Hatch River Expeditions photograph collection

Collection

Identifier: P0781

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Hatch River Expeditions photograph collection consists of two parts: eleven photos donated in the 1980s, and a much larger addendum donated in 2003, which contains 1280 photos. The few photos in the original collection were both color and black and white prints, including some river running shots, and some family photographs. The 2003 addendum includes large numbers of color 2x2 inch tranparencies, taken by Don Hatch, as well as many 35mm color slides, and both black and white and color prints taken by various photographers, including other members of the family; passengers on river trips; and friends of the family. The dates range from the 1930s through the late 1980s.

Dates

1929-1980s

Creator

Hatch family (Family)

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Conditions Governing Use

The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library’s Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.

Organizational History

Robert Rafael "Bus" Hatch and his brothers Alton and Tom began boating in the Vernal, Utah, area in the late 1920s. They ran the Green River in 1931, the Green and Colorado through Cataract Canyon in 1933, and the Grand Canyon in 1934. In 1935-36, they ran the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho, as well as the Main Salmon. By the end of World War II, Bus Hatch in particular had become known as a river runner. With the controversy over the planned Echo Park Dam in Dinosaur National Monument in the late 1940s and early 1950s, many people turned to Bus Hatch and his sons, Don, Ted, and Frank, to take them down the Green and Yampa Rivers. During the controversy, Hatch River Expeditions outfitted river trips for both pro-dam and anti-dam groups, trips that often included over 100 people. This was the true genesis of Hatch River Expedtions. After the controversy, and through the 1960s, the name Hatch became synonymous with river running, especially in the western United States. By the end of the 20th century, Hatch had become one of the best-known river outfitters in existence.

Extent

3.34 Linear Feet (6 archives boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The Hatch River Expeditions photograph collection consists of photos and tranparencies of river running shots and family photographs, taken by Don Hatch and other various photographers.

Arrangement

The records are arranged in a geographical sequences, except for the two folders in the original donation, and some of the folders in box 2. Folders 3-12 in box 1 are arranged in "down-river" order. Box 1, folders 3-12, begin with the Green and Yampa Rivers in Dinosaur National Monument and proceed down-river through Desolation Canyon; Labyrinth and Stillwater Canyons; Cataract Canyon; Glen Canyon; and the Grand Canyon. The folders in box 2 are a more eclectic mix, with folders 1-3 containing images of the Salmon River in Idaho; and folder 4 containing images of the Selway River in Idaho. Folder 5 documents a trip on the Chilko River in Canada. Images from Bus and Don Hatch's 1956 exploration of the Indus River in Pakistan are found in folder 6, while folder 7 contains some images from the 1955-56 Hatch-Eggert photographic expedition down the Green and Colorado Rivers (which is also extensively documented in the collections of Charles Eggert and Frederick Hoffman Wood; see Related Materials). Folders 8 and 9 are miscellaneous and unidentifiable images.