Historic Boats

Grand Canyon's Historic Boats at the South Rim

 Grand Canyon National Park's Historic Boats

 Grand Canyon National Park has a number of Historic Boats in its Museum Collection. Flagstaff videographer Greg Hales and I put together a series of sixteen videos on these boats. You can see the first video introduction here: Vimeo      YouTube

The second video in the series is on the boats used by John Wesley Powell in 1869 and 1871. While only a 3-foot diameter fragment remains of one of the 1871 boats, there are well made replicas of those boats at the Tusayan Imax.           Vimeo     YouTube

The third video in this series is on the 1909 boat used by Julius Stone to boat from Green River, WY, to Needles, California, in 1909. It is the oldest complete boat in the collection.
Vimeo     YouTube

The fourth video explores the boats used by the Kolb brothers to boat through Grand Canyon in 1911-12, the Edith and Defiance.     Vimeo:   YouTube

In the fifth video I look at one of David Rust's canvas canoes that were used to guide tourists in Glen canyon in the 1920s. Two Park Rangers using a canvas canoe like Rust's drowned in Horn Creek Rapid in 1929. This is their story.    Vimeo    YouTube

The sixth video looks at the Marble, a boat used to help map the river in Grand Canyon in 1923.           Vimeo      YouTube

In the seventh video, I focus on the WEN, made by Don Harris and Norm Nevills in 1938. The WEN is a Catract boat, also called a sadiron.   Vimeo    YouTube

The eighth video focuses on Alexander "Z" Grant's run through Grand Canyon in 1942 in a foldboat kayak.    Vimeo     YouTube

In the nineth video I recount the 1948, '49 and '50 exploits of the Esmeralda II, the first motorboat on record to traverse the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.  Vimeo    YouTube

For the tenth video I recount the exploits of Stephen Moulton Babcock Fulmer, known to his friends as "Moulty." He built the GEM in the early 1950s, Grand Canyon’s first documented McKenzie River Dory.   Vimeo     YouTube

For the eleventh video, we look at a ten-man raft named the GEORGIE after Georgie White, the Woman of the River. This may be the raft Georgie rowed through Grand Canyon in 1952.                               Vimeo     YouTube

The twelfth video covers the 1960 Buehler Turbocraft jetboat uprun of the Colorado River in 1960. (See Errata for a correction about this video)   Vimeo     YouTube

In the thirteenth video we cover Walter Kirschbaum. With the help of his wife Ruth, they made this kayak in the late 1950s. A week after the jet boats headed downriver, Walter paddled this boat through Grand Canyon. He completed his run just before the jet boat uprun of the river began. Both were firsts.       Vimeo     YouTube

The fourteenth video explores this modified McKenzie River dory that first ran Grand Canyon in 1962. The boat was built by Keith Steele for Plez "Pat" Reilly. After its first trip through Grand Canyon, Reilly sold her to Martin Litton.   Vimeo     YouTube

Our fifteenth video looks at the sportyak DOCK. The bypass tubes around Glen Canyon Dam were closed in January of 1963, bringing the flow of the river to a trickle. In August, a small group of folks made the first run through the now dam controlled Grand Canyon. Their boats of choice were tiny Sportyaks. Vimeo     YouTube

In our sixteenth and final video, we complete the circle and look at vert tiny and tippy boats paddled by 12-year-olds. These two boats, like almost all the other boats in the fleet, were added only years after they made their Canyon run and represent today's kayaks. Vimeo     YouTube

Remembering Art Greene's Airboat Tseh Na-ni-ah-go Atin'

 

 

 

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