Author of Grand Canyon &
Colorado River Books
WELCOME TO AUTHOR GAYLORD STAVELEY'S BOOK SITE
Hover over image to pause.
Gaylord Staveley draws on his 60 years of running the Grand Canyon's Colorado River to write compelling books on historical and present day river running, the commercial boating industry, river conditions before and after Glen Canyon Dam, and the fight for the rights to the mighty Colorado.
From the perspective of one of the first river runners to navigate through Grand Canyon from beginning to end and as the owner of the oldest Grand Canyon commercial river outfitting company, Gaylord's books have tales that have never been told.
Even the most ardent Grand Canyon history buffs will discover new stories in Gaylord's two latest books, The Rapids and The Roar and Taking Big Red.
You may want to read The Rapids and The Roar first for the early history of Colorado River whitewater boaters and Grand Canyon explorers, followed by Taking Big Red which begins around 1970 and extends into today. It focuses on the river, allocation and uses for its water, and the ensuing water war between the myriad of interested parties who want a piece of it.
The Rapids and The Roar relates the first attempts to run boats up and down the Colorado River and details twenty-one historic expeditions before and after John Wesley Powell. From 1825 through 1949 these early Grand Canyon river runners transformed boats and techniques for navigating the naturally fluctuating Colorado River currents.
As the tales and pictures of their adventures and discoveries spread, the public clamored to experience Grand Canyon's whitewater rapids for their vacations. Commercial outfitters soon sprung up to meet this public demand.
In this book Gaylord also describes how he unexpectedly caught the river fever and became a Colorado River outfitter and guide. He brings the reader along on his exciting challenges before and after Glen Canyon Dam, including the epic Grand Canyon flood of 1957 and river running during the dam's construction.
The Rapids and The Roar includes the beginnings of post-dam battles over who gets to use the river, what for, when, and how much.
Read more about The Rapids and The Roar or BUY NOW.
Taking Big Red begins where The Rapids and the Roar ends. Glen Canyon Dam altered the flows and flow patterns of the Colorado River, and interest in river trips was mushrooming.
The water war gets underway as demand and use increases by numerous and differing interests. This book is an historical account of the water war, the parties involved, and its battles from 1970 to today.
River runners split into several factions of private boaters vs. commercial outfitters and oars vs. motors. All boaters experienced the effects of too much or not enough water from the new hydroelectric dam.
National Park Service sets out to address the issues in river management plans, which changed from simple closed-door meetings to difficult multi-year processes.
Other entities like the Coast Guard, Congress, fishermen, Sierra Club, environmentalists and scientists also became involved in the battle.
The question in 2016 is whether there's enough Colorado River water to meet the demands for it. John Wesley Powell didn't think so over 100 years ago.
Read more about Taking Big Red or BUY NOW.