The Grand Canyon Disappearance of Glen and Bessie Hyde

The Grand Canyon is one of the most magnificent natural wonders of the United States. It is also a very dangerous place to go rafting or hiking, especially without a guide or a proper map. Nonetheless, that is exactly what newlyweds Glen and Bessie Hyde did in the fall of 1928. Bessie was slight young woman who was five feet tall and weighed 90 pounds. She was relatively new to rafting. Glen was an experienced outdoorsman who was eager to raft the Colorado River. They both disappeared in the Grand Canyon.

Bessie was married once before, two years prior to her wedding with Glen Hyde. Her first marriage was very short-lived. The couple only lived together for two months before Bessie moved out. They were divorced on April 11, 1928. Bessie married Glen the following day. She moved to Idaho to be a farmer with Glen. Apparently, the Hydes needed more adventure than the farming life had to offer, so they planned a honeymoon rafting down the Green and Colorado Rivers. They left on their adventure in October of 1928. Their craft was a handmade wooden boat.

Bessie and Glen Hyde made it to the Grand Canyon without a hitch. Bessie Hyde took notes about their trip in her journal and they marked off the days with notches on their simple boat. On November 15, Glen and Bessie climbed out of the Grand Canyon to replenish their supplies. They came across Emery Kolb, who lived on the canyon. They asked him to take a picture of them and told him that they would be back to get it. Emery took the picture and the couple climbed back down to their boat.

Some sources say that Emery later hinted that Bessie seemed tired of her honeymoon. She may have even seemed unhappy. However, this is uncertain. What is more certain is that Emery offered Glen Hyde his lifejackets. He was concerned because the couple had none in their boat. Glen had refused.

The Hydes were supposed to be home by December. When December rolled around and they were still gone, the search for Glen and Bessie Hyde began. Their scow was found a few days later, near some notoriously dangerous rapids. In it were their personal effects (journal, boots, and jackets) and all of their food. Glen's gun was still in the boat as well. Despite an extensive search, neither Glen nor Bessie was ever found. Investigators concluded that they died in some sort of accident. It is hard to believe anything else. It is doubtful that either would have wandered off into the wild without food, a jacket and a weapon.

Since Glen and Bessie Hyde's disappearance, people have pondered alternative scenarios to the one investigators presented. Some have come up with stories that one of the honeymooners killed the other. There is no evidence of this other than Bessie's unhappy appearance in her last picture. Others have come up with the idea that the two ran away together to live a life of adventure. However, it is likely that they both met their deaths in the strong rapids of the Colorado River.

Sources

Bessie Louis Haley Hyde, retrieved 10/7/10, charleyproject.org/cases/h/hyde_bessie.html