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Show PAGE 28 THE ZEPHYRSEPTEMBER 89 The Saga of the Brown Betty John Weisheit by month, Canyonlands National Park celebrates Its 25th Coincidentally, 1989 marks the 100th anniversary of anniversary. a historic river ourney by Robert B. Stanton and Frank M. Brown. Their trip was made to survey a route along the canyons of the Green and Colorado Rivers to supply a growing populous In Southern California with Colorado coal, and to provide a tourist attraction. With these goals In mind, Investors soon supported the project and a river Journey was Implemented. So, In this year of celebration It seems fitting to explain the reason for the naming of the first rapid In Cataract Canyon known as the Brown Betty. It Is an Interesting story that Involves the tales of two separate river trips. This Richards with the Brown Betty and their makeshift raft of kitchen boxes attempted to cross the river to make camp. The current apparently got the best of them as they approached the first rapid To lighten their, load and avoid the rapid, of Cataract Canyon Gibson and Richards decided to cut their rafts tow line. The boat ' safely eddied out as their food supplies crashed through the rapids below. To Immortalize the event, they named the rapid, Brown Betty. ' r president Frank M. Brown of the Colorado Canyon and Pacific Railroad hired two engineers to complete the necessary Robert Brewster Stanton, chief engineer to survey the surveys river courses from Blake (Green River), Utah to Needles, California, and Frank C. Kendrick to make the survey from Grand Junction to the confluence of the Green and Grand (Colorado) rivers. Frank Kendrick started his river railway survey on March 28, 1889 with five men and a supply boat called the Brown Betty. Kendrick started this Journey of 38 days and 278 miles with some misgivings as he was a devoted family man who disliked being away from his wife and children. The Kendrick railway survey line was made on the right side of the Grand River. Progress was steady until the narrow gorges of what was then known as Hades Canyon (now known as Westwater Canyon). It was decided 'to portage their boat and they loaded It upon a wagon and hauled It to what now Is known as the old pump In 1889, house station at Cisco. From Cisco, they continued without problems to the confluence of the Grand and Green Rivers. On a sandstone rock they left an But then they began the Inscription to memorialize the event run to Blake with a dwindling food supply. To arduous up-rimake the 175 miles from the confluence to Blake took eleven days of rowing the Brown Betty up eddys and stalls, lining and portaging swifter waters. On May 15, 1889, they arrived at Blake to rest and ver . eat a decent meal. By this time, the Brown Betty was leaky and not fully river Still, when Brown and Stanton arrived at Blake to make their survey on May 24, 1889, It was decided to make the Brown Betty the trips kitchen boat. The Brown Betty was unique compared to the other five 15 foot boats which were made of a lightweight cedar. The boat was a doryworthy. 1 As the to the story. But, there Is more survey party zinc of some the Cataract plated boxes Canyon, progressed down were retrieved In the eddys below and so they were not entirely without food and utensils. Through Cataract Canyon they spent much of their time lining 10 they When they got to rapid and portaging the rapids. attempted to line the Brown Betty. The boat broke loose and rammed Into a rock. She did not break at once, but soon filled with water and the crew emptied her of much needed gear. Eventually the power of the current tore her to pieces. Of all trips down the Green and Colorado Rivers, the BrownStanton party was plagued by an Incredible string of bad luck and disaster. Beyond the Brown Betty, another boat wrecked and three people drowned In what Is now known as Marble Canyon In r with better Grand Canyon National Park. The trip was boats; the crew completed the survey to Needles In 1890. It Is a very Interesting saga of river history. . re-orgar- ilzed - 4 like craft of pine with ribs of oak. -- rvi cm The StantonBrown survey left Blake on May 25, 1889 with six boats and 16 men. They ran their survey lines on the right side. As they had more supplies than room, the crew removed some detachable waterproof, zinc plated boxes and secured them to a makeshift, raft of driftwood that they floated behind the Brown Betty kitchen boat Things went relatively well until they got below the confluence. For some reason, Stanton decided to run his survey line on the left side of the Colorado River. For his proposed railway, this meant a spanning bridge across the Colorado River and a plan for a switching station at the broad river plan known as Spanish Bottom. The boatmen for the Brown Betty were Stantons long-tifamily servants, G.W. Gibson and H.C. Richards. On May 31, while Stanton was running his river-le- ft survey, Brown decided that camp river-right would be at Spanish Bottom. Obediently, Gibson and WAT? True-Famil- y Restaurant OPEN 6 a.m. -- 10 p.m. . 259-835- 2 COME IN FOR THE BEST HOME COOKED MEALS Try Our Bucket of Chicken Colonel Whats-His-FaCould Learn From US me 259-642- 9 THE LIJ5T npt wm'BEran a AM - 9 PM Mon-Sa- t 9 AM 6 PM Sun 1075 So. Hwy 191 office equipment co. 259-557- 5 weve moved! 446 So. Main suite . 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