Nathaniel Galloway papers [photocopies]

Collection

Identifier: ACCN 1936

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Nathaniel Galloway papers (1898-1960) consist of a photocopy of the diary which Galloway kept during a river expedition on the Colorado River as well as photocopied newspaper accounts and a letter describing the diary.

Click here to view digitized copy of the original 1909 diary.

Dates

1898-1960

Creator

Galloway, Nathaniel, 1853-1913 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Conditions Governing Use

The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library’s Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.

Biographical Sketch

Nathaniel Galloway (1853-1913) was born in Lehi, Utah. In the 1880s he became a trapper in Vernal, Utah. In 1897, Galloway completed a navigation of the Colorado River from Green River, Wyoming, to Needles, California. To accomplish this, Galloway introduced a light-weight, flat-bottomed boat, different than the heavy and cumbersome boats which had previously been used. Galloway also appears to have developed a technique of going into the river rapids stern-first while rowing upstream to stabilize the boat while going through. One year after Galloway's first navigation through the Grand Canyon, he was hired as a hunter and boatman for the Hoskaninni Mining Company, owned by Robert Brewster Stanton. He later met one of the financiers of the mining company, Julius Stone, an Ohio industrialist. Stone and Galloway became friends and after several years, Stone approached Galloway about the possibility of navigating the Colorado River together in small boats. In 1909, an expedition was organized. The boats were manufactured in Chicago according to the Galloway style and shipped to Green River, Wyoming. In addition to Stone and Galloway were three others: one of Stone's friends, C. C. Sharp, one of Galloway's acquaintances, Seymour Dubendorff, and a photographer, Raymond Cogswell. The group began to journey downriver on 12 September 1909. They arrived in Needles, California on 19 November 1909. The trip was without mishap, save a few incidents, including Dubendorff capsizing in one of the rapids. The rapid was later named Dubendorff rapid in his honor. The 1909 expedition is considered the first one entirely for pleasure on the Colorado River, similiar to those today. Galloway also became the first person to navigate the entire Grand Canyon twice. Galloway died in 1913, but his style of boats were in common use until the advent of the inflateable raft. His style of rowing into the rapids has continued to be used with some modifications. The business of river rafting has since become a popular sport with hundreds of trips being made since the Galloway-Stone Expedition of 1909.

Extent

0.5 Linear Feet (1 box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The copied Nathaniel Galloway papers [photocopies] (1898-1960) consist of a diary which Galloway kept during a river expedition on the Colorado River as well as newspaper accounts and a letter describing the diary. Nathaniel Galloway was a famous river explorer and boatman.