WHAT STORY DO WE TELL

When Oregon’s rivers became free of log drives, they were open to adventure and sport. On Oregon’s McKenzie River a special boat evolved to provide adventurers safe passage through treacherous white water feared by previous pioneers.

ACT ONE: VELTIE PRUITT and PRINCE HELFRICH TAKE ON THE WEST

Veltie Pruitt and Prince Helfrich are the first to float many of the great rivers of Oregon from top to bottom as they scouted and recorded the rapids of these rivers. The lightweight board and batten boat, the first McKenzie River drift boat, could be transported on a car top or trailer and carry a rower and one guest. 

On the McKenzie River, John West widened the original lightweight board and batten design to handle two anglers in front of the rower which doubled the earning potential for guides. This “bathtub with oars” was a nimble design and became the standard for the McKenzie River Drift Boat for over 15 years.

ACT TWO: TOM KAARHUS OPENS SHOP

Tom Kaarhus opens shop and offers boats and kits for many built in the John West style. The advent of exterior plywood for boat building made these kits affordable and easy to build. Soon, almost every boat on the river was a square-ended McKenzie River Drift Boat.

ACT THREE: WOODIE HINDMAN BUILDS THE DOUBLE-ENDER

Woodie Hindman apprentices under Tom Kaarhus to learn the craft of boat building. Later, he opened his own boat shop and introduced innovative ideas to the design of the drift boat. He was the first to run the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, and on one of these trips, a near mishap inspired him to put a pointed boat stem on both ends, creating the first double-ended McKenzie River Drift Boat. 

ACT FOUR: A BIGGER WHITE WATER BOAT FOR THE GRAND CANYON

Martin Litton, of Sierra Club fame, visits the McKenzie River and is invited for a dory ride during the famous White Water Parade. He is so smitten by the smooth ride and connection with the river that he commissions two dories for private trips down the Grand Canyon. He later uses these boats to influence politicians and environmentalists about the value of the Grand Canyon. From 1962-64, these boats are part of the book Time and the River Flowing, a significant part of the famous Sierra Club fight with the US Congress to save the Grand Canyon. 

ACT FIVE: OREGON’S BOAT IS INDUCTED INTO THE SMITHSONIAN

White Water Parade fame has now grown to include crazy rafts increasing the danger until a drowning ends the event. The movie will emphasize the danger of the river by having a time of recognition for the influential people who have died on the river.

The now-famous McKenzie River Drift Boat represents Oregon as part of the collection for the 1976 bicentennial museum collections from the States of the USA. Keith Steele builds a boat for the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. in just a few days with a small crew.