John Wesley Powell and his crew made the first documented descent of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon in 1869. But was it really the first? Both the Navajo and Hopi have legends of people traveling through the Canyon. The indigenous peoples of the Lower Colorado River have known how to raft the River for 100s or even 1000s of years using boats made out of common tule reed, a surprisingly buoyant giant sedge found throughout the Colorado River basin.
But could a tule boat survive a ... view more »
John Wesley Powell and his crew made the first documented descent of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon in 1869. But was it really the first? Both the Navajo and Hopi have legends of people traveling through the Canyon. The indigenous peoples of the Lower Colorado River have known how to raft the River for 100s or even 1000s of years using boats made out of common tule reed, a surprisingly buoyant giant sedge found throughout the Colorado River basin.
But could a tule boat survive a descent through the Grand Canyon? That was the question Peter Brown and Tom Martin set out to answer on a raft trip through the Canyon in December of 2020. Their raft built of three bundles of 12-foot long tule had a seat for comfort. They set off from Lees Ferry for a 30 day float trip to Pearce Ferry, 280 miles down-river. The boat ran every mile and every rapid and proved that a tule reed boat can make the trip, which has implications for possible Colorado River travel sometime in the last several thousand years. This is the story of that trip.
This presentation is a fundraiser for the Riordan Mansion. Starting the day of the presentation and for the following 6 days, all proceeds from book sales at the Vishnu Temple Press website www.vishnutemplepress.com will be donated to the Riordan Mansion.
To Join the Lunchtime Virtual Lecture click here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86265480331
View less
