Oral History Update

   Oops. Now we’ve done it. Accidentally went and got a grant to continue the oral history project. Many thanks to Mrs. Jane Ivancovich, who started the Southwestern Foundation for Education and Historical Preservation. And to Dr. Jessica Harrison of Tucson, a veteran dory passenger, who along with her cohorts on the Foundation’s board, has given us the funding to, as our proposal put it:

   “1. Tape record, transcribe and archive (at NAU’s Cline Library) interviews with 60 participants.

   Talk in depth with boatmen and women, their passengers, various outfitters, and the rangers who’ve tried to regulate them all. Pay attention to stories of the wilder adventures and mishaps, but also examine aspects of a broad evolution. How did river running as we know it start out? Where did it go? What is the significance of Glen Canyon Dam? What happened in the mid-sixties with the Sierra Club and the fight to stop more dams in the Canyon? What happened during the big flood of 1983? And the Environmental Impact Statement of 1994? When it comes to management, where do we go from here?

   2. Publish the results. First in installments via the GCRG newsletter. Later in book form of some kind.”

   That’s what we asked for and it worked. Rather better than we had hoped for. Now that we have our generous grant, we’re looking for input on how to make the best use of it. That’s where we need help from YOU. What are the wildest, most incredible stories we need to record? Who should we talk to at all? Who should we talk to first? Please let us know by sending comments to The Oral History Project, care of GCRG

Lew Steiger