NEWS RELEASE

June 7, 2004
Maureen Oltrogge 928/638-7779
Fran Joseph, GCNPF 928/774-1760

National Park Service and Grand Canyon National Park Foundation continue efforts to save historic boats

Grand Canyon, AZ - On Tuesday, June 8, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., the National Park Service (NPS), in collaboration with the Grand Canyon National Park Foundation (GCNPF), and Colorado River Fund (CRF) will hold an event to move three remaining historic boats that are currently located in a courtyard at Grand Canyon National Park Headquarters. The "Move the Boats - The Grand Canyon Historic Boat Project", is the second phase of an effort started last summer by the NPS and GCNPF to save the Colorado River running legacy.

The boats to be moved on Tuesday include:

• The Esmeralda, designed and built by Ed Hudson, was the first power boat to run the Grand Canyon.
• The WEN, a cataract boat built and used by Norm Nevills, was used on seven Grand Canyon river trips between 1938 and 1949. The boat, and her sister vessels the Mexican Hat and Botany, were used on the 1938 trip that included the first women to run the river, botanists Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter.
• The Music Temple, a classic dory based upon the McKenzie river hull design, was originally owned by river historian P.T. Reilly and later by Martin Litton. It was the first dory to travel through the canyon, emerging at Grand Wash in July of 1962.

The first phase of the project, "Save Our Boats", began on July 23rd, 2003, with the moving of three boats from the outdoor display area at the park’s former visitor center to a newly established indoor conservation workshop within Grand Canyon National Park. The project involved moving the Glen, a wooden Galloway boat used on the 1921 - 1923 U.S. Geological Survey expedition led by Emery Kolb; the Edith, a white cedar and oak-hulled boat named for Emery Kolb's daughter, and used by Emory and Ellsworth Kolb to survey dam sites along the Colorado River in 1911 and 1912; and an unnamed boat, known as the Stone Boat for its use on a trip sponsored by Julius Stone in 1909 from the Green River in Wyoming to Needles, California.

On Tuesday, the NPS will temporarily remove the front glass panels and doors of the Headquarters building to allow for the removal of the last three boats from the courtyard. The WEN, the Esmeralda, and the Music Temple, will then be hoisted onto heavy-duty, padded cradles designed and crafted by Brad Dimock, long-time river runner, historian, and author, and with the help of the Foundation and many volunteers will move the boats to a National Park Service warehouse next to the conservation workshop. They will then be cleaned, evaluated and conserved so that the public can once again enjoy the history of these boats through stories associated with their use on the Colorado River.

"It has been very rewarding to be part of this long overdue conservation effort to preserve river running legacies for future generations of Grand Canyon visitors and river runners," stated Deborah Tuck, President of the GCNPF. "I applaud all of those who have donated their time, skills and labor to this creative and energetic partnership between the NPS, the boating community and the Foundation. The partnership is a model for future coalitions between agencies, friends groups and local supporters committed to common goals and preservation initiatives."

"This continues to be an exciting project, and one in which many people have helped become a reality," stated Joe Alston, Park Superintendent. "We have already made a great deal of progress in the conservation of the first three boats and appreciate the opportunity given to us by the Foundation and CRF to preserve these historical boats. Each boat has a colorful past that comes alive through stories of their past, their previous owners, and their passengers. We look forward to putting these boats on public display again in the near future," added Alston.

The Glen, the Edith and the Stone Boat have already begun to take on a new look. Even though they had been on display in an outdoor environment for over 40 years, all of the boats have been found to be in good structural condition. After moving the boats into the conservation workshop, complete documentation was conducted and photographs taken. The next step involved dry cleaning the boats and conservation assessments. The treatments consisted of meticulously dry sponging the boats stable surfaces, primarily the canvas top areas, vacuuming the interior areas, and carefully removing foreign materials that had collected over the years.

Line drawings were completed on each vessel and will provide important archival information related to the construction and, potentially, the repair work done on the boats both during their use and at various points in time after their use.

In addition to the these three Galloway boats, a rubberized raft known as the Georgie, used by river runner Georgie White in the 1950s, a small sportyak used by Doc Marston in 1963, and the Escalante, the first kayak used on the river in 1941, have also been moved into secure storage space near the conservation workshop.

The GCNPF is a private not-for-profit fundraising partner to the NPS at Grand Canyon. Established in 1995, the Foundation's mission is to help protect, preserve, and enhance Grand Canyon through funding specific projects and programs that are beyond the financial capacity of the NPS and promoting citizen stewardship of the Grand Canyon.

The CRF is the collective manager of funds, under the direction of the NPS, derived from a financial requirement that is part of the current commercial river concession contracts. The CRF serves as project manager, or oversees project managers, in the expenditure of these funds on projects approved by the NPS for the enhancement of resource protection related to commercial/private use of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park.

If you would like to become involved with the "Save Our Boats - the Grand Canyon Historic Boat Project" please contact the Grand Canyon National Park Foundation at 928/774-1760 or at www.grandcanyonfoundation.org.