Old River Runners newspaper clipping.

By Travis Hochard, Operations Manager, River Runners

River Runners Celebrates 40 Years of Colorado Rafting in 2012

“Huckleberry Finn Gone High Brow – That’s River Runners”

I am not sure exactly what is meant by the phrase quoted above, but it is the first line of the first known news article (that I have been able to find) about whitewater rafting on the Arkansas River in Colorado. It should come as no surprise though that this article, which is dated July 15, 1976, is about none other than River Runners, “The whitewater professionals since 1972”.

That’s right, as we approach the 2012 rafting season, it is a time for us here at River Runners to reflect back on 40 years of Colorado rafting. As much as we know about the last 10, 20 and even 30 years of River Runners history, it becomes more difficult to pin point how River Runners got its start. I personally have spent hours scanning microfilm to find articles about the establishment of River Runners circa 1972 with no success. This particular article was found in a rafting file at the Royal Gorge Regional Museum and History Center in Canon City, Colorado, and even though the article was not published until July 15, 1976, it does support the River Runners “Since 1972” claim as you will see below. (I would like to thank Sue Cochran at the Royal Gorge Regional History Museum for her help).

What does the article tell us about the early history of River Runners?

According to this article the owners of River Runners in 1976 were Dr. James Gibbons (or Giggons as the article spells it two ways), who was a professor at Southern Colorado University (now CSU Pueblo); and his wife Mrs. Bonnie Gibbons, who was a Home Ec teacher in School District 60 in Pueblo. The article also indicates that the River Runners office at the time was in a “defunct motel, a few miles west of Texas Creek, on the Arkansas River.

In the article Gibbons is quoted as saying “This grew out of a hobby. I would be rafting down the Arkansas, and people would stop me to ask questions. As they were obviously interested we thought this might make a business.”
One could infer from the statement above that James and Bonnie Gibbons started River Runners, but the article does not state when the company was started. Gibbons does go on to say in the article that “So far 4,000 people, including groups from camps in the surrounding area, have been sufficiently interested to pay the rate.”

According to the statement above, as of July 1976 the company had already guided 4,000 people down the Arkansas River. This is at a time when “Jim actually guides the groups…joined by four other men, operating on a rotating basis”, and “Bonnie minds the office” by herself. Assuming the company started in 1972 and operated three months per year that would average out to a little less than 900 clients per season, 296 clients per month and 10 clients per day. Not bad for a start-up rafting company in the early 1970s with one office staff and five rotating guides.

“20th Century Fox is on the phone!”

A large portion of this article documents the link between River Runners and Hollywood. The movie company 20th Century Fox apparently used River Runners’ equipment to shoot a dory scene in the movie “The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox” in August 1975. This comedy western was first released in April 1976 starring Goldie Hawn and George Segal. The plot goes something like this: A female hustler who chases after rich men becomes mixed up with a suave con man through a series of misadventures before falling in love with him.

Bonnie said in the article that “The tipped over dory scene was taken about six miles below (River Runners)” and “when they came out of the water, the scene was taken at Five Points.” She then goes on to say in the article that “Of course the stars, Goldie Hawn and George Segal, weren’t actually in the scenes shot on the rapids.” They used stunt doubles.

River Runners - The whitewater professionals since 1972.

We are looking for more River Runners history

This is just one of many stories we hope to uncover as we look back on the history of River Runners. I will continue to look for more clues and maybe even track down James and Bonnie Gibbons, but in the mean time we would love to hear from anyone who has a River Runners story to tell or an old photo to share.