Introduction

The first successful run of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon was made by Major John Wesley Powell’s expedition in 1869. Before 1949 fewer than 100 people had gone down the canyon by boat. Today 22,000 people take the trip annually. The river still presents many of the same challenges experienced by Powell and his men.

The river and its canyon exert its influence on all who travel it. Many have written about their personal journeys, describing the trip’s impact upon their lives. Whether because of the beauty of the scenery or the physical and mental challenges presented, all have been changed.

This exhibition is based loosely on the book of the same name in which photographer Kathleen Jo Ryan and 16 modern-day adventurers documented their experiences on the river. The quotes are excerpts from each woman’s essay reflecting her river passage. In comparison, images and quotes from historic river travelers show how the equipment has changed but the personal experiences have not.

Today this river, once considered too dangerous, has become the adventure of a life-time.

For more information contact Grand Canyon Association (928) 800-858-2808 or www.grandcanyon.org.

Historic Expeditions

Long after the rest of the continent had been explored, the Grand Canyon region remained unknown territory, a blank spot on maps.

Early explorers of the Colorado River through the canyon probed the mysterious hinterland to determine whether the river was navigable, to chart its course, and to discover what resources might be found there and exploited. They kept detailed records and penned their reactions to the challenges they met at nearly every turn.

It didn’t take long for river runners to discover that the sheer adventure of an expedition through this remarkable canyon was reason enough to go. The experience of losing themselves in the depths of a forbidding canyon on a wild and unforgiving river taught them as much about themselves as it did about their surroundings.

IVES EXPEDITION: 1857–58

More than fifty years after Lewis and Clark completed their journey to the Pacific Ocean, the United States government sent its first expedition up the unknown Colorado River to determine whether the waterway could be used for supplying military posts in southern Utah Territory.

Starting from the Gulf of California, Lieutenant Joseph Ives led his men through perils of rocks, sandbars, and skirmishes with indigenous tribes as far north as their stern-wheeler could go—to the vicinity of today’s Davis Dam. At this point, he reported, the river would be “an economical avenue for transportation.”

Here they tied up their boat, cached supplies, and set out on foot to explore the great canyon that lay ahead. What they found in the depths of the abyss was discouraging, indeed, and led them to report that, though interesting from a scientific point of view, it was “altogether valueless.”

QUOTES:
“The region is, of course, altogether valueless. It can be approached only from the south, and after entering it there is nothing to do but leave. Ours has been the first, and will doubtless be the last party of whites to visit this profitless locality.”

”It seems intended by nature that the Colorado River, along the greater portion of its lonely and majestic way, shall be forever unvisited and undisturbed.”

--Lt. Joseph C. Ives, from his Report upon the Colorado River of the West

The unfamiliar terrain of the Grand Canyon appeared formidable to early explorers on the Ives Expedition of 1857-58.

Scenic engravings by H. B. Mollhausen for Lt. Ives’ Report upon the Colorado River of the West, 1861.

Click on photo to view enlargement

Courtesy of Grand Canyon National Park Museum Collection, GRCA 16180 and GRCA 16240.

POWELL EXPEDITIONS: 1869, 1871–72

Major John Wesley Powell and his small band of civilian men made the first successful journey through the Grand Canyon by river in 1869. Though the purpose of the expedition, from Powell’s point of view, was to record geographic and geologic data, the press reported it as a great adventure—one in which all crew members, save one, had perished. Powell emerged at the end of his journey to find himself eulogized in myriad obituaries. The report was overstated, but in truth, the trip did claim several lives.

The party had expected difficult rapids and unknown dangers. But the size and frequency of these, coupled with the loss of food and equipment, took their toll. Day after day, while Powell made notes in his journal about scientific observations and waxed eloquent about landscape, crew members chronicled in their journals the hardships of moving through this rugged land on an uncharted, untamed river. Finally, three crew members had had enough. They left the expedition on August 28, determined to reach civilization among the scattered Mormon villages, but they were never seen alive again. Three days later, Powell and his remaining crew emerged from the deep canyon to complete their journey.

Two years later, Powell was once again on the river and roaming the adjacent rims to gather historical and cultural data among the indigenous peoples.

QUOTES
“There is discontent in camp tonight and I fear some of the party will take to the mountains but hope not. This is decidedly the darkest day of the trip. . . .”
–George Bradley, August 27, 1869

“As the twilight deepens, the rocks grow deep and somber; the threatening roar of the water is loud and constant, and I lie awake with thoughts of the morrow and the canyons to come.” –Major John Wesley Powell

“The glories and the beauties of form, color, and sound unite in the Grand Canyon—forms unrivaled even by the mountains, colors that vie with sunsets, and sounds that span the diapason from tempest to tinkling raindrop, from cataract to bubbling fountain.” –Major John Wesley Powell

Illustrations from Powell’s expeditions in 1869 and 1871-72, reflected the geology of the Grand Canyon more accurately than those from Ives’ earlier expedition

KOLB BROTHERS EXPEDITION: 1911–12

Adventurers to the core, pioneer photographers Ellsworth and Emery Kolb had lived at Grand Canyon for nearly a decade, exploring and photographing the little-known backcountry as a way of life. But by 1911, they were ready to try something new.

Buoyed by stories of earlier explorers and armed with new-fangled technology, they proposed to make the first motion picture of river running through the Grand Canyon.

“We could not hope to add anything of importance to the scientific and topographic knowledge of the canyons already existing,” wrote Ellsworth. “And merely to come out alive at the other end did not make a strong appeal to our vanity. We were there as scenic photographers in love with their work, and determined to reproduce the marvels of the Colorado’s canyons.”

Three men in two boats embarked from Green River, Wyoming, on a crisp September day to retrace the 1,100-mile route of the Powell expedition and record it all on film. Mishaps and mayhem prevailed, but by 1915 they were touring the country to narrate their silent film in front of curious crowds. The film was shown at their South Rim studio every day thereafter until Emery’s death in 1976, making it the longest-running film in history.

QUOTES:
“The boat mounts bravely but is caught and hurled like a feather when the opposite wave strikes. . . . The first thing I knew I was sinking slowly. . . .”
–Ellsworth Kolb

“I see Emery is hung up on rock at head of rapid. My boat is filled and thrown from side to side, finally turns over with me under. . . . Long time underwater in the swift current. . . . I can hardly drag myself out. . . . E [Emery] climbs on rock above me and says his boat is smashed. . . . Camp. 5 minutes later clothes frozen.”
–Ellsworth Kolb

“We [were] very happy to be all together & alive. It took me the whole day to repair the hole in my boat. Large enough

to crawl through.” –Emery Kolb

GLEN and BESSIE HYDE:1928

In 1928, Bessie Hyde, the first woman to travel into Grand Canyon on a Colorado River expedition, honeymoons on the river with her new husband Glen. But the story of adventuresome lovers turns tragic, and today their tale reads like a dime novel.

The Hydes embarked on their honeymoon in a clumsy-looking twenty-foot scow, built by Glen near their launch site at Green River, Utah. Their journey wasn’t all for love: They harbored ideas of capitalizing on the trip by writing a book and possibly lecturing across the country. Bessie was as enthusiastic as her young husband, at least at first.

By the time they reached the foot of Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon twenty-six days later, it appeared that—for Bessie at least—the honeymoon was over. Glen insisted that they continue, and they did, but they never reached their destination. Over a month later, a search party found the scow floating peacefully midstream, its line caught on underwater rocks. The couple’s equipment and personal effects were found undisturbed in the boat, but the lovers had disappeared.

BESSIE’S POEMS:
My church
Is made of
Rocks and sand,
With clear, blue sky
And pounding waves.

Broken dreams hurt me so,
I sometimes pause to wonder,
If dreaming really is worthwhile
And not a foolish blunder?

CLOVER AND JOTTER: 1938

Botanist Elzada Clover dreamed of exploring Grand Canyon to identify plants in the botanically unknown canyons of the Colorado River. The only practical way to accomplish it was from the river. Together with river runner Norman Nevills, Dr. Clover organized an expedition for the summer break in her academic year, bringing along graduate student Lois Jotter as assistant.

Adventurous scientists were once again on the river, but this time they were women—the first women to attempt the trip since Bessie Hyde had disappeared ten years earlier. Their 660-mile journey was a success both as a scientific expedition and an adventure. Their trip was also the first commercial river trip through the Grand Canyon.

Toward the end of their journey as they passed the location where Glen and Bessie Hyde were thought to have perished, “Elzie” Clover wrote in her journal: “It is really a shame that they worked so hard, did so well, and then had to forego the pleasure of accomplishing it.”

Clover and Jotter were honored at the time as the “only women in history to complete the perilous voyage.” They celebrated at Boulder City, Nevada by ordering rattlesnake steaks for their victory dinner.

QUOTES:
“She [Bessie] was afraid of the river. Makes me feel almost ashamed to enjoy it so much. It is a great river with a hundred personalities, but it is not kind.”
–Elzada Clover

“Made camp on a narrow sandy shore, where people later took dips, and where there were nice little rock crannies in which to sleep.”
–Lois Jotter

Author Biographies

Kathleen Jo Ryan ( Washington) is a photographer and multimedia producer. In addition to Writing Down the River, her works include Texas Cattle Barons . . .(video) and Deep in the Heart of Texas . . . (book); and Ranching (video) and Ranching Traditions . . . (book). Ryan is the founder of Western Education & Stewardship Trust (W.E.S.T.) that developed WestNetwork.org to connect people, organizations and communities in the rural American West.

Denise Chavez ( New Mexico) is a novelist, playwright, actress, director and teacher. Her published works include a book of short stories, The Last of the Menu Girls, and two novels, Face of an Angel and Loving Pedro Infante. Chavez was awarded a Lannan Foundation Literary Residency in 2000 and was the 2003 Hispanic Heritage Awards Honoree in Literature. She is founder and Artistic Director of the Border Book Festival.

Gretel Ehrlich ( California and Wyoming) has published poetry, fiction, nonfiction, essays and a memoir. Her work includes The Solace of Open Spaces, Drinking Dry Clouds and Yellowstone: Land of Fire and Ice. Her work has appeared in Harper’s, Atlantic, New York Times, Time, Life and Outside. She has been honored by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Guggenheim Foundation and the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Linda Ellerbee ( Massachusetts and New York) is a television producer, news anchor, best-selling author, public speaker and a breast-cancer survivor. Her company has produced prime-time specials for HBO, SOAPnet, A&E, MTV and WE. Two of her books — And So It Goes and Move On — were national bestsellers. As a breast-cancer survivor, Ellerbee travels thousands of miles each year giving inspirational speeches.

Judith Freeman ( California and Idaho) is a novelist, essayist and critic. She has written four novels and a collection of short stories. Her novel, Red Water, was named by the Los Angeles Times as one of the 100 Best Books of 2002 , the same year it was chosen as the Number 1 Book of the Southwest by the Tucson Book Review. She has received a Guggenheim Fellowship in Fiction, the Western Heritage Award and the Utah Book Award.

Linda Hogan ( Colorado) is a poet, novelist and essayist. She was one of three finalists for the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for her novel, Mean Spirit. She was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for The Book of Medicines, a collection of her poems. Hogan has received The Five Civilized Tribes Museum Playwriting Award, a National Endowment for the Arts grant and a Guggenheim Fellowship.

Teresa Jordan ( Nevada and Utah) is the author of Riding the White Horse Home and Cowgirls: Women of the American West. She has edited two anthologies of Western women’s writing, The Stories that Shape Us: Contemporary Women Write About the West and Graining the Mare: The Poetry of Ranch Women. She is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in literature and the Silver Pen Award from the Nevada Writer’s Hall of Fame.

Ruth Kirk ( Washington) published her first book (about Death Valley) in 1956 and it is still in print. She and her husband Louis Kirk, a national park ranger, naturalist and PBS producer, covered various subjects including the effects of snowmobiles on an Inuit village, desert ecology and Northwest Coast archaeology. Kirk’s most recent books are Snow and Sunrise to Paradise: The Story of Mount Rainier National Park.

Page Lambert ( Wyoming and Colorado) continues to make pilgrimages to the Colorado River, facilitating five-day writing journeys for women. A recipient of a 2004 Literary Fellowship from the Wyoming Arts Council, Lambert was described in Inside/Outside Southwest Magazine as one of the most notable women writers of the contemporary West.

Brenda Peterson ( Washington) writes both fiction and non-fiction. Her novel, Duck and Cover, was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year for 1990. Living by Water was an Editor’s Choice for the American Library Association. Peterson is an NPR commentator and is featured in Edge Walking on the Western Rim: New Works by 12 Northwest Writers. Her most recent nonfiction book is Sister Stories: Taking the Journey Together.

Leila Philip ( New York) is the author of The Road Through Miyama, which received the 1990 PEN Martha Albrand Citation for Nonfiction. Her second book, Hidden Dialogue: A Discussion Between Women in Japan and the United States, was published in 1993. She was honored by the National Endowment for the Arts; was a James Thurber Writer in Residence in Columbus, Ohio; and was a Bunting Fellow in Creative Writing at Radcliffe.

Sharman Apt Russell (New Mexico) has written books and essays, including An Obsession with Butterflies: Our Long Love Affair with a Singular Insect; Anatomy of a Rose; Kill the Cowboy: A Battle of Mythology in the New West; and Songs of the Fluteplayer. Russell was a fellow at the Rockefeller Study Center in Bellagio, Italy, and has received many writing awards.

Annick Smith ( Montana) is a writer and filmmaker. She was the executive producer of Heartland, a feature film about pioneer life, and a co-producer of A River Runs Through It. Her books include Homestead, about her life on a Montana homestead; Big Bluestem: Journey into the Tallgrass, about the prairies of Oklahoma; and In This We Are Native: Memoirs and Journeys, essays about place, nature and family. Smith co-edited The Last Best Place: A Montana Anthology.

Barbara Earl Thomas ( Washington) is a painter and writer. She has exhibited artwork at the Seattle Art Museum, The Tacoma Art Museum and other museums across the United States. Storm Watch: The Art of Barbara Earl Thomas was published in 1998. Her essays have appeared in Raven Chronicles, A Single Mother’s Companion, Intimate Nature: The Bonds Between Women and Animals and The Gift of Birds: True Encounters with Avian Spirits.

Evelyn C. White ( California) is editor of The Black Women’s Health Book. Her work has appeared in Smithsonian, Essence, Ms., the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal. She is a board member of the Soapstone Writer’s Retreat for Women in coastal Oregon. Her biography, Alice Walker: A Life, is to be published in the fall of 2004.

Ann Haymond Zwinger (Colorado) has published many books, including Downcanyon: A Naturalist Explores the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon; The Nearsighted Naturalist; Fall Colors; and Colorado III. Her essays have appeared in Orion, Plateau Journal and Whole Terrain. Zwinger is the recipient of the Spirit of the West Lifetime Achievement Award and an honorary doctorate from the University of Colorado.

Susan Zwinger ( Washington) has written several books, including The Hanford Reach: The Arid Lands of South Central Washington and The Last Wild Edge: One Woman’s Journey in Search of Ancient Forest. Her first book, Stalking the Ice Dragon: A Naturalist’s Journey through Alaska, received the Governor’s Author’s Award in 1992.

Cases, Dory, and Sculpture in the Exhibit

Scale Model Black Mesa Dory, 2004
After a design by Martin Litton
Handcrafted by Marty Schlein, Blue Sky Woodcraft, Carbondale, Colorado.

Click on any photo to view enlargement

Plywood with fiberglass cloth covered in resin

A dory is a narrow, flat-bottomed boat with high sides and a sharp prow. Dories used on the Colorado river are designed to carry two passengers in front and two in the rear. The guide sits in the middle and rows the dory using two 10-foot oars. A full-size boat is 16 feet 9 inches long and weighs approximately 500 pounds. Designer Martin Litton names each of his dories to commemorate to a wild place that has been impaired by humans.

Grand Canyon Dories has run the full-size dory Black Mesa in the Grand Canyon on approximately 200 trips (45,400 river miles).

Courtesy of OARS/Grand Canyon Dories