The Saturday Evening Post May 14 1960 Page 130

The Pioneers of Lonely Canyon

continued on page 132

River of No Return: In 1805, explorers Lewis and Clark turned back at this stretch on the Salmon. Huge underwater boulders made upriver navigation impossible. 

Here Paul Filer (foreground) and Glen Rice started their epic project to tame the river. First, they rigged a boom out over the trouble spot- Dry Meat Rapids.

 A blast of dynamite forces the boulders aside and rips open a channel. Filer used a rope to lower himself into the water, then he tamped the explosives under the rocks. 

Filer and Rice become the first men to navigate this dangerous passage upriver. In the past, all river travelers had to portage their boats at Dry Meat Rapids.