File:Grand Canyon National Park Historic Boat grca13678 Stone02 (5143926895).jpg

THE STONE BOAT. WOODEN RIVER BOAT PROPELLED BY OARS. GRAY. CATARACT, FLAT-BOTTOMED BOAT, DESIGNED BY NATHANIEL GALLOWAY, EARLY RIVER RUNNER, WITH FUNDING BY MINING COMPANY PRESIDENT JULIUS STONE. BUILT WITH THREE OTHER SIMILAR BOATS IN DETROIT, BY THE POULIOT BOAT COMPANY. THE BOATS WERE BUILT OF WHITE OAK AND MICHIGAN PINE, WITH TWO COMPARTMENTS EACH IN THE FORE AND AFT. ONE OF EACH PAIR OF THE COMPARTMENTS WAS WATERTIGHT FOR BUOYANCY AND STORAGE, WHILE THE OTHER OF EACH PAIR WAS DECKED WITH CANVAS. HULL OF 5/8" WOOD PLANKS. ABOVE WATER SEAMS SEALED WITH CORD, UNKNOWN CAULKING. BELOW WATER SEAMS COVERED WITH CLOTH GASKET, UNDER THIN IRON SHEET STRIPS, BOTTOM COVERED WITH THIN IRON SHEET. UPRIGHTS FOR HOLDING SPLASH SHIELDS COULD BE SET UP AROUND THE COCKPIT. THE BOATS WERE BUILT WITH SKAGS, A DETACHABLE TYPE OF KEEL. TOP DECK WAS A LIGHT CANVAS WITH PITCH- LIKE SUBSTANCE, AND A COTTON TICKING SPLASH SHIELD. SEE CATALOG FILE FOR PHOTOS OF THE SPLASH SHIELD SET UP ON BOAT IN 1973. BACK HATCH LOANED TO WACC FOR CONSERVATION ON 12/10/2003, RETURNED 04/05/2005.

THE BOATS WERE BUILT 16.5 FEET LONG, 4 FEET WIDE AT THE GUNWALES, 18 INCHES DEEP, AND WITH A 10 INCH RAKE FORE AND AFT FROM THE CENTER. DRY, THE BOATS EACH WEIGHED 243 POUNDS.

THE STONE BOAT WAS USED ON A RIVER EXPEDITION THAT LEFT GREEN RIVER, WYOMING ON SEPT. 15, 1909. THE PARTICIPANTS ON THE TRIP WERE STONE, GALLOWAY, SEYMOUR DUBENDORFF, C.C. SHARP, AND RAYMOND COGSWELL AS PHOTOGRAPHER. THE TRIP WAS RUN BOTH FOR STONE'S PLEASURE AND INTENDED TO DISPEL SOME OF THE IGNORANCE ABOUT THE COLORADO RIVER REGION, AND SO COGSWELL TOOK SOME 2000 PHOTOS AND ALL PARTICIPANTS WERE REQUESTED TO KEEP DIARIES. WHEN THE TRIP ENDED AT NEEDLES, CA, ON NOVEMBER 14, 1909, GALLOWAY BECAME THE FIRST PERSON TO RUN THE FULL COLORADO FOR A SECOND TIME, AND THE FIRST GUIDE HIRED TO TAKE SOMEONE ELSE DOWN THE RIVER. THE BOOK 'CANYON COUNTRY' WRITTEN BY STONE AND PUBLISHED IN 1932 WAS AN ACCOUNT OF THIS TRIP.

THE BOAT WAS TRANSFERRED FROM THE OHIO STATE MUSEUM, IN DECEMBER 1950, WITH PERMISSION FROM STONE'S DAUGHTER, MRS. CHARLES SUTTON, AFTER SOLICITATIONS FROM GRCA. -THE BOAT WAS ON EXHIBIT IN THE VISITOR CENTER PATIO FROM THE TIME THE RIVER RUNNING EXHIBIT WAS DEVELOPED IN THE 1950'S UNTIL JULY 2003. -THE BOAT WAS MOVED 7/2003, WITH ASSISTANCE FROM WACC CONSERVATOR BRYNN BENDER AND MANY MEMBERS OF THE BOATING COMMUNITY, TO THE 'NEW' MUSEUM COLLECTION CONSERVATION LAB FOR CONSERVATION, AS PART OF THE 'SAVE OUR BOATS' HISTORIC BOAT CONSERVATION PROJECT.