John Wesley Powell River History MuseumJohn Wesley Powell River History MuseumIn the fall of 1928, newlyweds Glen and Bessie Hyde made an historic attempt to run the Green and Colorado Rivers. They chose to make the run in an Idaho Sweep Scow—a craft Glen and his sister had made a successful run of the fast-running Salmon River in two years prior. As was the custom in Idaho, they took no life preservers.
Glen Hyde grew up in the Pacific Northwest and Canada, was a well versed outdoorsman, and had made an extensive canoe exploration of the Peace River. Well educated, he lived near his father in Idaho and helped raise beans and potatoes. Bessie Haley grew up on the East Coast, the daughter of an itinerant paint and wallpaper salesman. She was in her second year of college, studying art, when she abruptly dropped out, married her high school beau, then moved to San Francisco alone. She and Glen met and fell in love on an overnight steamer to Los Angeles. Bessie obtained a divorce in April, 1928 and married Glen Hyde.
After spending two days assembling their scow, the couple launched in Green River, Utah on October 20. Low water and wind made for slow going to the Confluence. They made a remarkably successful low-water run of Cataract Canyon, Bessie getting knocked overboard once, but caught by Glen and pulled back aboard.
They entered Grand Canyon on November 9. In Sockdolager Rapid Glen was knocked overboard. Bessie finished the rapid solo before helping Glen back aboard. The following day they hiked to Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim. Newspapers reported the couple as upbeat and confident about the remainder of their trip. Riverman Emery Kolb encouraged them to take life preservers but they demurred. Back at the river they met wealthy tourist Adoph G. Sutro, who joined them for an overnight run to Hermit Creek and made the last photographs of the couple. On November 18 they ran Hermit Rapid. They were never seen again.
When they failed to appear at trip’s end, Glen’s father launched an intensive search by land, river, and air. Their boat was found midriver just ten miles shy of the last major rapid. Their journal, money, hiking shoes, and gun were aboard—whatever happened was sudden and unintentional. Although Glen’s father searched for more than a year, no other trace was found. It was assumed they either drowned or died trying to hike out.
Contemporary accounts portray them as a quiet, polite, intelligent couple with no mention of strife or discord. Yet twenty years later stories began to twist darkly, Glen morphing into an ignorant brute with Bessie his hapless victim. In 1971 stranger stories began emerging of murder and mayhem, of Bessie and/or Glen surviving the trip and starting life anew. Yet all these dark fantasies are easily debunked, and we are left with the tragic tale of a brave and ambitious young couple on a grand adventure that came so very close to succeeding—but were thwarted by an unknown twist of fate.
We
Of the night
Will know
Many things
Of which
You sleepers
Have never
Dreamed
Bessie Haley
Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00am – 5:00pm
Adults (18+)
Seniors (62+)
Children (7-17)
Family
$8
$6
$3
$25
Free admission for children under 7, museum members, and Green River residents.