The A! True Arizona Stories: The Hydes

by Crystal Coons
Mar 19, 2003

I have an undeniable attraction to mysteries. There's something about the theories that form after hearing the story that just keep me going. I have a mystery story for all of you Arizona

Arizona	(air-i'-ZON-u')
The State of Arizona comprises the extreme south-western portion of the United States. It is bounded on the north by Utah, on the east by New Mexico, on the south by Mexico, and on the west by California and Nevada.

Pathers. Let me tell you the story of Glen and Bessie Hyde. It was almost a century ago, when the two young loves took it upon themselves to make history. It was after their 1928 wedding when they decided to take honeymooning to a new level. They would ride the Colorado River

Colorado River	(col-o-RA'D-o RI'-ve'r)
The river, which over millions of years of erosion, formed the Grand Canyon.

, from start to finish, in 7 weeks, in a homemade boat. This would be a record-setting time frame, as well, it would make Bessie the first woman to ever make the trip.

The couple set out in October of 1928. They went along very well, keeping in touch with photographers, and informing their families of their progress. Bessie had been keeping a detailed journal of their journey, marking every rapid, every emotion and every twist and turn that occurred. They were making remarkable progress, being ahead of schedule. On Thanksgiving Day, November 18th, they stopped at Diamond Creek for dinner.

They were never seen or heard from again.

A month into their trip, their homemade wooden boat was found, perfectly in tact. Nothing missing, all the belongings undamaged, and included in that boat was Bessie's journal. No one knew what to make of this. On the word that his son was missing, Glen's father set out to the Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon	(gra'nd KA'N-yu'n)
Located entirely in northern Arizona, the park encompasses 277 miles of the Colorado River and adjacent uplands. One of the most spectacular examples of erosion anywhere in the world, Grand Canyon is unmatched in the incomparable vistas it offers to visitors on the rim.

and started a search. Through the rough and vast terrain, they searched and searched for Glen and Bessie. A few miles prior to where the boat was found, was the now famous, Mile 232. Mile 232 was probably the most dangerous and difficult rapid in all of the Colorado River

Colorado River	(col-o-RA'D-o RI'-ve'r)
The river, which over millions of years of erosion, formed the Grand Canyon.

. The water level was low there, and from the floor of the river poked The Fangs. The Fangs are a set of five jagged, rough and deadly rocks that could easily destroy a small, homemade boat. Determined to find his son, Reith Hyde hired men to search every inch of the Canyon within the area that Glen and Bessie could have been. They searched for days, weeks, months... with no results.

They turned to Bessie's journal after time, and found that her entries became a series of dashes, and numbers to mark the water patterns, a different symbol to represent hard rapids, rapids, and calm water.

But what happened to them? How did their story end? Many theories tell the fate of Glen and Bessie Hyde. Check back next week when we take a look at all the theories, and also, most mysterious discoveries in the years following their disappearance.

Part 2 >>