Norman D. and Doris Nevills papers, 1890s-1952

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Nevills, Norman D., 1908-1949
Title
Norman D. and Doris Nevills papers
Dates
1890s-1952 (inclusive)
Quantity
21 linear feet
Collection Number
MS 0552
Summary
The Norman D. and Doris Nevills papers (1890s-1952) constitute one of the finest and most comprehensive collections of original research materials on the history of travel on the Colorado and Green Rivers and their tributaries. Included are correspondence, diaries, logs, subject files, news clippings, and business records. Norman Nevills (1909-1949), supported by his wife Doris, was one of the pioneers of commercial river running.
Repository
University of Utah Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library
University of Utah
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City, UT
84112-0860

Telephone: 8015818863
special@library.utah.edu
Access Restrictions

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.

Languages
English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Norman Davies Nevills was born in Chico, California, on April 8, 1909. He was the only child of William Eugene Nevills and Mae Davies Nevills. Norman's paternal grandfather, also named William but known as "Captain Billy" Nevills, had been a successful miner and promoter during the California gold rush of the 1850s who lost everything in the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. William E. Nevills was a prospector in Alaska before coming to Mexican Hat, Utah, in the 1920s. William was drawn by one of the periodic oil booms that were common in southeast Utah. After two years of college at the College of the Pacific, Norman joined his parents at Mexican Hat in 1928 to assist with the oil development work. The expected oil fields never materialized, however, (although Norman worked off and on at drilling for oil until his death), and the Nevills family was forced to turn to other means of making a living. They built a tourist lodge above the San Juan River, which flowed through town, and Norman began guiding parties of visitors by car through Monument Valley and other nearby attractions. In between times, he supplemented the family income by doing whatever odd jobs he could find. In 1932, Norman was asked by a miner to haul a load of supplies to a placer mine a few miles downriver, which he did successfully. From this beginning, Norman Nevills launched his river career.

In the summer of 1933, Norman participated in an archeological survey of the area around the San Juan river; part of the survey involved the use of folding canvas boats on the San Juan. On October 18 of that same year, Norman was married to Doris Drown, a native of Portland, Oregon. For their honeymoon trip, Norman decided to take Doris down the San Juan. He built a boat based on a design given to him by his father, who had hauled supplies and passengers on Alaskan rivers during the Klondike gold rush. Family legend has it that Norman built the boat with boards from a horse trough and an old outhouse, and used oil well suction rods with steel blades for oars. The trip, to Copper Canyon in February 1934, was a success. Two years later, knowledge of Nevills' experience on the river had spread sufficiently for a party from California to contact him and hire him to guide them down the river. This he did in March of 1936, and for every year after that until his death in 1949, Nevills led groups down the San Juan River on excursions throughout the summer months. These trips became his bread and butter, and often the receipts and deposits from the San Juan trips financed his other trips on the Green, the Snake and Salmon, and through the Grand Canyon.

Nevills' first major expedition and the beginnings of his subsequent fame as the number-one Whitewater man in America was in 1938. In the summer of that year he led three boats and a crew of two other boatmen and six passengers (including two women) from Green River, Utah, through Cataract Canyon and the Grand Canyon. Although internal dissensions threatened to end the expedition at Lees Ferry, the beginning of the Grand Canyon, Nevills and Elzada Clover, the co-organizer of the trip, were able to keep the party together and complete the trip. Nevills and Dr. Clover had planned to write a book about their experiences on the river, but this never materialized, and each went on to other things. Nevills' second major trip was in 1940. This time he ran almost the entire length of the Green River, from Green River, Wyoming, through the Grand Canyon. The crew included his wife Doris and another woman, and from Green River, Utah on, Barry Goldwater, later to become a powerful Western politician.

In 1941 and 1942, Nevills conducted private charter trips through the Grand Canyon, giving him a lasting place in Colorado River history as the first person to go through the Grand Canyon more than twice. On the later trip, Otis Marston was one of the passengers. Marston and Nevills were at first close friends, but later personality conflicts drove them apart and Marston became one of Nevills' most vocal detractors; this was to have great bearing on Nevills' reputation after his death. By the time the 1942 trip was over, the U.S. was involved in World War II, and Nevills nascent river outfitting business was considerably curtailed. Although he did conduct a few parties down the San Juan during the war years, most of his time was spent working for the U.S. Geological Survey, whom he joined as resident engineer at Mexican Hat in 1943. In 1945, with the war almost over, Nevills took a party that included Otis Marston and Ed Hudson (who had also been on the 1942 Grand Canyon trip), Marston's daughters and wife, and others, down Cataract Canyon of the Colorado. This marked the resumption of a pattern that Nevills held throughout the rest of his life: spring and early summer trips on the San Juan, and then a major expedition on another river later in the summer. In 1946, it was the Snake and Main Fork of the Salmon Rivers in Idaho; in 1947, 1948, and 1949, the Grand Canyon. In 1950 Nevills planned to try a river in Canada or perhaps Asia, but death intervened.

Throughout his career guiding parties on the rivers of the West, Nevills was supported by his wife Doris. Indeed, many who knew them say that Doris was a very real reason for his success. Doris organized all the menus, shuttles, and other logistical details that are absolutely essential for a successful commercial river trip. In addition, she smoothed over disputes and ruffled feelings among passengers and boatmen that were caused by Norman's often abrasive personality. Doris was by all accounts completely devoted to Norman, and endured with good spirit the verbal abuse that she reportedly received from Norman's mother Mae Nevills. Doris' support of Norman's chosen career extended to pawning her jewelry during the early lean years, before Norman became famous, and caring for their two daughters, Joan, born in 1936, and Sandra, born in 1941. The one thing that Doris reportedly did not share was Norman's passion for flying, even though the Piper J3 that Norman bought in 1946 was a great convenience, given their isolated home. It was in Norman's plane that they met their deaths together, when the plane crashed on takeoff at Mexican Hat, on the morning of September 19, 1949.

In today's high-tech and big-business world of commercial river running, where thousands of paying passengers are taken down river annually, and thousands of dollars spent on equipment and permits by outfitters, Nevills Expeditions, with its wooden boats and slim margin of profit, seems quaint, like something out of a forgotten era. Indeed, after his death, Nevills' reputation suffered at the hands of later rivermen, who said he was too cautious, too much of a showman, and so on. Undeniably, Nevills was a showman, and was concerned with his own reputation. Equally undeniably, however, is the fact that to Norman Nevills must be given the credit for a number of firsts (so important to boatmen!) on the Colorado. He was the first to run the Colorado through the Grand Canyon more than twice, the first to run a strictly commercial river trip through the Grand Canyon, the first to take women on commercial river trips, and the first to take women through the Grand Canyon, which was unheard of at the time. Nevills was the first to admit that he was a cautious boatman, but he also was proud of the fact that he never flipped a boat on all the rivers he ran, a safety record hardly matched today. His boat design, the Cataract boat, remained one of the standard river craft until well after the end of World War II; those who continued to use his style of boat did so long after others had converted to inflatable rubber boats. Nevills' principle of "face your danger" (i.e. the boatman faces the obstacle and rows away from it) is still the way rapids are run today, and although others had used the technique before him, he popularized the idea.

Norman Nevills was a pioneer, indeed one of the pioneers of commercial river running, and there are still companies operating today that can trace their roots directly back to Nevills Expeditions. Virtually everyone on the river today is there because Norman and Doris Nevills were willing to "face their danger."

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Norman D. and Doris Nevills papers (1890s-1952) constitute one of the finest and most comprehensive collections of original research materials on the history of travel on the Colorado and Green Rivers and their tributaries. All materials have been left in their original and are divided into five sections: I. Personal Materials; II. Correspondence; III. River Trips; IV. Clippings; V. Miscellaneous Finances.

Section I, Personal Materials, consists of two boxes. Box 1 contains biographical materials about Norman, his father and grandfather; biographical notes by Joan Staveley and Thorn and Lygia Mayes, close personal friends of Norman and Doris; material gathered for a possible biography in the 1950s; miscellaneous materials from Mae Nevills, Norman's mother; and miscellaneous personal items. Also included in this box are clippings about Norman and Doris' death in September 1949, tributes to them, and correspondence about the memorial plague which was placed in their honor above Marble Canyon in 1952. Finally, there is correspondence about the donation of Norman's boats and equipment to various museums after his death, and correspondence and supporting documentation for a proposal made in 1957 to name the reservoir rising behind Glen Canyon Dam after Nevills. Box 2 contains miscellaneous records from the Mexican Hat Lodge, which was operated by Mae Nevills.

The heart of the entire collection is found in Section II. Unlike most manuscript collections, the incoming correspondence in the Nevills papers is accompanied by his outgoing correspondence, since Nevills made carbon copies of virtually all his letters. This is an unprecedented treasure trove for the researcher, for it allows entry into Norman's everyday thoughts and actions in a way that is normally not possible. There are approximately 5000 letters in the collection. This section is divided into four categories: Family, Personal, Government, and Business. Family correspondence is contained in only one box. Personal correspondence is the bulk of the collection, and is contained in boxes 3-22. It includes inquiries about and letters reserving places on river trips, since the basis of his river outfitting business was personal contacts, and it would have been virtually impossible to separate river trip correspondence from the purely personal correspondence. Government correspondence contains letters with the U.S. Geological Survey, his employer from 1943 until his death, the National Park Service, and various other federal and Utah state agencies. Business correspondence is arranged into subject categories and includes correspondence about automobiles, airplanes, insurance, oil, and so on. It should be noted that this category does not include any materials about river trips.

Section, III, River Trips, also contains a wealth of materials. Included are Norman's diaries, both originals and typed transcriptions; Doris's diary of the 1940 Green and Colorado River trip, including the later published account; diaries, journals, and scrapbooks kept by passengers on Nevills Expeditions who later sent him copies; miscellaneous materials about boats, supplies, equipment, brochures for Nevills Expeditions, and so on; and maps. Diaries sent by passengers, especially those about the San Juan trips, are of particular interest, as Nevills rarely kept a journal on those trips. Finally, the maps in box 34 are those used by Norman on his river trips, and contain many handwritten notations.

Section IV, Clippings contains both newspaper clippings covering the years 1933-1949, and magazines which have articles by and about Nevills, or in some cases advertisements for Nevills Expeditions. Boxes 35 and 36 contain newspaper clippings arranged by year. Box 37 contains issues of Desert magazine, the editor and publisher of which, Randall Henderson, was a close friend of the Nevills. In 1945 Henderson took a San Juan trip with Nevills Expeditions, followed in 1947 by a Grand Canyon trip. Henderson wrote feature articles about both of these trips; the Grand Canyon trip was serialized over several issues. Issues dated after 1949 contain memorials and reminiscences about Norman and Doris. Box 38 contains miscellaneous magazines, in each of which is an article about or a mention of Nevills Expeditions. These are arranged alphabetically by title.

Section V, Miscellaneous Finances, contains those financial records that did not fit into any of the previous categories. This includes canceled checks, check registers, bank statements, receipts and Mae Nevills' trading post account book.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on 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.

Preferred Citation

Collection Name, Collection Number, Box Number, Folder Number. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Organized in five series: I. Personal; II. Correspondence; III. River Trips; IV. Clippings; and V. Miscellaneous Finances.

Acquisition Information

Gift of daughters Joan Nevills-Staveley and Sandra Nevills Reiff in 1988.

Separated Materials

Photographs and audio-visual materials were placed in the Multimedia Division of Special Collections (P0341 and A0245).

Processing Note

Processed by Roy Webb in 1991.

Related Materials

Forms part of the River Running Archives (S.J. Quinney Outdoor Recreation Archives).

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

I:  Personal MaterialsReturn to Top

Filed in this series are personal materials from Norman Nevills, his wife Doris, and other members of his family. The first box contains biographical materials and miscellaneous personal items. Box 2 contains materials about the Mexican Hat Lodge, operated by William E. and Mae Nevills.

Container(s) Description Dates
Biographical Materials, Miscellaneous Personal Items
This subseries contains background material about Norman's family, as well as miscellaneous personal items from Norman and his parents. Some materials were gathered by Norman for articles and publicity during his life, others were gathered for a proposed biography after his death by his daughter Joan Nevills-Staveley. Also included are clippings about the death of Norman and Doris, tributes written after their deaths, materials about a memorial plaque that was dedicated in 1952, and correspondence and supporting documents for a 1957 proposal to name the reservoir behind Glen Canyon Dam after Nevills.
Box Folder
1 1
Nevills Family History
1 2
Davies Family History
1 3
Mae Nevills Account Book
1935-1937
1 4
Norman Nevills Autobiography
1 5
Selective Service
1943-1944
1 6
Birth Certificate Search
1944
1 7
War Ration Books and Coupons
1 8-10
Biographical Notes by Joan Staveley
1 11
Biographical Notes from Thorn and Lygia Mayes
1 12
Miscellaneous Biographical Notes
1 13
Miscellaneous Personal Items
1 14
Correspondence About Possible Biography
1955-1958; 1978
1 15
Death of Norman and Doris Nevills
1949 September 19
1 16
Tributes
1 17
Memorial Plaque
1 18
Donation of Boats, Equipment
1 19
Lake Nevills Proposal--Correspondence
1957-1959
1 20
Lake Nevills Proposal--Drafts, Supporting Documents
Mexican Hat Lodge
This subseries contains materials about the Mexican Hat Lodge, which was owned and operated by Nevills' parents, William E. Nevills (until his death in August 1941) and Mae D. Nevills.
Box Folder
2 1
Brochure
1937
2 2
Stationery
2 3
"Canyon Wonderland"
1941
2 4
"Canyon Wonderland" Original Artwork
2 5
Brochures--Drafts, Changes, Miscellaneous Pages
2 6
Miscellaneous Maps
2 7
History
2 8
Fire
1964
2 9
Miscellaneous

II:  CorrespondenceReturn to Top

This section contains three types of correspondence. Box 3 contains correspondence with family members of both Norman and Doris Nevills. Boxes 4-24 contain miscellaneous personal correspondence, which includes correspondence about river trips, since the basis of Norman's river business was personal contacts. In those few cases where correspondence about Norman and Doris was received after their deaths, it has been included in the folder as well. Boxes 23-24 contain correspondence with various agencies of the U.S. and Utah State governments. Boxes 25-26 contain miscellaneous business correspondence, excluding inquiries about river trips or letters booking passage on a river trip. If there were three or more letters, the correspondent was given a separate folder. If there were less than three letters, they are filed chronologically in the folders labeled "A Miscellaneous" and so on. Within the folders, all letters are arranged chronologically.

Container(s) Description Dates
Family Correspondence
Box Folder
3 1-2
Mae D. Nevills
1937-1949
3 3-4
Jane Daniels
1937-1944
3 5
Mrs. M.E. Thompson
1941-1942
3 6
Doris Nevills
3 7
"Mother D" [Drown]
3 8
Doris Nevills to Joan Nevills
1940-1949
3 9-10
Doris Nevills to Joan Nevills
3 11
Norman Nevills to Joan Nevills
1940-1949
3 12
Joan Nevills-Cards, Miscellaneous
3 13
Sandra Nevills
Personal Correspondence, A
Box Folder
4 1
Mary Ogden Abbott
1948-1949
4 2
Mary Adamic
1948-1949
4 3
Don Adams
1940-1942
4 4
John Quincy Adamson
1931-1932
4 5
Agnes Albert
1941-1949
4 6
Richard Aldrich
1948
4 7-10
Harry Aleson
1939-1949
4 11
H.D. Alexander
1948
4 12
Janet Alexander
1946
4 13
John Allis
1937-1949
4 14
Mary Amend
1948
4 15
Edward Anderson
1940-1941
4 15A
Anderson, Elvira
1947-1948
4 15B
Andrews, W.E.
1947-1949
4 16
Bud and Tro Anspach
1947-1949
4 17
Paul Anthony
1946
4 18
E.M. Armstrong
1947
4 18A
Don Ashbaugh
1947-1949
4 19
"A" Miscellaneous
1930-1949
Personal Correspondence, B
Box Folder
5 1
Linda Babcock ("Lydy")
1948
5 2
Wilson Baden
1945-1948
5 3
Alfred Bailey
1942-1948
5 4
Ralph Bailey
1941-1943
5 5
Mildred Baker
1939-1944
5 6
Dennis Baldwin
1938-1948
5 7
Lionel Banks
1941-1943
5 8
Alice Bates
1946-1949
5 9
Charles Bausback
1948-1949
5 10
George Bauwens
1941-1946
5 11
Austin Beals
1946-1949
5 12
Bayne Beauchamp
1935-1939
5 13
Fred H. Beck
1941
5 14
Lorin Bell
1938
5 15
Sunny Benedix
1948
5 16
Paul Benedict
1943-1945
5 17
Jessie Benedix
1946-1947
5 18
P.W. Blackford
1942
5 19
Doris Blakeslee
1944-1947
5 20
John Blanchard
1947
5 21
Howard H. Bliss
1939-1940
5 22
Don Bondurant
1945-1947
5 23
Joseph Borden
1939-1947
5 24
Daniel Bovee
1940
5 25
Allan Box
1941-1949
5 25A
Allan Boz
1948-1949
5 26
Jack Breed
1939-1946
5 27
Dale Broten
1945-1946
5 28
Roy Burgess
1945-1948
5 29
Edward Burnham
1941-1943
5 30
Murray Butler
1946
5 31
Jack Butt
1940-1941
5 32
Gilbert Byrne
1936-1947
5 33-39
"B" Miscellaneous
1932-1949
Personal Correspondence, C
Box Folder
6 1
Winthrop Cady
1949
6 2
Ian Campbell
1938-1942
6 3
Ramona Cannon
1946-1949
6 4
Sylvia Capps
1946-1949
6 5
Paul Carius
1933-1940
6 6
Raymond Carlson
1941
6 7
Benjamin Carpenter
1944-1948
6 8
Carson (?)
1943
6 9
Frank Carson
1946-1948
6 10
Garold Carlton
1948-1949
6 11
Vernon Cato
1947-1948
6 12
Art Chaffin
1940-1945
6 13
Andy Chamberlain
1947-1948
6 14
June Chamberlain
1942-1947
6 15
William B. Chandlee
1947
6 16
Everett Chapman
1946-1949
6 17
Harold Chase
1947-1949
6 18
Ellery Clark
1939
6 19
Neil M. Clark
1945-1946
6 20
Steve Clark
1932-1946
6 21
A.C. Clarke
1948
6 22
Robert G. Cleland
1946-1949
6 23
Elzada Clover
1938-1945
6 24
Israel Cohn
1936-1941
6 25
W.B. Coleman
1942-1949
6 26
Hull Cook
1938-1945
6 27
Frank Cooke
1945-1949
6 28
Vernon Cooley
1940-1941
6 29
Joe Cooper
1948
6 30
Omar Cooper
1949
6 31
Jack Corbin
1946-1948
6 32
J. Early Craig
1941-1946
6 33
William Cree
1942-1946
6 34
Frank Cummings
1946-1947
6 35-36
Hugh Cutler
1939-1949
6 37-42
"C" Miscellaneous
1934-1949
Personal Correspondence, D
Box Folder
7 1
Burt L. Davis
1946-1947
7 2
Albert K. Dawson
1941
7 3
B.W. Deason
1939-1940
7 4
Lillie L. Deimler
1947
7 5
R.C. Denney
1938-1946
7 6
Eldon Dennis
1944-1945
7 7-10
Joe Desloge
1944-1949
7 11
A.M. Dewey
1947-1948
7 12
Frank Dodge
1939-1945
7 13
Lee Doud
1942-1946
7 14
Perry Driggs
1945-1948
7 15
Elizabeth Dupont
1939-1950
7 16
Stuart Dunbar
1937-1938
7 17-20
"D" Miscellaneous
1929-1949
Personal Correspondence, E-F
Box Folder
8 1
Clyde Eddy
1938-1945
8 2
Ray Eggersted
1946-1948
8 3
Josiah R. Eisaman
1949
8 4
W.D. Eldredge
1940-1945
8 5
Charles Ellet
1946
8 6
H.W. Endner
1933-1940
8 7-9
"E" Miscellaneous
1932-1949
8 10
Francis P. Farquhar
1942-1948
8 11
Ethel Farrell
1937-1948
8 12
Charles H. Feltes
1937-1946
8 13
Wilbur B. Foshay
1948
8 14
Duane Frandsen
1948-1949
8 15
Harry G. Franse
1938-1946
8 16
John A. Frost
1932-1947
8 17
Kent Frost
1935-1949
8 18
Moulton Fulmer
1942-1949
8 19-20
"F" Miscellaneous
1935-1949
Explorers Club
Following his descents of the Green and Colorado Rivers in 1938 and 1940, Nevills was nominated and accepted as a member of the Explorers Club. This box contains materials from his nomination and later membership.
Box Folder
9 1
Membership
9 2
Correspondence
1941-1945
9 3
Business
1941-1949
9 4-5
Notices of Meetings
1942-1949
9 6
Miscellaneous Announcements
9 7
Letters of Condolence to Nevills' Family
1949
Personal Correspondence, G
Box Folder
10 1
Herb Gable
1935-1948
10 2
John Galley
1940-1941
10 3
Martin Gambee
1937-1944
10 4
Ernest M. Garbe
1945
10 5
Ray Garner
1941
10 6
Claire E. Garretson
1937-1949
10 7
Wilbur Gibson
1937-1939
10 8
Hollis T. Gleason
1948
10 9
Joe Goettsman
1949
10 10
Barry Goldwater
1940
10 11
Barry Goldwater
1941-1949
10 12
J.A. Gower
1948
10 13
Alexander "Zee" Grant
1939-1946
10 14
Herbert E. Gregory
1937-1945
10 15
Archie Griffith
1947
10 16
R.W. Groo
1937-1941
10 17
Ernest O. Gross
1945-1946
10 18-22
"G" Miscellaneous
1932-1949
Personal Correspondence, Ha-Hi
Box Folder
11 1
Fred Haas
1942-1945
11 2
Ansel Hall
1933-1939
11 3
Ansel Hall
1940-1948
11 4
Ansel Hall (Explorers Newsletters)
1933-1936
11 5
Wendell C. Haines
1941-1947
11 6
Laphene "Don" Harris
1938-1949
11 7
Carter Harrison
1947-1948
11 8
Katherine Harvey
1941-1945
11 9
Bus Hatch
1940-1944
11 10
Fred Hauenstein
1945-1949
11 11
Sam Hayward
1945-1946
11 12
Viola Hazard
1946-1948
11 13
Weldon Heald
1941-1948
11 14
Wesley P. Heath
1938-1943
11 15
Graham Heid
1941
11 16
Randall Henderson (Desert Magazine)
1938-1947
11 17
Randall Henderson (Desert Magazine)
1948-1949
11 18
Edna Heringer
1942
11 19
Neville Hertwick
1946
11 20
Wayne and Lucille Hiser
1947-1948
Personal Correspondence, Ho-Miscellaneous H
Box Folder
12 1
Paul Hoefler
1948
12 2
John Hoeppel
1938-1942
12 3
Tony Holbrook
1943-1947
12 4
J.G. Holland
1948
12 5
Burton Holmes
1948
12 6
Haldane ("Buzz") Holmstrom
1938-1940
12 7
Arthur Hoskins
1945-1949
12 8
Charles F. Hottes
1937-1941
12 9
Charlie Howard
1934-1949
12 10
Don Howard
1945-1948
12 11
Frank Howard
1945-1949
12 12
Roy Howell
1945-1947
12 13
Russell Hubbard
1947
12 14
Roman Hubbell
1938-1944
12 15
Iva Marie Huddleston
1948
12 16
Ed Hudson
1941-1949
12 17
E.P. Hunt
1936-1945
12 18
Ethel Hurd
1942-1944
12 19
Hayden Huston
1940-1949
12 20
Marian and Laurin Hyde
1940-1942
12 21-25
"H" Miscellaneous
1933-1949
Personal Correspondence, I-K
Box Folder
13 1
"I" Miscellaneous
1944-1949
13 2
Wyatt Jacobs
1948
13 3
Celia Johnson
1948-1949
13 4
Lamont Johnson
1946-1949
13 5
Ros Johnson
1946-1947
13 6
Ros Johnson
1948
13 7
Ros Johnson
1949
13 8
Florence Jones
1938
13 9
Marge Jones
1946-1948
13 10
Lois Jotter
1938
13 11
"J" Miscellaneous
1933-1949
13 12
Felix Kallis
1948
13 13
Virginia Kass
1942-1944
13 14
Victor Kaufman
1947-1948
13 15
Howard Kearns
1938-1944
13 16
Helen Kendall
1948-1949
13 17
Florence Kenworthy
1945-1947
13 18
Ed Kerley
1936-1938
13 19
Dmitri Kessel
1944
13 20
Annie Kier
1946-1949
13 21
Paul Kilburn
1949
13 22
C.T. Kirby
1949
13 23
Ray Kiser
1947-1949
13 24
W.C. Kite
1939-1940
13 25
Phillip Klauber
1948
13 26
Ralph Knepper
1944-1946
13 27
H.M. Knickerbocker
1945
13 28
Wesely Knorpp
1939-1940
13 29
Helen Knupp
1947
13 30
Walter Koch et al
1945-1948
13 31
Emery Kolb
1936-1948
13 32
Seymour Kotcoff
1947-1948
13 33
John Krasny
1948
13 34
Max Krueger
1948
13 35
William Kuhlman
1948-1949
13 36
"K" Miscellaneous
1933-1949
Personal Correspondence, L-Mc
Box Folder
14 1
Lloyd Laflin
1941-1946
14 2
J.T. Lane
1939
14 3
Charles Larabee
1939-1947
14 4
C.I. Lauer
1949
14 5
Mary Lay
1938-1940
14 6
John R. Leach ("Pancho")
1948-1949
14 7
Hector Lee
1947
14 8
J. Bracken Lee
1940-1949
14 9
Father Leibler
1943-1946
14 10
Morgan Levelle
1948
14 11
Lloyd Linn
1945-1946
14 12
Life Magazine
1940-1945
14 13
Fay B. Lloyd
1944-1946
14 14
G.M. Loeb
1946
14 15
Kenneth Love
1930-1948
14 16
Ilma Lucas
1943
14 17
Willard Luce
1946
14 18
"L" Miscellaneous
1935-1939
14 19
Hall McAllister
1946
14 20
A.E. MacArthur
1940-1948
14 21
Glenn McColley
1945-1947
14 22
Wayne McConkie
1940-1945
14 23
Harry McDevitt
1943
14 24
Ivins MacDonald
1938
14 25
Kyle McGrady
1942-1945
14 26
Edwin McKee
1936-1949
14 27
Marvin McLarty, Jr.
1947
14 28
Macmillan Co.
1938-1946
14 29
"Mc" Miscellaneous
1934-1948
Personal Correspondence, M
Box Folder
15 1
Molly Maley
1946-1949
15 2
Dave Mann
1945-1949
15 3
Mel Mann
1942-1946
15 4
Portia Mansfield
1939-1944
15 5
Frank Manson
1945-1946
15 6
Charles Markham
1948
15 7
Katherine Martin
1949
15 8
L.H. Martinson
1946
15 9
Beverly Marx
1949
15 10
Frank E. Masland
1946-1948
15 11
Frank E. Masland
1949
15 12
Masonic Lodge
1933-1949
15 13
Thorn Mayes
1938-1945
15 14
Thorn Mayes
1946-1949
15 15
Hugo Menke
1942
15 16
Clarence Meyer
1948-1949
15 17
Gleed Miller
1948
15 18
Harriet Miller
1947-1948
15 19
Victor Mills
1948
15 20
O.L. Miner
1944-1945
15 21
Hugh Miser
1947
15 22
T.W. Morash
1947
15 23
Ross and Elvira Montgomery
1941-1947
15 24
Lucius Moore
1941-1942
15 25
Lucius Moore
1943-1948
15 26
Thomas Morley
1945-1946
15 27
Archie and Dave Morris
1946-1947
15 28
A. Reynolds Morse
1948-1949
15 29
Malcolm Moss
1948-1949
15 30
Joseph Muench
1948
15 31
John B. Mull
1949
15 32
Ross Musselman
1938-1947
15 33
Truman Myers
1947-1949
15 33-35
"M" Miscellaneous
1933-1949
16
Personal Correspondence, Otis "Dock" Marston
This box contains correspondence with Otis "Dock" Marston, who went through the Grand Canyon with Nevills in 1942. On later trips, Marston served as a boatman for Nevills, and later yet became known as the historian of the Colorado River. He was always an indefatigable and voluminous correspondent, and his letters contain a great deal of information on the rivers, the canyons, and other contemporary figures. These are detailed, personal letters between him and Nevills, and contain probably the best revelations as to Nevills and Marston's characters.
1942-1949
Personal Correspondence, N-Q
Box Folder
17 1
John Navas
1939-1942
17 2
Herbert Neal
1948-1949
17 3
Elmer Nelson
1948-1949
17 4
Jennie Nielson
1947
17 5
Carey Nixon
1946-1949
17 6
"N" Miscellaneous
1933-1949
17 7-11
Frank O'Brien
1940-1946
17 12
Marie Ogden
1942-1946
17 13
Ed Olsen
1941-1949
17 14
Joseph Ott
1942-1943
17 15
William Owen
1944-1945
17 16
"O" Miscellaneous
1934-1949
17 17
B.H. Page
1947-1948
17 18
Jack Paine
1948-1949
17 19
T.S. Palmer
1945-1946
17 20
George Parker
1948
17 21
Forbes Parkhill
1939-1940
17 22
L.M. Perrin
1946-1948
17 23
Bruce Peters
1949
17 24
L.S. Peterman
1948-1949
17 25
Alice and Henry Petri
1947-1948
17 26
Ted and Dorothy Phillips
1944-1948
17 27
Ruth Pieroth
1947
17 28
Popular Mechanics
1942-1944
17 29
R.L. Power
1947-1948
17 30-31
"P" Miscellaneous
1933-1949
17 32
F.E. Quinlan
1948
17 33
"Q" Miscellaneous
1935; 1948-1949
Personal Correspondence, R
Box Folder
18 1
Bob Ramstad
1946-1948
18 2
William Rand
1948-1949
18 3
Paul Rattle
1946-1949
18 4
Redd Family
1940-1946
18 5
Del Reed
1938-1944
18 6
Harry Reed
1937-1947
18 7
P.T. Reilly
1946-1949
18 8
Adrian Reynolds
1940-1949
18 9
Irvine Reynolds
1946-1947
18 10
John Riffey
1948-1949
18 11
James P. Rigg
1940-1949
18 12
Bestor Robinson
1947-1949
18 13
Ned Robinson
1948
18 14
Don Robison
1947-1948
18 15
Bright Roddy
1944-1946
18 16
Leo Romer
1945-1946
18 17
Anne Rosner
1939-1040
18 18
Frank Ross
1945-1946
18 19
Ted Ross
1945
18 20
Jack Rottier
1945-1947
18 21
Jack Rue
1947-1949
18 22
Hal Rumel
1945-1946
18 23
Al Runkle
1939
18 24
Al Runkle
1940 January-March
18 25
Al Runkle
1940 April-1941
18 26-27
"R" Miscellaneous
1933-1949
Personal Correspondence, S
Box Folder
19 1
W.B. Sampson
1946-1947
19 2
Jack Sanford
1941-1947; 1950
19 3
Saturday Evening Post
1946
19 4
Pauline Saylor
1946-1947
19 5
Jack A. Schmidt
1948
19 6
Alfred Schmitz
1941-1942
19 7
Emma Schray
1947-1949
19 8
William J. Schukraft
1941-1946
19 9
Charles T. Schweitzer
1946
19 10
August Segelhorst
1946
19 11
Paul Seel
1947-1948
19 12
M.F. Selleck
1936-1940
19 13
Harry Shaw
1941
19 14
Anthony Shearer
1947-1948
19 15
Shepard Book Co.
1938
19 16
A.L. and Henry Sherk
1946-1949
19 17
Dorothy Shipman
1946
19 18
Don Short
1941-1948
19 19
Herbert S. Shuey
1942-1947
19 20
Frank Silvey
1936
19 21
Harold N. Simpson
1947-1948
19 22
Mildred Small
1949
19 23
Alden B. Smith
1947
19 24
Don Smith
1944-1947
19 25
Joseph F. Smith
1937-1947; 1949
19 26
W.T. Smith
1942-1944
19 27
Corinne Smothers
1948
19 28
J.S. Southworth
1939-1940
19 29
Keith Spalding
1945-1948
19 30
A.H. Spencer
1943-1949
19 31
Edward F. Stacy
1946
19 32
J.I. Staley
1948-1949
19 33
Standard Travel Information Service
1949
19 34
John Stanton
1946-1947
19 35
Wallace Stegner
1946-1948
19 36
Hyrum W. Stevens
1935; 1946-1947
19 37
John Stilwell
1946-1949
19 38
Julius F. Stone
1938-1944
19 39
Perry Stowe
1947-1948
19 40
Frank Streator
1945-1949
19 41
Nancy Streator
1946-1949; 1950
19 42
Corinne Stubbs
1943-1944
19 43
Sunset Magazine
1941-1949
19 44
Frank Suter
1946
19 45
J. Frederick Sutherland
1948-1949
19 46
Kenneth D. Swan
1937; 1946
Personal Correspondence, Miscellaneous S-V
Box Folder
20 1-5
"S" Miscellaneous
1930-1949
20 6
Rich Thomson
1946-1947
20 7
Elmer Timmons
1940-1941
20 8
V.L. Tindall
1947-1948
20 9
P.W. Tompkins
1930; 1941-1949
20 10
Claude Towne
1946-1949
20 11
Morris Townsend
1939
20 12
Trailways Magazine
1948
20 13
Arthur and Gladys Trask
1941-1945
20 14
Travel Magazine
1942-1943
20 15
Lucretia Traver
1940-1947
20 16
George Trebing
1945-1947
20 17
Spence Turner
1948
20 18-19
"T" Miscellaneous
1929-1949
20 20
Florence Uptegrove
1947
20 21
"U" Miscellaneous
1938-1949
20 22
Charles S. Van Eaton
1936-1949
20 23
V. Villette
1947-1948
20 24
W.M. Von Kuhn
1945-1946
20 25
"V" Miscellaneous
1939-1949
Personal Correspondence, Wa-Wi
Box Folder
21 1
H.R. Walker
1947-1948
21 2
Preston Walker
1933-1942
21 3
Preston Walker
1943-1949
21 4
Walter Walker
1940-1942
21 5
Walter Walker
1943-1945
21 6
Walter Walker
1946-1947
21 7
Robert Wall
1941-1942
21 8
L.A. Ward
1937
21 9
E.H. Warner
1940
21 10
Monte Warner
1948 January-March
21 11
Monte Warner
1948 April-September
21 12
Monte Warner
1949
21 13
Carl Weeks
1949
21 14
Jenny G. Weiling
1944-1945
21 15
Robert Welles
1941-1942
21 16
Cady and Mason Wells
1947-1949
21 17
Howard O. Welty
1946-1949
21 18
Jack Wentworth
1942
21 19
Minna Werner
1949
21 20
The Westerners
1948-1949
21 21
Maurine Whipple
1943-1947
21 22
H.H. Whitney
1948
21 23
Bill and Katherine Wilson
21 24
Bruce Wilson
1942-1949
21 25
Frederic H. Wilson
1946
21 26
F.Q. Wilson
1941
21 27
Neill Wilson
1942-1944
21 28
Neill Wilson
1945-1949
21 29
George Wing
1943-1945
21 30
Carl J. Winkler
1948-1949
21 31
Frank S. Wise
1946
Personal Correspondence, Wo-Z; Miscellaneous Unidentified
Box Folder
22 1
Margaret Wood
1948-1949
22 2
Roy Wood
1941
22 3
Bob Woodward
1944-1946
22 4
Sid and Peck Woodbury
1946-1949
22 5
R.J. Woods
1944-1946
22 6
Weldon Woodson
1945
22 7
W.J. Woolston
1941-1942
22 8-11
"W" Miscellaneous
1932-1949
22 12
"Y" Miscellaneous
1945-1949
22 13
"Z" Miscellaneous
1931-1948
22 14
Miscellaneous Unidentified
Government Correspondence--National Park Service, Miscellaneous Agencies
In Box 23, folders 1-8 contain correspondence with the National Park Service (N.P.S.); folders 9-13 with other agencies of the federal government; folders 14-16 with Utah State agencies.
Box Folder
23 1
Grand Canyon National Park--Tillotson-Bryant
1934-1948
23 2
Grand Canyon National Park--Harold C. Bryant
1947-1949
23 3
Boulder Dam National Recreation Area
1941
23 4
Boulder Dam National Recreation Area--George Baggley
1947-1949
23 5
Boulder Dam National Recreation Area--Guy Edwards
1941; 1948
23 6
Leo McClatchy
1937-1941
23 7
Jesse Nussbaum
1937-1949
23 8
John Doerr
1948
23 9
N.P.S. Miscellaneous
1938-1949
23 10
Bureau of Reclamation
1936-1949
23 11
U.S. Grazing Service
1935; 1942-1944
23 12
U.S. Weather Bureau
1943-1949
23 13
Miscellaneous Federal Agencies
1938-1946
23 14
Utah Resettlement Administration
1934-1937
23 15
Utah Writer's Project
1937-1941
23 16
Miscellaneous Utah State Agencies
1933-1949
Government Correspondence--U.S. Geological Survey
Box 24 contains correspondence, personnel action and payroll forms, and other materials from the U.S. Geological Survey. Nevills served as resident engineer for the U.S.G.S. at Mexican Hat from 1943 until his death in 1949.
Box Folder
24 1-14
Government Correspondence--U.S. Geological Survey
1931-1949
24 15
Efficiency Ratings
1943-1949
24 16
Personnel Actions
1945-1949
24 17
Miscellaneous Payroll Forms
1945-1949
24 18
Miscellaneous
24 19
Miscellaneous Stream Flow Data
24 20
Miscellaneous Publications
Business Correspondence, Airplane-Loans
The business correspondence in boxes 25-26 is organized alphabetically by subject. In box 26, folders 29-52 contain letters that did not fit within any of the previously chosen subject categories; therefore, they were listed under miscellaneous business correspondence and arranged alphabetically according to the name of the company or the correspondent.
Box Folder
25 1
Airplane--Joe Bergin
1944-1947
25 2
Airplane--Civil Air Patrol
1946
25 3
Airplane--Eddie Drapela
1944-1949
25 4
Airplane--Miscellaneous Correspondence
1944-1949
25 5
Airplane--Logbooks, Flight Plans
25 6
Airplane--Miscellaneous
25 7
Autos--Auto Clubs
1936-1949
25 8
Autos--Central Chevrolet
1936-1941
25 9
Autos--Denny & Jones (Cortez Motor Sales)
1936-1947
25 10
Autos--Intermountain Willys
1949
25 11
Autos--Al Kruh
1944
25 12
Autos--Pioneer Auto Wrecking
1946
25 13
Autos--Streator Chevrolet
1941; 1948
25 14
Autos--Miscellaneous
25 15
Gasoline--Continental Oil Co. (CONOCO)
1933-1947
25 16
Generators--Kohler Co.
1939-1946
25 17
Generators--Midwest Service and Supply
1944-1947
25 18
Generators--Naval Supply Depot, Clearfield, Utah
1946
25 19
Generators--WItte Engine Works
1939-1940
25 20
Generators--Miscellaneous
25 21
Insurance--Autos, Miscellaneous
25 22
Insurance--Ralph King
1946-1947
25 23
Insurance--Miscellaneous
1946-1948
25 24-32
Legal--Senior and Senior
1939-1949
25 33
Loans--First National Bank of Moab
1937-1949
25 34
Loans--General Motors Acceptance Corp. (GMAC)
1940-1942
25 35
Loans--Rauh-Burke Investment Co.
1937-1938
Business Correspondence, Mining-Miscellaneous
Box Folder
26 1
Mining--Thomas F.V. Curran
1941-1942
26 2
Mining--Bayard Mendenhall
1938
26 3
Mining--Uranium
26 4
Mining--Miscellaneous
26 5
Oil--A.F. Allen
1948
26 6
Oil--D.S. Baker
1945
26 7
Oil--Perry Coon
1939-1944
26 8
Oil--Frank C. Hatch
1949
26 9
Oil--Arthur Lyon
1935
26 10
Oil--Equipment Lists
26 11
Oil--Leases, Assignments
1936-1940
26 12
Oil--Leases, Assignments
1943
26 13
Oil--Leases, Assignments
1944-1948
26 14
Oil--Leases, Miscellaneous
26 15
Oil--Maps, Descriptions
26 16
Oil--River Bridge Claim--Location Notices
26 17
Oil--Well Logs, Nevills #6
26 18-20
Oil--Miscellaneous
1930-1949
26 21
Pumps--F.E. Myers and Brothers
1944
26 22
Pumps--Fairbanks-Morse Co.
1936; 1944-1947
26 23
Pumps--George B. Metcalf
1946-1947
26 24
Pumps--Robinson Machinery Co.
1946
26 25
Pumps--S & M Supply
1943
26 26
Pumps--Miscellaneous
1943-1949
26 27
Taxes--Dan Milenski
1947-1948
26 28
Taxes--Miscellaneous
1935-1949
26 29
Miscellaneous--Ray Carr
1936-1947
26 30
Miscellaneous--Covey's New America Motor Lodge
1946-1949
26 31
Miscellaneous--Denver Fire Clay Co.
1941
26 32
Miscellaneous--Durango Mercantile Co.
1939-1943
26 33
Miscellaneous--East Side Grocery
1940
26 34
Miscellaneous--Jack Kuhne, Jack Darrock
1944-1949
26 35
Miscellaneous--Karl Lyman
1936-1940
26 36
Miscellaneous--Lyman Truck Line
1938-1943
26 37
Miscellaneous--Montgomery Ward
1938-1945
26 38
Miscellaneous--Navajo Service
1939
26 39
Miscellaneous--Esther Parker
1939
26 40
Miscellaneous--Knox Patterson
1942-1946
26 41
Miscellaneous--H.J. Plumhoff
1943-1944
26 42
Miscellaneous--Leo Prinster
1940-1942
26 43
Miscellaneous--Sears, Roebuck
1942-1949
26 44
Miscellaneous--Walt Disney Productions
1946-1947
26 45
Miscellaneous--Western Printing
1940-1949
26 46
Miscellaneous--Whitmore Oxygen
1946-1948
26 47
Miscellaneous--Z.C.M.I.
1939-1940; 1944
26 48-52
Miscellaneous
1933-1949

III:  River TripsReturn to Top

This series contains all materials directly relating to Nevills Expeditions, Norman and Doris' river outfitting business. Included are Norman and Doris' journals from river trips, 1936-1948, (both originals and transcriptions); journals and diaries from passengers on his trips which were later sent to him, scrapbooks compiled both by the Nevills and by passengers, and miscellaneous materials about boats, equipment, supplies, passenger lists, brochures, and so on. NOT included in this series are letters from passengers or potential passengers inquiring about river trips, because of the volume of the correspondence. This is filed in boxes 3-22, personal correspondence, under the name of the passenger. All journals and other writings are filed chronologically.

Container(s) Description Dates
Nevills' Journals, (Originals)
This box has been removed from the collection and is housed in the Manuscripts Reserve Collection. Transcripts of the journals can be found in box 28.
Box Volume
27 1
San Juan River
1936
27 2
Boat-building Log
1938
27 3
Green and Colorado Rivers, vol. 1
1938
27 4
Green and Colorado Rivers, vol. 2
1938
27 5
Green and Colorado Rivers, vol. 3
1938
27 6
Green and Colorado Rivers, (Norman and Doris)
1940
27 7
Green and Colorado Rivers, vol. 1 (Doris)
1940
27 8
Green and Colorado Rivers, vol. 2 (Doris)
1940
27 9
Grand Canyon
1941
27 10
Grand Canyon
1942
Folder
27 1
Cataract-Glen Canyons
1945
Nevills' Journals, (Transcriptions)
Box 28 contains transcriptions of journals kept by Norman and Doris Nevills during river trips, 1936-1948. In some cases these were typed by Norman Nevills from his originals, not all of which have survived. The typed versions often differ somewhat from both the original, hand-written diaries and the straight transcriptions of his daily journals. Later, some of the journals were transcribed by hand by Joan Nevills-Staveley, Nevills' daughter. Also included in this box are articles, book reviews, and other writings by Norman Nevills, all of which relate to river running. If the journal is transcribed rather than typed, this will be noted in the folder description. Otherwise, all transcriptions are typed.
Box Folder
28 1
San Juan and Colorado Rivers
1936
28 2
Boat-building Log
1938
28 3
Green and Colorado Rivers
1938
28 4
Green and Colorado Rivers, (transcribed)
1938
28 5
Green River, Wyoming-Jensen, Utah
1940
28 6
Green River, Wyoming-Green River, Utah
1940
28 7
Lees Ferry-Boulder Dam
1940
28 8
Green and Colorado Rivers, (typed account)
1940
28 9
Green and Colorado Rivers
Doris Nevills' account of the trip, titled "Woman Conquerer of the Colorado," published in The Daily Sentinel, Grand Junction, Colorado, June 15-July 6, 1941
1940
28 10
San Juan and Colorado Rivers
1940
28 11
San Juan and Colorado Rivers (P.W. Tompkins trip)
1941 April-May
28 12
San Juan and Colorado Rivers
1941
28 13
Grand Canyon
1941
28 14
Grand Canyon
1941
28 15
Grand Canyon, (transcribed)
1941
28 16
Grand Canyon
1942
28 17
Grand Canyon, (transcribed)
1942
28 18
San Juan and Colorado Rivers
1944
28 19
Salmon and Snake Rivers
1946
28 20
Green and Colorado Rivers
1947
28 21
Grand Canyon
1948
28 22
Review of The Colorado by Frank Waters--Norman Nevills
1947 October
28 23
"Face Your Danger," by Norman Nevills (2 drafts)
28 24
Typed account by Norman Nevills
No title or date.
Passenger's Journals, Songs
Box 29 contains copies of journals kept by passengers on Nevills' river trips. In some cases these are simply typed copies, others take the form of printed or even published accounts which were later sent to Nevills. Also included in this box are copies of songs which were composed by passengers on the trips. If the journalist gave the document a title, this is included in the folder description.
Box Folder
29 1
"Van Eaton Party Travelogue"
1936
29 2
Elzada Clover
1938
29 3
"A Journey Down the Green and Colorado Rivers," Barry Goldwater
1940
29 4
An Odyssey of the Green and Colorado Rivers: The Intimate Journal of Three Boats and Nine People on Two Rivers, Barry Goldwater (privately published)
1941
29 5
"The River Rats Return," Alexander Grant
1940
29 6
Evelyn Box
1941
29 7
"Riding Grand Canyon Rapids," Weldon Heald
1941
29 8
"Cockleshell on the Colorado," Alexander Grant
1941
29 9
P.W. Tompkins
1941
29 10
"Brother, Take the Oars," Neill Wilson
1942
29 11
June Chamberlin
1942
29 12
"The Colorado is Still Wild," Weldon Heald
1942
29 13
"Tall Tales from the San Juan River," Paul Benedict
1943
29 14
Father H. B. Liebler
1945
29 15
"Floating Down the San Juan and Colorado," Randall Henderson
1945
29 16
Margaret Marston
1945
29 17
Alice Bates
1946
29 18
"That River Trip!" Lil Diemler
1946
29 19
"Salmon-Snake," Otis Marston
1946
29 20
"Wheeler Report" [Salmon-Snake Rivers]
1946
29 21
"Fast-Water Man," Neil Clark
1946
29 22
"Fast Water in the Desert," Weldon Heald
1947
29 23
"Desert River through Navajoland," Alfred Bailey
1947
29 24
Randall Henderson (?)
1947
29 25
Janice Fullmer
1948
29 26
"192 Miles of Thrills on the San Juan and Colorado Rivers," Moulton Fulmer
1948
29 27
Barbara Gifford
1948
29 28
Preston Walker
(published in 1948)
1942
29 29
Helen Kendall
1948
29 30
Nancy Streator
1948
29 31
"Who's Who on the Rainbow Trail," Francis Farguhar
1948
29 32
Ed Hudson Up-River Attempt
1948
29 33
Alice Bates
1949
29 34
Margaret Wood
1949
29 35
"By the Rim of Time," Frank E. Masland
1949
29 36
Frank E. Masland
1949
29 37
"From Hat to Head of Marble in Six Days," Andrew Chamberlain
29 38
"Through the Grand Canyon Before Powell?"
29 39
Songs--"Two Little Flies," Tro Anspach
1948
29 40
Songs--Miscellaneous
Boats-Supplies
Box Folder
30 1
Boats--Independent Lumber Co.
1946-1949
30 2
Boats--Harbor Plywood Co.
1937-1938
30 3
Boats--Harbor Plywood Co.
1939-1940
30 4
Boats--Harbor Plywood Co.
1941-1942
30 5
Boats--Harbor Plywood Co.
1946-1949
30 6
Boats--Maris Plywood Co.
1938
30 7
Boats--O.H. Ellison Lumber Co.
1936-1946
30 8
Boats--Utah Lumber Co.
1936-1940
30 9
Boats--Miscellaneous Materials Lists
30 10
Boats--Miscellaneous Correspondence
30 11
Boats--Miscellaneous
This folder also contains fragments of drawings pertaining to boat construction.
30 12
Competitors--Harry Aleson River Expeditions
30 13
Equipment--Boardman and Flower
1938-1949
30 14
Equipment--Dover Merchandising Co.
1948
30 15
Equipment--Evinrude Motors
1939; 1944
30 16
Equipment--Vorbeck Sporting Goods
1938-1948
30 17
Equipment--Miscellaneous Correspondence
1938-1949
30 18
Equipment--Shipping, Miscellaneous Advertising
30 19
Passengers--Passenger Lists
1936-1949
30 20
Passengers--Miscellaneous Passenger Lists
30 21
Shuttles--Grand Canyon-Boulder Dam Tours, Inc.
1938-1949
30 22
Supplies--Correspondence, Miscellaneous
1936-1949
30 23
Supplies--Menus
1938; 1941-1949
30 24
Supplies--Menus
Brochures, Publicity, Miscellaneous
Box Folder
31 1
San Juan River
1936
31 2
Green and Colorado Rivers
1938
31 3
Green and Colorado Rivers
1940
31 4
Grand Canyon
1941
31 5
San Juan River, Grand Canyon
1942
31 6
San Juan River
1943
31 7
San Juan River
1945
31 8
Snake and Salmon Rivers
1946
31 9
San Juan River
1946-1947
31 10
San Juan River, Grand Canyon
1948
31 11
San Juan River, Green and Colorado Rivers
1949
31 12
San Juan River
1950
31 13
Publicity--Programs by Others
31 14
Publicity--Postcards
31 15
Mileages
31 16
Miscellaneous Notes
31 17
Miscellaneous Trip Guidelines
31 18
River Rat Initiation Ceremony
31 19
Miscellaneous Comments and Quotes by Norman Nevills and others
31 20
Whitewater Association Proposal
31 21
Miscellaneous
Scrapbooks and Maps
Box 32 contains scrapbooks compiled by Norman Nevills and his family. These three are for the most part simple compilations of clippings.
Box Volume
32 1
Scrapbook
1933-1945
32 2
Scrapbook
1938-1941
32 3
Scrapbook
1938; 1946-1948
33
Scrapbook
The scrapbook in Box 33 was prepared by passengers on Nevills trips in 1947-1949. It is a much more elaborate effort than his own, and includes photographs, hand-drawn artwork, and passenger lists within a cowhide cover.
1947-1949
34
Maps
The maps in Box 34 are those used by Nevills on his river trips. These are U.S. Geological Survey maps of the Green, Colorado, San Juan, Snake, and Salmon Rivers that have been cut into sections to fit into a wooden map holder devised by Nevills for use on the river. The holder is also included in this box. Also included is a homemade scroll map where the sections of maps of the Grand Canyon were pasted onto brown paper to make a continuous scroll. The scroll has many handwritten notes by Nevills.

IV:  ClippingsReturn to Top

Norman Nevills was very publicity conscious. He and his wife and mother kept copies or at least clippings of virtually every newspaper or magazine article that mentioned his name. In addition, passengers and friends sent him copies or clippings from other newspapers from all across the country with articles about him or Nevills Expeditions. This section contains clippings as well as copies of magazines that contain articles about Nevills or Nevills Expeditions.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
35 1
Clippings
1933-1935
35 2
Clippings
1936
35 3
Clippings
1938 April-May
35 4
Clippings
1938 July
35 5
Clippings
1938 August-November
35 6
Clippings
1939
35 7
Clippings
1940
35 8
Clippings
1941
36
Clippings
1942-1949
37
Desert Magazine
Box 37 contains copies of Desert magazine, in which articles about or advertisements for Nevills Expeditions frequently appeared from 1940 to 1949. In 1945 and 1947, Randall Henderson, the editor of Desert, took trips on the San Juan and the Grand Canyon respectively, and wrote feature articles about Norman and Nevills Expeditions which were serialized over several issues. Issues dated after Norman and Doris' death in 1949 contain tributes to them, or reminiscent articles about them.
1940-1950; 1952; 1958
Miscellaneous Magazine Articles
The magazine and journal articles range from national magazines to local or trade publications. Each contains an article or mention of Norman Nevills or Nevills Expeditions. The publications are arranged alphabetically by title.
Box Folder
38 1
Academy Newsletter
1947 December
38 2
Argosy
1945 August
38 3
Arizona Highways
1941 January; 1953 August
38 4
California Monthly
1947 April
38 5
Carnegie Magazine
1950 April
38 6
Colorado Editor
1940 February
38 7
The Deseret News Magazine
1949 April 10
38 8
Elks Magazine
1942 March; 1943 August
38 9
Explorers Journal
1945-1946
38 10
Farm Journal
1946 May
38 11
Field and Stream
1949 April
38 12
The Field Glass
1947 August 4
38 13
The Hand Lens
1947 June
38 14
Home Movies
1943 March
38 15
The Kerley News
1936 April 27
38 16
The Last Frontier
1940 May-June
38 17
Life
1944 October 23
38 18
National Geographic
1947 August
38 19
National Parks Magazine
1949 July
38 20
The Olympian
1942 November; 1943 January; 1943 July; 1943 August
38 21
The Prairie Club
1949 September
38 22
Reclamation Era
1938 September
38 23
Region III Quarterly
1940 July; 1941 July
38 24
Retired Men's News
1938 April; 1938 September-October
38 25
The Rotarian
1948 August
38 26
The Saturday Evening Post
1946 May 18
38 27
Scenic Southwest
1942 February; 1942 March; 1942 August; 1946 May
38 28
The Shuttle
1948 September
38 29
Sunset
1942 February; 1948 March
38 30
Transit Topics
1949 July 12
38 31
Travel
1942 October; 1949 May
38 32
Travel West
1941 August 16; 1941 November 01
38 33
The Veteran's News
1938 April

V:  Miscellaneous FinancesReturn to Top

Boxes 39 and 40 contain those miscellaneous financial records that could not be filed within any of the previous categories. This includes cancelled checks, checkbooks, bank statements, deposit slips, miscellaneous receipts, and a ledger book.

Container(s) Description Dates
Cancelled Checks, Checkbooks, Miscellaneous Receipts
Box Folder
39 1
Miscellaneous Receipts
1938-1949
39 2
Cancelled Checks
1940
39 3
Cancelled Checks, Bank Statements, et al
1946
39 4
Checkbooks, Deposit Slips
1947
39 5
Bank Statements, Checkbooks
1948
39 6
Bank Statements, Checkbooks
1949
Box
40
Cancelled Checks; Mae D. Nevills Trading Post Account Book
1946-1948

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Rafting (Sports)--West (U.S.)--History--Sources

Personal Names

  • Marston, Otis R.
  • Nevills, Doris

Geographical Names

  • Colorado River (Colo.-Mexico)--Recreational use--History--Sources
  • Glen Canyon (Utah and Ariz.)
  • Grand Canyon (Ariz.)
  • Green River (Wyo.-Utah)--Recreational use--Sources
  • San Juan River (Colo.-Utah)--Recreational use--History--Sources

Form or Genre Terms

  • Business records
  • Correspondence
  • Diaries