John Wesley Powell River History MuseumJohn Wesley Powell River History MuseumKim Crumbo was a warrior. Not only was he one in the sense that he served his country as a Navy SEAL in Vietnam, completing over 70 combat operations, but in the larger, more long lasting sense of fighting for what he saw as the right of wild places and wild things to co-exist in a modern world. Kim fought for wolves; he fought for wilderness designations; he fought for the very idea of wilderness. When asked how he survived Vietnam, Crumbo replied “I had to become the scariest guy out there,” and that toughness and tenacity crossed over into his environmental work.
After Vietnam, Kim returned to his home in Utah, where he became the first full-time employee of Holiday River Expeditions. Along the way he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Outdoor Recreation from Utah State University, and conducted post-graduate work in outdoor recreation. He became a skilled whitewater boatman and soon joined the National Park Service as a Grand Canyon river ranger, patrolling the wild Colorado River, rescuing boaters in danger during the big water of 1983, when he became famous for jumping from a helicopter to help rescue passengers who were stranded after a motor rig had flipped in Crystal Rapid. Such daring events, wrote fellow River Ranger Becca Lawton, “were all in a day’s work” for Kim.
Kim Crumbo
But Kim’s true passion emerged during his time as a river ranger: protecting wild creatures and wild places. He became the Wilderness Coordinator for Grand Canyon National Park, planning and carrying out projects such as removal of non-native trees, protecting wildlife and mitigating damage caused by visitors. After he retired from the NPS in 1999, Kim became an ardent member of a number of organizations dedicated to protecting wilderness, such as the Sierra Club, the Western Wildlife Conservancy, the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, and the Rewilding Institute. Kim worked tirelessly to ensure that wild lands were preserved, and was especially active in advocating for protections for wolves, which have been the targets of extermination campaigns throughout the western United States.
Kim’s roots were in the Native American cultures of the American West, and he grew up on and around various reservations. While he worked at Grand Canyon National Park, he worked with members of the Navajo, Hopi, Paiute, Havasupai, Hualapai, Zuni, and Ute tribes. Kim was literate and well read. He published “River Runner’s Guide to the History of the Grand Canyon,” in 1981. In his last essay, “Hope in the Age of Humans,” Crumbo quoted sources as varied as Tolkien, Dr. Seuss, Homer, and Stephen Hawking. In a letter to Camile Fox, a fellow board member of the Rewilding Institute, Crumbo wrote “As I often point out, my darkest days go back to Vietnam when, as a consequence of my 70 or so combat operations as a SEAL, I became all too aware of that Heart of Darkness within my fellow humans and within myself. It took some time and struggle to see it, as we all must to sustain, perhaps regain, our humanity, but there is a path forward.” Kim Crumbo’s path forward led us all to a better understanding of our place in nature, and our obligation to see it protected.
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.