's trip turned into a fiasco almost before itstarted when Frank Mason Brown, the leader of the expedition supplied the expedition with flimsy pine boats, loaded to within inches of the gunwales with gourmet supplies like fine wines, cigars and hor d'oeuvres instead of down to earth grub. The boats were not made to withstand the rough waters of the Colorado River, and since life jackets were (as Brown termed it) an unnecessary expense, the trip ended almost before it started with the drowning of three of its members including Brown. Stanton, determined to complete the survey for a river route for a railroad, tried again and made a complete run later even though the railroad was never built.
Of course Todd included the now famous Kolb trip of 1911-12 that ran the river from Wyoming to Needles and on to the mouth of the river in the Gulf of California--outdoing Powell's trip. The great moving pictures that made the Kolbs wealthy as well as famous became the world's longest running motion picture ever shown. The interpretation of Emery Kolb's talk at the beginning of his show given by our speaker was so good that those who knew Emery could well imagine him standing before them talking.
The talk continued with the story of the ill-fated honeymoon trip of Glen and Bessie Hyde who attempted to run the river in a burdensome home-made scow without the protection of life jackets--because they were both good swimmers. The story of their disappearance has been batted around for years. Just what happened still remains a mystery.
Todd ended his talk as we ran out of time by briefly hitting on the more modern river runners, Norm Nevills and Georgie White Clark.
[Outing article by Sibyl Suran.]
GCPS Outings for 2001
| April 21: |
Hopi Mesas - a tour of three mesas lead by Gary Tso. The tour includes visits
to artisans homes and lunch. The cost will be $50 per person if we have 20
participants and $75 if we have 15 (cost subject to change).
Call or email Betty Leavengood (520-885-3570 or HikerBetty@aol.com) before April 17 if you plan to take this tour.
Time: 9:00 AM carpool departs from We will depart from the Hopi Cultural Center at 9:00 AM. The simplest way to Hopi from Flagstaff is to take on I-40 east to about one mile past Winslow, then take I-87 north towards Second Mesa about 60 or so miles. Turn onto Jct. 264 and take a left 2 miles to the Hopi Cultural Center. From there, plan to carpool with friends. |
| May 19: | Images of Glen Canyon by Gus Scott in Prescott. [A change in schedule; formerly Gary Ladd.] |
| June 16: | Annual Picnic at Shoshone Point, Grand Canyon South Rim. (Organized by Fred and Jeanne Schick.) |
| July 21: | Flights over Grand Canyon - Jim McCarthy will talk about flights over the Grand Canyon. He did his Master's Degree thesis on flights over the Canyon. |
| August 18: | Glen Canyon, the early fight, by GCPS member Harvey Leake. |
| September 15: | Rock Art Ranch tour with owner Brantley Baird. |
| October 20: | Board Meeting and a talk about "Sunk Without A Sound: The Tragic Colorado River Honeymoon of Glen and Bessie Hyde" by Brad Dimock. |
| November 17: | Backpacking remote areas of Grand Canyon - a slide program by Carol Castleman. Carol has lead Sierra Club trips around the world -- including many, many Grand Canyon backpacks to remote areas as well as about two dozen rafting trips. |
| December: | No Meeting |
A Thank You
Thanks to Charles Hoffman for his contribution to the GCPS Scholarship fund.
New Members
David Harper - Flagstaff, AZ
94th Birthday Celebration
J. Harvey Butchart will be celebrating his 94th birthday on Thursday, May 10. Representatives from the Grand Canyon Pioneers Society, Grand Canyon Private Boaters Association, Grand Canyon Hikers and Backpackers Association and the National Park Service, Grand Canyon National Park planned to honor Dr. Butchart during a lunchtime gathering.
Harvey recently asked the committee to cancel the birthday celebration because he didn't feel he was healthy enough to participate.
The Birthday Committee would like to present Harvey with a booklet containing written comments from his many hiking friends. These comments can be in the form of tributes, letters of appreciation or simply well wishes. You don't have to be a close friend or even an acquaintance of his to contribute. If his writings, exploits or whatever have inspired you, just say so. Mention a place you have visited in the Grand Canyon as a result of knowing Harvey or from reading about his adventures.
Please send your written contributions to the committee by April 26. We will then compile and print them in an easy to read font and print size. Harvey would greatly appreciate a gift of this sort and extra copies can be made available to those who request them.
Wayne Tomasi has offered to compile these contributions. You can either mail your birthday note to:
Wayne Tomasi 707 E. Encanto Dr. Tempe, Arizona 85281.
or send via email to:
Sincerely, Mike Coltrin birthday committee chairman
2001 Easter Hike and
Sunrise Service in the Grand Canyon
Darwin Plateau. Huxley and Spencer Terrace. Bass Overlook. Ruby drainage. Grand Scenic Divide. Mt. Huethawali. This is the setting for the 2001 Easter Hike and Sunrise Service in the Grand Canyon.
Individuals or groups hike in on Friday, April 13. On Saturday there is time to explore this interesting area of the Canyon. The Sunrise Service on Sunday. The group hikes out after the Service.
This is an "easy" Grand Canyon hike - no rock scrambles, no hiking on the edge, no roping of packs to the next level, no chimneys to inch up and down, and no pour off and deep water pools to negotiate.
The most difficult part of this outing is the 30 miles of (rough) unpaved road to the trailhead. The last five miles of the road is commonly called "two ruts" (it is more fun if it is raining or snowing!).
For more information and / or to reserve a spot call Lee Albertson (480-838-2710) or send and email (Albertson1213@msn.com).
Outings Contacts Information
Outings Coordinator:
Betty Leavengood
6045 Edison St.
Tucson AZ 85712
520-885-3570
HikerBetty@aol.com
The Bulletin welcomes comments, stories, or Reflections and Remembrances.
Please send them to
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Diane Cassidy
PO Box 9870 Phoenix, AZ 85068 |
or e-mail them to GCPioneers@yahoo.com
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