Saving Boats and River History:
History in the Making

Who says history is dull, boring, uninteresting? Obviously no one who was at the old Grand Canyon National Park Visitor Center, now Park Headquarters, July 23, 2003, in the courtyard, in the sun, in the rain, trying their best not to lovingly touch the fleet of historic river running boats being re-cradled and moved.
In the last boatman‚s quarterly review, (“Save Our Ships!”, vol. 16:2 pg. 6–7, Summer 2003,) you read about the plans for the Grand Canyon Historic Boat Project and the first couple of steps in this undertaking. We are pleased and proud to say that this project is well on its way. Several dozens of interested folks from Grand Canyon National Park (gcnp), Grand Canyon National Park Foundation (gcnpf), gcnpf Boat Advisory Committee, interested boaters, media reporters, and even visitors, looked on and assisted with the operation. The excitement on the South Rim was electric, leading to a lightning and thunderstorm, with threat of flash floods.
Varying sets of eight people, on four padded cross-pieces, raised the three Galloway boats, the Edith, the Glen, and the “Stone boat”, the Nevills Expedition Wen, and the Music Temple dory onto new, Brad Dimock-built, bomb-proof cradles, guaranteed to support craft double their weight. Gcnp Superintendent Joe Alston completed the second part of his heart surgery recovery (the first was recently rowing downstream from Phantom Ranch) by participating in the lift and lower.
One by one, a gcnp enclosed stock trailer hauled the three Galloway boats to the new Conservation Shop where conservators from Western Archaeological and Conservation and volunteers will painstakingly clean the hulls. Despite the dreams and talk of many in attendance to put these boats on the water to “see what they‚ll do,” we must emphasize that the efforts here are to conserve the craft, not to restore them to operating condition. And, in addition, to place them on display as “living” history of our boating heritage, and avoid the “safe-keeping” fate as in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Many people, too numerous to mention here, need to be thanked. But first and foremost among them is boatman Joe Alston, who also happens to be gcnp Superintendent. “These boats tell the story of river running on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon,” commented Joe. “The opportunity to make right the damage caused by decades of neglect, and protect these boats and their history, is incredible.” For although it has been decades, Joe has been “at the helm” for only two years, and his enthusiasm and support has been instrumental for the project‚s success.
History is in the making with the cooperation of the Park and the Foundation in preserving river running artifacts, indeed, some of our traditional cultural properties. It is also the first time the Foundation has had an advisory committee for a project. Chair Allen Naille called the “boat folk‚ essential to this excellent project” and thanked them “for all that you are doing to help maintain the rich legacy of river running and all that it has meant to those of us who love this park.” Allen concluded that he was „honored to have been involved in the heavy lifting.
“Save the Boats” has now successfully “put-in,” but there is still a long, rocky, wet, yet exhilarating and fun voyage to get to the “take-out.” To help power this cruise, contact Fran Joseph at the gcnpf, 928-774-1760, fran@gcnpf.org.

Richard Quartaroli