Folbot Kayak Escalante, Grand Canyon Village

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER AZ-83. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Canyon vicinity, Coconino County, Arizona Folbot Kayak Escalante is located at latitude: longitude: The point represents the building housing the Grand Canyon National Park Museum Collection. It was obtained from Google Earth on April 22, and there is no restriction on its release to the public. Date of Construction: Prior to Builder: Folbot Company, Charleston, South Carolina. Established by Jakob Kissner in Long Island City, New York, in and then moved to Charleston, South Carolina, in Folbot was known for its portable and folding kayaks. The company suspended operations in as part of a restructuring but as of had not resumed business.1 Original Owner: Alexander E. Zee Grant, Jr.

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER AZ-83. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Alexander E. Zee Grant, Jr. successfully ran his Folbot Kayak Escalante on the Colorado River from Lees Ferry to Diamond Creek through the Grand Canyon in July Escalante was the first kayak to complete the trip. Description: Folbot Kayak Escalante is long with a beam; it weighs 60 pounds.2 Custom built by Folbot Company to Grant s specifications, it consists of a collapsible wood frame with rubberized fabric stretched over it. The design included sponsons allegedly made from New York City bus inner tubes that could be attached to the sides by canvas straps for the extra stability needed in the rapids of the Colorado River. Unlike modern kayaks, Escalante does not have a seat for the paddler, nor was it designed for the paddler to be able to brace themselves in the event the kayak flipped.

The spare wooden paddle is extant.3 1 Folbot Shutters Doors, Men s Journal, online accessed April 2 Folbot Kayak Escalante has been accessioned as Catalog Number GRCA 3 Tom Martin, Chapter 8 Escalante Kayak, on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/489887672, accessed April FOLBOT KAYAK ESCALANTE HAER No. AZ-83 (Page 2) History: Alexander E. Zee Grant, Jr. of Dedham, Massachusetts, accompanied Norman Nevills and his two cataract boats, Wen and Mexican Hat II, on a run of the Colorado River from Lee s Ferry to Diamond Creek from July Grant was known as probably the best foldboat pilot in the United States at that time. The expedition was notable as the first time a kayak ran through the canyon, although Grant did have to portage around some of the larger rapids.

In order to provide additional buoyancy, Grant filled the kayak with beach balls and attached sponsons. The trip was captured in an article entitled Riding the Rapids of the Grand Canyon by Weldon F. Heald and in The Colorado Is Still Wild published in the Sierra Club Bulletin of August The Utah Parks Association, who operated the North Rim Lodge at the time, had Escalante on display. At some point, the association decided to dispose of it. Gerald Terry, a National Park Service maintenance employee, found the kayak in a dump and alerted park staff.

The kayak was stored in the attic of the Old Warehouse on the South Rim until December when it was moved, with assistance from Western Archeological and Conservation Center (WACC) conservator Bender, to the Science Center Warehouse for conservation as part of the Save Our Boats historic boat conservation project. Between October and December the boat was in storage at the Maintenance Warehouse. It was then moved as part of the park s collection of historic boats to a new storage area in the Powell Building.

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER AZ-83. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The report is based on information from the Grand Canyon Museum Collection and the following additional sources. Folbot Shutters Doors. Men s Journal. Available online at accessed April Martin, Thomas. Chapter 8 Escalante Kayak. Available on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/489887672, accessed April Webb, Roy, ed. High, Wide and Handsome: The River Journals of Norman D. Nevills. Logan: Utah State University, 4 Roy Webb, ed., High, Wide and Handsome: The River Journals of Norman D. Nevills (Logan: Utah State University Press, Martin, Chapter 8 Escalante Kayak. FOLBOT KAYAK ESCALANTE HAER No. AZ-83 (Page 3)

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER AZ-83. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Folbot Kayak Escalante was documented as part of the Historic American Engineering Record s Maritime Recording Program. The Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) is part of Heritage Documentation Programs, a division of the National Park Service. Todd Croteau, HAER Architect, served as project manager. Ryan Pierce produced the measured drawings in Grand Canyon National Park staff provided written information for the historical report, which was formatted by Justine Christianson, HAER Historian, in