The modern history of the Colorado River Basin is riddled with extremes. This year is no different, and the River Runner’s Hall of Fame is celebrating historical high water runs during an alarmingly low water year. We also welcome an inductee noteworthy for her youth, and a trio of European kayakers who helped shape the sport out west. The John Wesley Powell River History Museum’s mission is to celebrate the significance of river history through the cultures and landscapes of the Colorado Plateau, and the River Runner’s Hall of Fame (RR HOF) is an integral part of that mission. Since 1990, the museum has inducted individuals and groups for remarkable contributions to the history and protection of the Colorado River system and positive impacts on its river running community.

For 2026, the RR HOF selection committee has chosen individuals who are courageous and curious in spirit. As the management of this river system enters a new era, we need such traits more than ever, and we hope that this year’s inductees will inspire future generations of river runners to think big, go big, and live big. This year’s honorees are Mildred Davis, Walter Kirschbaum, Roger Paris, Ulrich Martins, Linda Wittkopf, and Kenton Grua. The celebration of their contributions to river running history will take place in Green River, UT, on October 2nd and 3rd.

“Each of these individuals came face-to-face with once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and had the courage to seize the day,” said Matt Williams, selection committee member. “They embody what boating on the Colorado River Basin is all about, and their ethos not only shaped but continues to inspire the culture of river running across the Plateau. While water levels enter a new era of uncertainty and high-water firsts become less likely, we believe that their brave spirits and love of this River system stand to teach us a lot about what makes boating on the Colorado River Basin so special. What other firsts can and should the next generation of river runners be striving for?”

Mildred Davis – Millie’s first time on the rivers of the Colorado Plateau was in 1950, as a 14-year-old on a trip with her dad Bill down the San Juan into Glen Canyon. From there, they hiked from the North Rim and joined a Mexican Hat Expeditions trip departing from the base of the Kaibab Trail. At 15-years-old, Millie was the first woman to go down Westwater Canyon, immediately before flying to Craig, CO, so that her and her dad could descend the Yampa and the Green, finishing in Green River, UT, and catching the train back to Chicago. The following year, they returned to row from Flaming Gorge through the Gates of Lodore, and Millie became the first woman to row Disaster Falls and Triplet Falls.

Roger Paris, Ulrich Martins, and Walter Kirschbaum – “Coming from war-torn Europe following World War II, Roger Paris, Ulrich (Uli) Martins, and Walter Kirschbaum came across the pond to compete in the Fibark Race in Salida, Colorado,” explained selection committee member Mike Milligan. “Thereafter, they switched to adventure kayaking, making numerous first descents on the Colorado and Green Rivers and influencing the next generation of kayakers in the west.”

In addition to their combined commitment to teaching and mentoring the next generation, each kayaker stands out for their individual contributions to pushing the sport forward on the Colorado Plateau and across the country. Walter Kirschbaum won the 1953 world championship in kayak slalom before being the first kayaker to run Cataract Canyon without portaging (1959) and the Grand Canyon without portaging (1960). Ulrich holds the record for the lowest water run in the Grand Canyon in 1963, and in 1972, Roger was selected as a coach for the USA at the Olympics in Munich, Germany.

Linda Wittkopf – Across her epic career, Linda (known amongst her friends as “Big Linda”) rowed for many Moab outfitters and was one of the most well-loved river rats in the community. In 1983, when the National Park Service closed Cataract Canyon at about 105,000 cfs, Linda and Edward Brian Coombs launched in separate boats, rowing from sun-up to sun-down to set the speed and high-water records, which would stand for a year. Then, in 1984, Linda returned to break her own record, rowing Cataract Canyon at 115,000 cfs on a Sidewinder Expeditions commercial trip with four other guides. To this day, Linda’s 1983 speed records and 1984 high water records stand, and across the rest of her storied career, she mentored and inspired countless female guides on the Colorado Plateau.

Kenton Grua – Kenton’s contributions to boating in the Grand Canyon are impossible to quantify. In 1977, after spending years scouting routes from the River, he hiked the length of the Canyon from Lee’s Ferry to the Grand Wash cliffs. Then, in 1983, Grua, Rudi Petschek, and Steve Reynolds set a speed record (breaking the 1980 record set by Grua, Petschek, and Wally Rist) that will likely never be contested by a rower, riding Glen Canyon Dam’s emergency releases on a high-water run of utterly epic proportions. In addition to rowing dories down the Canyon for 30 years, in 1988 Grua founded and was the first president of Grand Canyon River Guides. Above all else, “Kenton was kind and patient, doing everything he could to make sure that everyone on a trip could experience it to the fullest,” 2025 HOF inductee Loie Belknap Evans recalled. “For example, he would take extra time and care to ensure that everyone could participate fully on hikes. Even when it would have been easy to discourage them from coming, he helped them overcome limitations and feel success.”

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The RR HOF induction ceremony is the museum’s largest fundraising event. In recent years, it has grown into an unmissable fall gathering for the Colorado River Basin boating community. As selection committee member Levi Jamison reflected, “I believe that, in the past, this thing we call ‘river-running’ was a means to an end, but in modern times it has grown into a spirit, a culture, and perhaps could even become a movement. The shared heritage we have with those who ran the river in the past is worthy of celebration and discovery, because it gives us perspective on where we are culturally, environmentally, even spiritually. I hope this event continues to help our community remember our connections to the past, ground ourselves in the present, and become better stewards to the rivers and canyons we are all connected through.”

The RR HOF selections are made by consensus via a volunteer committee (committee members who are related to nominees or are nominated themselves do not participate in the vote to choose inductees). The public is welcome to nominate future inductees. Individuals wishing to submit nominations must fill out a nomination form detailing the nominee’s contributions to the Colorado River system. The form can be found at https://johnwesleypowell.com/river-runners-hall-of-fame-nomination-form/. The museum’s website also features an archive of all RR HOF inductees, along with information about current and upcoming exhibits, events, and activities. Those interested in supporting the museum and learning more about the 2026 RR HOF induction ceremony are encouraged to visit the website at https://johnwesleypowell.com/, follow the museum on Instagram @jwpmuseum or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/jwpmuseum, or call Janet Smoak at (435) 564-3427. We hope to see you in October!

-Matt Williams, Annie Payne, Bobby Hollahan, Eva Hatch, Jack Schmidt, Janet Smoak, Latimer Smith, Linda Jalbert, Levi Jamison, Mike Milligan, Roy Webb, Susan Munroe