Earl Leseberg

any of you older Grand Canyon Expeditions, Hatch, Diamond, Moki Mac, Western, and former Sanderson and White Water River Expeditions boatmen, as well as airplane pilots, might recall the name Earl Leseberg, founder of Lake Mead Air, Boulder City Nevada. Or, perhaps, you might have heard tales of his flying exploits such as: dropping “medical supplies,” packed in ice cream to keep the medicine cool, of course, at 220-Mile camps; flying beneath the Navajo Bridge (“What bridge?!”); leading helicopters into the Canyon down to the River when the storm clouds were so thick that Captain John Hance could snow-shoe across and the chopper pilots wouldn’t dare; and skipping his plane’s wheels on the water. Earl was an enlisted U.S. Marine Corps aviator, serving as a dive-bomber pilot in the South Pacific during World War II, a transport pilot in the mid 1940s, and as a civil service employee for the U.S. Air Force after the War, based at Nevills Air Force Base in Las Vegas.

From the early 1960s, and for over forty years, Earl and Lake Mead Air flew many a boatman and passenger to and from their Grand Canyon river trips. The Belknap River Guide, with a photo of Earl on the page near Mile 204, stated, “Earl Leseberg, veteran pilot, has flown scenics over the Canyon, picked up river parties at journeys end, and often responded to sos calls from trips in trouble.” Earl received a civilian “instrument rating” until the early 1980s, but he always claimed that fir (Instrument Flight Rules) actually meant “I follow roads,” “I follow railroads,” or “I follow rivers.” If anyone could flyby the seat of his pants, it was Earl who became a legend as The Grand Canyon Bush Pilot.

Following a long battle with cancer, Earl Leseberg “closed his last flight plan” on May 23, 2005. When a student pilot solos, it is customary to cut or rip the back out of their shirt and hang it up for all to see. There is no doubt that Earl’s shirt tail is hanging high near that big runway in the sky.

Art Gallenson & Richard Quartaroli

Fred Burke

red Burke, former owner of Arizona River Runners, hit the trail for the last time November 10, 2005. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on December 10th at the Wickenburg Rodeo Grounds. There will be more on Fred in the next issue. For additional information, email Pam and Tim Whitney at whitney@infomagic.net.

Tony Heaton

he river community lost one of our own on October 14, 2005. The sudden loss of Anthony (Tony) Heaton , owner and operator of the Bar 10 Ranch on the Arizona Strip, came as a shock to everyone who knew him. On the day of his death, Tony had been doing some of the things that he loved most in life; spending the day in the saddle, marveling at the beauty of nature, and chasing cattle on the Arizona Strip with his boys. Upon returning home later that same day, Tony, age 62, suffered a heart attack while doing chores at his corrals back in St. George, Utah.

Tony was born in St. George, and spent most of his time between town, and the Arizona Stip. As a boy he spent time with his father, a second generation rancher, learning a love for the land and the trade that he would later pass onto his own children. He married Ruby Hafen in 1965, and through the years they brought six wonderful children, four boys and two daughters, into the world. At the time of his death, the Heaton’s grandchildren total 21 in number. For Tony and Ruby, family has always been their top priority. All of Tony’s business decisions and ideas centered around involving the family and providing opportunities for them to work alongside one another.

Tony taught school and coached basketball, track, and football at Dixie High and Hurricane High for thirteen years. During this time, his calm gentle demeanor and intuitive understanding of people, had a positive impact on the students and players under his tutelage. These character traits would serve him well throughout his life. His cowboy blood was strong, and Tony started in ranching with a few cows, along with his teaching job. Soon, Tony and Ruby, began buying up small ranches on the Arizona Strip, and ultimately ended up with a little over 10,000 deeded acres and 250,000 blm acres. In this desert range, with a low annual precipitation, it takes about 130 acres to run one cow.

One of the ranches purchased during this time was the Whitmore Ranch that borders the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Due to the remoteness of the Strip, access to the ranch house was simplified by the previous owner, who had added an airstrip to the property. Coincidentally, about this same time tourists, by the hundreds, began running the Colorado River May 1976. Photo by Bill Belknap, courtesy of Buzz Belknap. through the Grand Canyon, just down-wash from the Bar 10 Ranch. Ranching is a volatile business due to fluctuating cattle prices, weather, and other factors, and Tony always the visionary, saw a way to expand the use of the ranch, and its proximity to the Colorado River. By the time river rafters got to a point near his Bar 10 Ranch, they had already been on the river for several days. As an option to continuing to Lake Mead, Tony began offering mule rides out of the canyon, where passengers could then connect to an old school bus for an eight mile ride to the ranch, and a flight back to Las Vegas. An eight hour round trip mule expedition in the heat, not knowing whether the passengers would actually be there, or if the planes would be waiting at the airstrip “if” the passengers did arrive, and an eighty mile drive over treacherous, sometimes unappeasable roads to the nearest medical facilities, should the need arise, gave the words “daring” and “adventurous” proper meaning.

Keep in mind the fact there were no telephones, or radios, or internet for communication with one another, the rafting companies, the airplanes, or town. In 1983, a time when interest rates approached 25%, Tony envisioned sending a fresh supply of passengers down to the river, to exchange with the passengers leaving at Whitmore Wash. Pioneering the lower end trip, Tony was convinced that by building a facility with overnight accommodations, he could share the passion of a family ranch, and the Arizona Strip as a starting point of a river trip for people looking for a truly unique experience. He approached Western Rivers Expeditions with the idea of selling lower end trips. Western Rivers caught Tony’s vision and began selling the trip. The Heaton family hauled materials the eighty miles from St. George throughout the fall and winter, and built the lodge, literally hooking up the stove that next spring as the first plane load of passengers arrived at the ranch! Guests were provided a western experience, featured at first entirely by the Heaton family. The mules were replaced by helicopters in 1985, and other river companies soon began selling lower end trips. In 1988, Tony bought Cross Tours, renaming the company Adventures West.

After three years, he sold the permit to Arizona River Runners and concentrated on the expansion of the Bar 10. In 2002, Gavin and Kelly became partners with their father. As partners in the business Tony and his boys recently added ranch lands near Panguitch, Utah, as well as additional ranch lands near Whitmore, to their previous holdings. Other notable contributions by Tony included his work with the Grand Canyon Trust to preserve public lands on the North Rim. The mission statement of the Bar 10 Ranch is such a strong reflection of the man behind the vision: “It is our purpose to provide a unique western ranch experience, in a safe atmosphere of genuine western hospitality. All agendas, activities, and experiences are planned and presented so as to uplift and inspire our guests in the following ways: Preserve the pristine feeling of remoteness and seclusion from the everyday world. Enjoy the unique beauties of this majestic area. Feel at one with nature and at peace with self. Sense through the genuine care and concern of the Bar 10 crew, that each guest is an integral part of the Bar 10 family.” To date, the Heatons estimate that some 170,000 guests have been through the Bar 10 Ranch. Gavin, Kelly, and Ruby Heaton will continue to operate the Bar 10 Ranch in the coming years. Having visited there recently, I watched as Kelly’s kids followed him, lending a helping hand as the situation allowed, much as I envision Kelly and his brothers did with Tony, as the stewardship, and traditions pass to the next generation of Heatons.

On the rainy day of his funeral, I imagine that Tony was looking down from atop a horse somewhere, with his gentle manner and quiet assurance, thankful for the rain, and thankful for friends. But most of all I can see him beaming with pride for his family, for anyone who has met the Heatons, know that in this enterprise lies Tony’s greatest success

Chris Cannon