lose friend of river historian Dock Marston, Wilson Beigle "Willie" Taylor was the co-owner of Taylor's Trunk Shop, or Taylor's Leather Goods ("Since 1891"), 2213 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, California. From 1948 to 1956, he accompanied Dock on many significant powerboat traverses on the Colorado River through Grand Canyon. Not really a boatman, Willie seemed content to be the best passenger around, helping out all he could on the river and in camp. Bill Belknap wrote that "Willie is utterly worthless around a boat, but he has a happy faculty of saying the right thing at the right time and everybody loves him."
In 1948, Dock and Willie upran from Lake Mead with Ed Hudson and his son in the Esmeralda II, built and driven by Hudson, getting to the foot of 217-Mile Rapid, a new record. Willie wrote to Hudson on July 8th: "In spite of all the talk I would leave tomorrow for a river trip. I guess I am a hopeless case of a river rat like all the rest of you." The same four were joined by Bestor Robinson in the Esmeralda II for the first successful powerboat downrun in 1949, allowing Willie to make Marston's list as one of the last of the first 100 through Grand Canyon.
Belknap rode with the two Hudsons and Willie in the Esmeralda II in 1950, with Marston, Joseph Desloge, Guy Forcier, and Jordan Rust in a Chriscraft. The "Essy" had motor trouble, so Hudson and Belknap rowed her sternfirst into Tuna Creek Rapid. For June 17, Belknap wrote: "Pushed sideways up against the cushion wave against the wall...[the "Essy"] heels way over and Willie goes overboard, under the boat, into the hole around the corner and down river. We lose sight of him immediately. For once I'm really scared as I'd hate to see anything happen to Willie. Fortunately Marston has seen our plight and gone on downstream to pick up Willie."
Marston recorded: "The Es healed up and Willie sprawled off into the river and disappeared. We started down river and Joe and Guy watched for a head and sighted Willie as he came up about 100-feet down from the Es. There was a lot of rapid below. We swung below Willie and pulled around as he shouted. A line didn't reach him so we circled again and this time the line, heaved by Guy, took hold with a turn or two around Willie's neck. I poured on the coal to stay clear of a small hole in the rapid below but Guy shouted to me to shut off the power. I looked back and saw we were holding Willie under in the hole. We dropt down thru the rough and it wasn't long before Guy had Willie over the side. He had taken some water but was in good shape except for some bleeding from his outer ear and a sore neck from the rope...We named the rapid Willie's Necktie Rapid." Two days later: "Willie is still a baritone but the swelling is mostly gone." Belknap added, "Willie Taylor, of course, has given up river travel forever after his ducking, but I suppose he'll be rarin' to go again next year." [1]
The night before, Belknap stated that "the Colorado River Quartet, composed of the two Hudsons and Willie and I, record a couple of songs on the tape recorder." Both Dock and Willie were members of the Bohemian Club, a San Francisco men's club, and sang in their Chorus. The Club announced a "Quartette Night, under the leadership of Bohemia's master of the upper register, Willie Taylor, Sire." Singer Katie Lee met Willie on two of her three Grand Canyon trips. In 1954 Willie wrote: "If you do not shock easily, I can sing you a number of songs. Unfortunately they do not pertain to the Colorado or the scenery or even the cuts and bruises you get on the trip." Loie Belknap Evans recalls that when she was a little girl, Willie taught her what he called the "Pink Kimonee Song." Katie included a similar song, "Down the Line" with an added verse on her "Loves Little Sisters" album of songs about "ladies of the evening." Loie surprised us at the gts with a recording of Willie singing that bawdy number.

The 1951 trip was without Hudson. Willie rode with Dock and there was a fleet of three inboards and two outboards, the first outboards down the river driven by Jimmy Jordan and Rod Sanderson. More powerboats in 1954, "Each craft was powered by two fifteen-horsepower Evinrude outboard motors. It was the first time twin motor operation had been used on the Grand Canyon run." [2]
Another Marston powerboat trip departed Lees Ferry June 4, 1956. Dock's trip log: "Shortly after lunch [on the 5th] Willie developed agonizing pains. We landed in Redwall Cavern to let him rest...cruised on to Harding with Willie...Willie's severe pain continues. [Dr.] Josh [Eisaman] diagnoses the situation as a heart condition and feels no other fits the symptoms. He did what he could to quiet Willie." The next day, June 6, they were "(u)p at five. Willie had slept fairly well but had wakened Josh during the night due to great pain. Josh advised getting him to Phantom as soon as possible but not to put any strain on him...We pulled in at Mile 44 1/2 on l to await other boats. Willie was suffering severely so we carried him up in the shade. He insisted he was going to die. His color was very grey. At 11 am Josh told me Willie had passed on. A gathering of all present agreed without dissent that Willie should be buried in the Canyon. We selected a site in a side alcove and buried him there. Frank ["Fisheyes"] Masland said a prayer. We marked his name and date on the rock wall above...Willie had his wish that should he die in the Canyon, he should remain there." At Phantom Ranch on the 7th, they "sighted [Ranger] Dan Davis on the beach...Eisaman and I decided we should make a formal report to the Coroner at Flagstaff so we kept mum." [3]
June 6, 2006 marks the 50th anniversary of Willie's death. As you pass the small side-canyon below the Eminence Break camps, or as you run through Tuna Creek Rapid and make the turn at "Esmeralda's Elbow," please let your passengers know about Willie "Necktie" Taylor, and maybe sing a little song in his honor.

Richard Quartaroli

Notes
1) Hudson abandons the "Essy" and he and his son chopper out. For accounts of the rescue of the "Essy," see Bob Rigg in bqr 10:2 Spring 1997, Susie Reilly trip log in P.T. Reilly Collection, and Lavender River Runners of the Grand Canyon.
2) Jorgen Visbak gave an excellent talk and slide-show on the 1954 trip to close out the 2006 gts land session.
3) Willie is one of only two known Grand Canyon river runners buried in the Canyon. Peter M. Hansbrough, who died July 15, 1889, on the Brown/Stanton Expedition, is buried just upstream from Willie. For Garth Marston's and Bill Beer's reminiscences of Willie's death, see bqr 7:4 Fall 1994.
References
Otis R. "Dock" Marston Papers, The Huntington Library: [Box:Folder] 226:26; 286:37, 38; 287:10; 288:7, 17; 291:14; 415:6.
P.T. Reilly Collection, nau.ms.275.
Bill Belknap Collection,nau.ms.288, nau.ph.96.4.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Katie Lee, Loie Belknap Evans, and Buzz Belknap for their reminiscences of Willie. Thanks also to Katie Lee for sharing her letter from Willie, August 18, 1954, on Taylor's letterhead. Thanks to Bill Frank, The Huntington Library.
"Willie's Neckties" are currently in production, and are a must-have for Willie stories in Marble Canyon and at Esmeralda's Elbow/Willie's Necktie Rapid, not to mention those late-night eddy floats, Alive Below Crystal parties, Lava Fallies celebrations, or last-night No-Talent Shows. Please contact Richard Quartaroli, richard.quartaroli@nau.edu, to place your order. $12.50 will get you a necktie (colors limited, subject to availability), plus an information packet and more photos.