Run the Canyon Wild: River Runners of the Grand Canyon (c2000)
Run the Canyon Wild: River Runners of the Grand Canyon (c2000) Anyone who has paddled or rafted white water—or would like to—will love this two-hour film detailing the history of boating the Colorado River from the earliest explorers to modern times. The black & white historic footages of the original boaters and all the crazy adventurers is fascinating. It includes the successes, of course, but also the disasters, legends and mysteries, starting with the first efforts of surveyor Powell. Even the boating technology—or lack thereof—is fascinating.
It includes the legislative battles centered around the attempts to dam the Colorado River, thereby ruining the Grand Canyon. The Sierra Club was successful in stopping the dam during the Eisenhower years. We all owe thanks to them and President Eisenhower. Today, it might seem a ridiculous idea to dam and fill up the Grand Canyon, but the poorly-conceived project had already planned, blasted drill holes and began the project before it was halted. This segment alone is interesting from an environmental history lesson.
The actual footage of river runners shooting the rapids in all sorts of floating devices is fascinating. Against all advice and to the dismay of his staffers, Bobby Kennedy even tried to surf raft some rapids and nearly drowned. This film is quite lengthy, so for classroom use, I would suggest showing only parts of it.
Kenny Karem Collegiate School, Louisville, KY kennykentucky@aol.com
