The John Wesley Powell River History Museum in Green River has partnered with the regional conservation nonprofit Plateau Restoration for the annual River Rendezvous and River Runners Hall of Fame banquet.
The two-day event will be held on Friday, Sept. 30, and Saturday, Oct. 1, and will celebrate river history and culture through expert presentations, service opportunities, historic films, and the Hall of Fame banquet and induction ceremony.
“This two-day event is an amazing opportunity for people to experience river history, and hang around some of the legendary members of the river-running community that are still around today,” John Wesley Powell River History Musuem Director Tim Glenn said. “We’re so proud to partner with Plateau Restoration, and extremely excited to induct these important names into the River Runners Hall of Fame.”
Dr. Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter Cutter became the first women to run the entire length of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon as part of Norm Nevills’ famous expedition of 1938. Clover, a botanist at the University of Michigan, was a catalyst for the ’38 expedition and helped organize the trip in order to catalog the plant life on the bottom of the canyon. She and Jotter, her student and research assistant, successfully completed the entirety of the expedition, putting in at Green River, Utah, and taking out at Lee’s Ferry 43 days later.
Inductee Bill Belknap has likely had a hand in reaching more individual river runners than any other person in the history of the plateau. A photographer and an adventurous river runner in the mid-20th century, he made several trips through the Grand Canyon in both directions during his lifetime. His photograph collection is extensive, and through the lens of his camera, he helped document a golden age of river-running history. His son’s waterproof Belknap river guides, which he helped develop, have become the most popular guides used on both the Green and Colorado rivers. His impact on both independent and commercial river running cannot be understated.
Katie Lee is a songwriter, folklorist and musician whose presence on the plateau has been loud and clear for more than 50 years. Through reflections on life on the Colorado Plateau, she has produced a wealth of songs, books and words that express her love for the desert rivers and the cultures they have created. Throughout her life, she has been a strong and prominent advocate for wilderness preservation on the Colorado Plateau.
The two-day event begins with a service project and evening film festival. Plateau Restoration is working to improve and restore an area on the Green River near the mouth of Gray Canyon that has been decimated by wildfires. The service project is free for anyone to attend, and includes lunch and expert presentations.
On Saturday, prior to the Hall of Fame ceremony, several informative sessions will be held at the John Wesley Powell River History Museum, with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service presentations on native fish; a history of White Canyon by author Tom McCourt; and presentations by Dr. Dan Bean and Wayne Ranney.
Two-day event in Green River celebrates river history and culture
For a schedule of events, or to purchase a ticket, visit moabriverrendezvous.com or johnwesleypowell.com.
