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rancher named Bill Hamilton revolutionized river running with the first 

 practical and fully functional jet propelled boat in 1954. This miraculous craft 

 could run in very shallow water and proved a match for some of New Zealand' s 

 toughest white water. Jet pumps appeared on the U.S. scene in the late 50' s. 

 According to Norm Riddle, a jet boat pioneer on the Snake kiver , Jim West was 

 one of the first to use a jet boat in Hells Canyon, equipping a fiberglass and 

 wood craft with a Beuhler pump. In 1962 Bob Smith and Paul Filer took a 

 welded aluminum boat with twin outboards all the way up river through Hells 

 Canyon to Oxbow and return in one day (Snake River of Hells Canyon, Pg. 99). 



Norm Riddle began running jet boats into the Canyon in 1963 and says that 

 several others were there before him. He notes that it was rare to see rafts at 

 that time. In 1965 Norm married tough welded aluminum hulls and the jet 

 pump, giving us a craft that could run through shallows and rapids, was light in 

 weight and tough enough to withstand the rigors of Hells Canyon' s white water. 

 While early designs were crude and utilitarian, they evolved into the efficient 

 craft we have today, boats, engines and pumps capable of safely running all of 

 Hells Canyon's rapids, yet handsome enough to appeal to buyers as a family 

 boat. 



Two industries built around these pioneer efforts. The first is the 

 manufacture of welded aluminum jet boats. In the Lewiston/Clarkston Valley 

 alone over 13 companies build these exciting and durable craft. The second is 

 tourism. On the Snake River in the HCNRA 19 outfitters carry about 20,000 

 people annually in power boats, a vital part of the region' s tourist industry. Of 

 course there are many other businesses and services which support power 

 boating: marine engines, upholstery and tops, jet pumps, fuel, hotels, restaurants 

 and so forth. 

 • Floating 



The first European- American to boat the length of the canyon, Donald 

 McKenzie, made his amazing journey in 1819 (Snake River of Hells Canyon, 

 Pg. 16). During the late 1800's several boaters penetrated the canyon to various 

 degrees, investigating the river 's potential for navigation and accessing its 

 mineral resources, real and imagined. In 1925 a young adventurer Amos Burg 

 traversed the canyon with a canoe. He returned to Hells Canyon on three other 

 occasions, the first with a canoe in 1929, the second by raft in 1946 and fmally 

 by raft in 1978 (Snake River of Hells Canyon, Pg. 75). Five parties left 

 accounts of floating the river in the 40's, including one outfitter trip (Snake 

 River of Hells Canyon, Pg. 89). Surplus rafts from Worid War n made river 

 running more available and inexpensive. By the 50's»iand 60's more people 

 were braving the rapids of the Northwest's rivers, including Hells Canyon, but 

 it wasn't until the eariy 70's that float use exploded. 



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