Feb 04, 2016 “The boat that saved rivers, Herm Hoops Papers, ACCN 2673”

In the days before World War II, if you wanted to go down a river you went in a wooden boat.  By the late 1930s, the types of wooden boats used to run rivers had settled into a few major types; the light, flat-bottom skiff called the Galloway-style boat, and the slightly heavier but more stable “sadiron skiff” or cataract boat designed by Norman Nevills.  Both styles could navigate the rapids of the Green and Colorado Rivers, but they had disadvantages: they could only carry two or three passengers, and if you hit a rock with them, they could be heavily damaged and required a skilled hand to make repairs.  In the worst scenario, the boat was destroyed and the river runner was stranded.

During the war, the US military developed a variety of inflatable boats to be used for assault crossings, life rafts, and many other uses.  After the war, these craft became available for surplus sales, and the modern inflatable river running raft was born.  By the 1960s, however, the supply of surplus military rafts had dried up, and with river running beginning to become a major recreational pastime, new designs were developed and new manufacturers stepped in to fill the demand.

Like so many innovations where things happen quickly, the history of the many changes in boat design was being lost as people moved on or participants passed away.  Herm Hoops, a retired National Park ranger and long-time river runner from Jensen, Utah, began to realize that unless someone started collecting this history, it would be lost.  Herm set himself to this task, at his own expense and on his own time.  Herm traveled around the country, from West Virginia to California, and from Montana to Texas, seeking out the boat manufacturers who made the inflatable craft and tracked down the founders and employees of the businesses that sprang to life to meet the needs of the recreational river running market.  Herm also sought out river outfitters in the West who had worked closely with the factories that designed and produced new types of boats. He conducted interviews with them and was able to copy their photographs and records, including the earliest manufacturers of inflatable military boats and pontoons.  Herm has been indefatigable in tracking down these persons and records, and has completed histories on popular manufacturers such as Avon, Hyside, Rubber Fabricators, and Maravia, as well as more obscure and now-defunct companies such as Udisco, Campways, and Leyland.  With a background in boat repair and science, Herm went beyond the recreational aspects of the history and interviewed those who developed the fabrics, methods, and technologies that were essential in creating the modern river running craft.

As Herm’s archive grew, Dr. Gregory Thompson, Associate Dean for Special Collections, recognized that here was true, pure research in a field of history that was undocumented.  Dr. Thompson assisted Herm with funds to travel for interviews and make copies of photographs.  As a result, the Quinney Utah River Running Archives now contains the fruits of Herm’s detailed and comprehensive research, and a valuable portion of history has been saved from being lost.