The Idaho Statesman from Boise, Idaho • 29

2 Life Tuesday November 6 2001 ldahoStatesmancom The Idaho Statesman Assistant Life editor Melissa Elston Phone: 377 6483 mail: lifeidahostatesmancom Idaho history Vanished newlyweds live on 6 I £UBB JarOhH Rm Historical photos courtesy of Brad Dimock Glen Hyde shown on an Idaho tri was no stranger to river running However his wife Bessie had consider ably less experience Tale still inspires fear and curiosity nearly 75 years later By Pat Thornton Special to The Idaho Statesman a tale worthy of One ofthose truth is stranger than fiction sagas A tale daring to be told But truth be told more than one peculiar happeninghere The story begins with a simple announcement in the Twin alls Times News noting that Glen Hyde of Hansen and Bessie Haley of Parkersburg a had taken a marriage license April 12 1928 Strangely two years before une 5 1926 the same Bessie Haley and one Earl Helmick with whom she had attended both high school and college bought a marriage li cense and had wed in Catlettsburg Ky However the next day the lo cal paper carried a cursory report that she had returned to her Park ersburg home and planned to spend the next year studying art in California Reasons were not pro vided Bessie apparently spent the next two years 1 iving apart from her first husband But no divorce was ever filed Gossip reigned Bessie may or may not ha ve been pregnant If true no one knows whether she delivered the child or had an abor tion By ebruary 1927 Bessie had left San rancisco and went to Los Angeles aboard a passenger ship When she stepped ashore she was accompanied by Glen Hyde an I daho farmer and outdoorsman whom she had met on board Love blossomed and wedding plans were made But Helmick wanted to reclaim his wife She asked for a divorce he refused So Bessie moved to Elko Nev met residency requirements and filed for di vorce It was granted April 11 On April 12 she and Hyde were wed inTwin alls That fall the couple began a honeymoon trip down the Green and Colorado rivers from Utah down through the Grand Canyon Theircraftwasacrude flat bot tomed wooden sweep scow used routinely on whitewater rivers rue to common Idaho river running practices of his day Glen refused to stock the craft life preservers or jackets On No 15 1928 after coming ashore a few days for supplies they floated into of the Grand Canyon once more The couple was never seen again When they failed to appear at the intended exit point fa ther traveled from Idaho to mount a search The boat upright and fully loaded was spotted from the airinmid December Whenres cuers reached it on Christmas Day it contained a fair amount of water though no one could tell whether it had come from damage from waves in the last rapid or simply from weeks of leakage The Hydes were nowhere to be found After multiple searches for the f7J7 i re 2 Tj 'JbIMh fjrmB Isp Above: Glen Hyde in a portrait taken asa student at the University of Idaho At left: Bessie grew up back East before movingtoCaliforniaand meetingGlen ironi aboard aship two officials concluded the Hydes had penshed in the river Others such as Glen fa ther believed they may have had boat problems and attempted to hike out of the canyon only to get lost After all the lower Grand Canyon is a vast remote treacherous re gion 1 1 would be easy to miss a human being or body its many crevices and canyons Not so much as a foot print was ever uncovered to bolster (or debunk) ei ther theory What happened to the newlyweds? A writer named Brad Dimock has tried to find out In his book Without a Di mock explores all the the ories and rumors sur rounding the Hyde mys tery During a Grand Canyon float trip in 1971 Dimock notes anoIder woman claimed to be Bessie Hyde and said she had stabbed Glen after a fight hiked out to civiliza tion and started a new life However the traveler Liz Cutler later retracted her story and most historians do not endorse it ive years after that a skeleton some thought to be Glen was with a bullet hole in the skull However multiple labo ratories concluded the remains were not his according to a 1985 re port Just to fuzz things up a little more in the past 25 years another woman claimed to be Bessie and another man was identified as a possible Glen Was one or both of the Hydes alive after all? Maybe maybe not Other theories have sur faced At one point brother Bill told a historian that Earl Helmick first husband had a violent temper and was rumored to have some hand in their disappearance et another rumor sug gests that a prospector downriver may have seen a body float by shortly af ter the Hydes vanished he claimed to have seen a brown leather jacket in the water Sources: Idaho Historical Museum clipping files and Brad Dimock's book At ldahoStatesmancom Want to know more about the Hydes' mysterious dis appearance? Link to other retel lings of the mystery or order books on line about the ill fated pair Above: In 1971 Liz Cutler claimed to be Bessie Hyde but later retract ed her story Below: This skull was first thought to be Glen Hyde's but expertseven tually dis counted it fl DONATE THAT CAR! ree Pickup Tax Deduction We Do AU Paperwork Running or Not American Council of the Blind of Idaho has helped the blind become productive in the workplace since 1972 Vehicles Real Estate Lots Boats RV's and more! 800 807 8604 Vasectomy Vasectomy Reversals 377 9348 1000 Curtis The Men's Clinic Board Certified Specialist Most Insurance billed Saturday Evening Appointments available Easy Access MOUNTAIN i I NON INVASIVE TREATMENT LARGE 8 SMALL LEG VEINS Hours: Monday to nda' 8 am (o 6 pm Saturday 9 am to 1 pm 4809 airview Avenue Boise Idaho (208) 378 2840 wu'wniounuiinstatesmfdical com Practice With a lair" EN PHEN AND REDUX USERS Whether or not you have already registered for the national settlement if you took en Phen Pondimin or Redux for over two months it is not too late to receive a free examination to determine if you have ben injured You may have heart problems related to these drugs and not know this until you are tested If you a family member or someone you know took en Phen or Redux and you want to learn more about your legal rights please contact us today You may be entitled to substantial compensation for any resulting injuries Bart Browning at MAY SUDWEEKS BROWNING has successfully represented Idahoans in lawsuits against drug manufac turers including the manufacturer of these drugs Bart Browning MAY SUDWEEKS BROWNING LLP Attorneys at Law Serving clients statewide since 1952 516 Second Street East 1419 West Washington Twin alls ID 83301 Boise ID 83702 208 733 7180 208 429 0905 No fees charged unless we win your case Call Today for a ree Consultation 1 800 225 7177 ree Community Workshop on Balancing Hormones Naturally A Solution to PMS and Menopause This workshop gives participants not only a complete understanding of the cause of symptoms that occur during PMS and menopause but also their solutions via diet vitamins exercise and stress reduction Wednesday November 7th 7:00 PM Guest Speaker Dr John Knowles Dc 8B aMIk Public (Limited to first 30 CaiteraD SpctHiedbyte Oar1 Speakers Btnai N0U8TH I2TH 2UMIEZ IBOAADSHOPS snnwhnam jackets pants and snowboard bags GNU BURTON ORUM SANTACRUZ board boot birring packages UP TO $100 OTWW 'ULTRfih MGA'SUPER fW snowboard A dzia Arr ca I i i i 'orum Expo Boot I $20 wreg price board and binding styie62544 I Burton Premier SnowSkates SMITH GOGGLES $3499 SPY OGGLES $3999 I 0 Or an VW XK A 7 Ty i i 'rTG Snowboard Long orum ft nrtnn xbieeve lees oursquare flL Special Blend UP to I Hooded sweatshirts cut me out off narked) MEDICAL CAPITAL MANAGEMENT INC Redeemable Secured Notes Series 1 Up to $75000000 Public Offering Price: $1000 Per Note Minimum Investment: $5000 Class A 1 2 Month Rate 800 Class 24 Month Rate 875 Class 36 Month Rate 925 Class 48 Month Rate 975 Subject to the risk of non payment of the authorized underlying medical insurance claims GREAT NORTHERN Sc rvicL'H Jnc Contact us below for prospectus and information SW Hlnha Black Eagle Business Park 323 0007 Outside Boise: 1 877 328 0007 Plantation Shopping Center 853 3800 Outside Boise: 1 866 853 3800 Securities offered through IRST MONTAUK SECURITIES CORR Member NASDSIPC OSj 15413 Vallcyway 101 Veradale WA 9S037 509 802 1137 Effective date: 20601 This offer is made only by the prospectus Tire prospectus contains more complete information regarding the notes including risks and expenses I' DONATE THAT CAR!.