John Wesley Powell River History MuseumJohn Wesley Powell River History MuseumBuzz and Loie, the children of Fran and Bill Belknap, grew up on the waters of the Colorado River. They learned to swim in Lake Mead and spent many childhood hours exploring the Lower Colorado River canyons. Their home in Boulder City was a hub for early river runners and the home base for Grand Canyon river trips organized by family friend Dock Marston. Bill often joined Dock on these trips to photograph and document trip activities. Fran and Loie were the food packers and “rim runners” for the Grand Canyon trips and traveled to Lees Ferry to see the trips off. As the support team, Fran and Loie would drive to rim overlooks to watch for the boats or driftwood pile bonfires signaling the trips’ progress.
In 1954 at age 10, Buzz joined a low water outboard expedition at Whitmore after waiting three days for the boats to arrive. In 1958, at age 14, Buzz took his first full-canyon outboard expedition with Dock, riding flows in excess of 100,000 c.f.s. He went along as a helper and piloted some of his first rapids. In 1959, Buzz doubled as Andy Hall, the youngest member of Powell’s crew in the Walt Disney movie Ten Who Dared, a reenactment of the 1869 John Wesley Powell expedition.
In 1960, Buzz piloted one of four jet boats on the first successful uprun of the Colorado River through Grand Canyon. The expedition used four American manufactured Buehler Turbocrafts—powered by jet propulsion units invented and designed by New Zealander Bill Hamilton. For two days, the jet boats attempted to uprun Vulcan (Lava Falls) Rapids. After several tries and numerous repairs, all four boats topped out above the rapid. A few days later, a boat sank in Grapevine. Buzz piloted one of the remaining three boats to Lees Ferry after a 300-mile, 10-day journey.
Buzz Belknap
In 1963, to fill Lake Powell, Glen Canyon Dam’s gates were mostly closed, reducing the river’s flow to roughly 900 c.f.s. Buzz and his friend Robin Segerblom pitched the idea of a Canyon trip to Buzz’s dad Bill, who then secured a National Park Service contract to document the historic low water conditions. Robin’s younger brother Tick spied the ideal craft at the Lake Mead Marina—a 7-foot plastic dinghy called a Sportyak—often used as a tender for large boats. The team consisted of Bill and Buzz, Mack Miller, Robin and Tick and their dad Cliff, and Dock Marston. This adventure spawned the idea with Bill Belknap for future commercial Sportyak trips where participants would learn to row their own boats. Bill’s motto was: “Why should river guides have all the fun?” Bill and Loie began running these trips, ranging in length from 10 to 14 days, in 1968 through Desolation Canyon and later the San Juan and the Dolores rivers. They first teamed up with Ron Smith’s Canyonlands Expeditions, then in 1974 operated on their own as Fastwater Expeditions.
As a river runner since childhood, Loie became a very skilled boater and like her father Bill, had a love for working with people and teaching the basics of whitewater boating and wilderness camping. After a few trips working together, Bill relied on Loie not only as a capable guide, but as a trip leader and co-outfitter. She became one of the few women boaters during this era with such a distinction, and was very focused on educating clients about river running. Loie found the sportyaks were the perfect boat for “sharing the fun” and empowering Fastwater clients to gain skills and learn about the canyons they explored. For 12 years Bill, Loie, and the Fastwater guides provided a unique adventure opportunity that introduced hundreds of people to the rivers of the Colorado Plateau.
By the late 1960s, the Belknap family’s passion for rivers and sharing the wonders of the wilds grew into a map-making venture. During their early trips, they used the 1923 USGS maps to record river miles, hikes, camps, and landscape features. Then Buzz conceived the idea of making a more user-friendly map that included trip notes and photographs. In 1968, while stationed at Alameda Naval Air Station in San Francisco, Buzz began designing the first Belknap Guide. Dock Marston’s home in nearby Berkeley became the research hub, where his massive river history files were an invaluable resource. In 1969, the first Belknap Guide was published. The Grand Canyon River Guide, Powell Centennial Edition was designed as a flip-page book format that fit into an ammo can. The first “Buzzmap,” also known as “Old Blue,” was printed on heavy waterproof paper and unconventionally bound by a tentmaker’s stitching. The original printing was done by Eben Dale’s A to Z Printing in Riverside, California.
The Belknaps founded Westwater Books, and by the mid-1970s expanded to other sections of the Colorado and Green rivers, including Desolation Canyon, Dinosaur, and Canyonlands using the same format and design as “Old Blue.” Loie’s husband, John Evans, a geologist, joined Bill, Fran and Loie in conducting countless field trips necessary to develop the later guidebooks. The Belknap siblings made a great team, with Buzz behind the design and Loie as author and content coordinator, they recruited Canyon-savvy experts to create the sections on geology, natural history, archeology, river history, and photography. Loie cultivated these relationships and built a network of subject matter experts who helped for decades. The current colorful Belknap Guide versions are continuously updated and available in digital formats, as well as the tried-and-true waterproof versions.
Loie Belknap Evans
For more than 50 years, Westwater Books has produced accurate, user-friendly books that enhance the experience of river runners. Loie and Buzz, along with Loie’s daughter Lynn and her family, continue to carry on the Belknap legacy of exploring and sharing the places they love.
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.