1

SUMMER of 1960 LEO & ROSEMARY BENSON & SUSIE REVIS

Journal and more recent memories of: ROSEMARY SHAW BENSON
Friday, July 22
There was no mail for us at W. Glacier. On the way here from E. Glacier we
drove over U.S. 2, south of the Parks boundary, and much of it was in construction.
Our tail pipe was a little loose to begin with, and the rough road really battered it.
So just out of W. Glacier we drove onto the ramp of a Standard gasoline station for
a diagnosis. The tail pipe was bent all out of shape, and the front end of the muffler
had been knocked loose. We threw away the tail pipe and drove on to Kalispell
with the muffler in the back seat. Susie and I stayed in the car as it was elevated in a
service station. It was hot and seemed airless up there and seemed to take a long
time. It was time for us to rendezvous with the whitewater raft trip.
We left town about 5:00 pm and headed down the east side of Flathead Lake.
Leo & Susie swam while I cooked supper. We had sweet cherries for dessert, as we
had just bought another 3# and should have bought more.
Because it had been so hot the previous two days, we decided to continue driving
into the late evening. We headed to the town of Superior, Montana, where we
planned to camp overnight. We arrived about midnight. Our campground book
said that there would be only 3 sites there, but we were pleasantly surprised to find
several dozen very nice sites part of a National Forest campground improvement
program. I had expected the scenery to be dull and dry, but there were tall trees
along a nice-sized river. We set up camp and were in bed within 20 minutes.
Saturday, July 23
Evidently we slept quite late, for after we had eaten a leisurely breakfast and
packed up and were just leaving, other campers were pulling up and unpacking
their lunches. Susie played mother to a baby bird learning to fly.
We asked about the Natl. Forest road connecting Superior with Pierce, Idaho, but
got little information. We decided to try it anyhow. The wind was high, and the
road was quite dusty. The states of Idaho and Washington had been declared as in
extreme fire danger. The road contained many curves, but was quite good. It was a
long, slow drive about 100 miles long, with lovely streams along it. Just about the
only signs of civilization were several ranger stations and small shacks used in
logging.
We had two days before joining up with the raft trip crew and hoped to spend
some time fishing, so we needed to get to Pierce to get a fishing license and gear
before the stores closed. (Susie would be able to fish on Leos license.) Although
road construction (blasting) held us up some, we made it to town before 7:00 pm
early enough for most stuff, but too late to pick up mail. Then we backtracked
about 25 miles and set up camp along Ore Grande Creek, which emptied into the
N. Fork of the Clearwater just a few miles below our camp.
Sunday, July 24
We washed clothes today, getting ready for the raft trip. Later, we went fishing
on the Clearwater. It was a beautiful day, and Leo, Susie and I waded up to our

2
waists in the river. Leo caught 3 cutthroat trout for supper. We hadnt seen anyone
yet that day until an Idaho game warden drove by on the road and stopped his
truck. He called down to Leo and said, Hey, Mister. Come up and show me your
rod. He looked at Leos fiberglass casting rod that reflected old-timey fishing for
perch, bass and bluegills back in the Midwest. The Game warden said, I havent
seen a rod like that for years. That was our first clue that, nowadays, trout
fishing was done differently with jointed bamboo rods and artificial flies.]
He said he was making a survey of fishermens success and also asked to see
Leos fishing license. We soon realized wed left it back at camp, and he could have
given us a fine, but agreed to follow us back. We were relieved that we were able to
produce it. As it turned out, we discovered that he knew my Uncle Orlando
(Orlando William, or O.W. Leech) my mothers youngest brother. The warden
knew him as Bill, and obviously liked him. [But, then, everybody who met Uncle
Orlando liked him, including Leo who would meet him a week or so later.] Orlando
was living in Twin Falls and worked autumns as a big game checker, to verify that
a hunter had a license and was following the specifications as to season, region,
gender, etc. We had a late supper of fried cutthroats.
Monday, July 25
Leo wanted to go into town for mail, so after Susie and I washed our hair and
aired the bedding, we headed for Pierce. Construction made the road quite rough,
and it seemed like a long 30 miles to town. At the post office, we received our Sierra
Club cups, Leos school books (to start at Barrington H.S. in Sept.), and a letter
from home. Susie got a letter and two birthday cards. We met Oz Hawksley while
we were reading our mail. He would be the leader of our much-anticipated raft trip.
He was Professor of Biology at the University of Missouri. We made arrangements
to meet him the next day, bought a fishing license for me and headed back to camp,
and beyond, to fish some more. We caught few fish too small to keep, and hoped
our luck would improve once we were on the raft trip.
We returned to camp and spent a long time packing for the raft trip. We got to
bed late and hoped wed wake up in time the next morning. It was so on my mind
that I didnt sleep much at all and we were more than ready when Oz came by for
us. He laughed at our Apache camper-trailer, calling it a Wilderness Palace. We
would have much more meager shelter during the week to come.
Leo went back with him to Pierce in order to have our trailer there at the end of
the river trip. Susie and I stayed at our campsite to wait for their return. Much of
the time I sat on a log over Ore Grande Creek. It was so quiet and peaceful.
Eventually Leo & Oz returned, accompanied by the two other clients who would
be on the raft trip. They were a Mr. & Mrs. Muir from California he was a New
Zealander originally. We drove on to where the rubber rafts were to be launched
and waited for our things to be packed into the rafts. As Leo handed Oz the
fiberglass fishing rod, Oz handed it back and said it would be of no use on this river.
He promised to supply Leo with a proper fly rod. Leo felt some anxiety on that
point. Oz also announced that we would really be roughing it and wouldnt be
taking tents just some tarps. That surprised us.

3
Along with Oz, his wife and two sons, the Muirs and us, there were two young
couples one with one child and the other with two children. The men were
graduate students and would help with the rafts and their wives helped with
shuttling the cars to the take-out point. They would also help cook as long as the
road followed the river.
Finally we got on our watery way. At first we were a little disappointed. We had
expectations of a Colorado-River-in-the-Grand-Canyon type of rapids, and our rafts
seemed to slip through the whitewater of the Clearwater quite smoothly. We were
informed that what wed experienced so far would be riffles and that the rapids
were yet to come. When we got to them, the rapids were fun. Susie enjoyed them
too. People in cars on the adjacent road stopped and watched us.
We pulled ashore at a lovely sand beach about 5:00 pm. We made our beds and
rested until supper spaghetti and green salad, with cantaloupe for dessert. After
super, I spotted three objects floating down the river three otters playing around.
It had been a long day and we were happy to go to bed out under the stars as it got
dark.
Tuesday, July 26
We went through Upper & Lower Post Card rapids today, along with many
unnamed ones. Sometimes the water was a deep emerald green, and it seemed very
still before a rapid. The mountains were not high enough to have snow left this late
into summer. We were told to be up by 6:30 am the next morning. Ham for
supper
Wednesday, July 27
Hash and eggs for breakfast, rolled up our beds on time, and left Went
through Shirleys Reversal Ate lunch by a pretty, small stream Portaged around
Irish Railroad Rapid and watched the rafts being lined through Later we all
swam in a nice pool with big rocks standing above the waters surface. Leo & I
swam out to one, and Susie swam out to join us. Leo & I decided to walk
downstream to fish. Leo asked Oz for a couple of rods. Oz replied, Just cut some
willow branches and tie on some line. This was not what Leo had expected! We
had no luck, but one of the young boys off the road across from us caught some.
We were called back to camp and wondered why. We found it was time for an
afternoon snack of smoked oysters and brandy. Neither appealed to us. We enjoyed
a nice campfire and songs. Susie awoke to find an ant in her ear. It was quite
irritating no way to get to a doctor fortunately she got it out herself.
Thursday, July 28
Nelson fell out of a raft today, but Leo caught him. Leo loves fishing, even with
line tied to a willow stick. Wed been told to expect to be more successful on side
streams than in the main river. Rock Creek was still ahead and was reputed to be
good. We passed construction workers who stopped to watch us. They were at the
temporary end of road and were blasting to build new road. The scenery is even
prettier, but the water is not as clear. We stopped at a gravel bar to pump up Ozs
raft and stopped again for lunch just before Moscow Bar. We camped up off the

4
river amongst at least 4 different kinds of ferns. Nelson and Velta left. Steak for
supper.
Friday, July 29
This was a lay-over day. Leo & I took our own lunch and hiked up Rock Creek.
Susie came along for a while. It was in a beautiful little valley, but walking was very
difficult as the rocks in the stream were treacherously slippery. The fish were not
biting, so we ate lunch near a little waterfall. On our way back, we had some luck
using salmon eggs. Had shrimp creole for supper; Leo got sick (stomach upset)
later.
Saturday, July 30
We took to the river again, towards Skull Creek. We passed through an
especially beautiful part of the canyon steep sides, long, deep pools, very quiet.
Leo took over the raft for a time while Jack fished. We stopped near Skull Creek
and made camp. Rain threatened, so Oz helped us make a rain-proof shelter.
I napped and Leo and Jack crossed the river and hiked to Skull Creek. Leo had
waited impatiently on this trip for such a wilderness fishing opportunity, having
watched numerous episodes on TV of The Flying Fisherman. This would be Leos
best opportunity to catch The Big One. But his only fishing rod had been left
behind as unsuitable.
It must have the right time of day, with everything else right also, for suddenly
the fish were biting. Jack caught several, and then landed a really beautiful fish. As
he started to place it on a stringer, Leo saw his chance, picked up Jacks rod, and
cast out. A BIG cutthroat exploded trout out of the water, taking the fly. Leo was so
determined not to lose the fish that he ran backwards, up the bank, dragging the
trout up out of the water. Jack took the fish off the hook, and Leo excitedly cast
again. This time the fly got caught in a tree, the rod was bent too far and it broke.
This was the only true fishing rod on the trip, and its loss caused the consternation
of many.
The Muirs had been sharing their wine each evening meal and had run out, so
Mr. Muir announced he would hike downstream along the path that bordered the
river. He said there was more wine in his car, and hed bring some back. It seemed
to us it would be an impossibly long trek, but Dennis Muir made it back with the
right wine in time for sauted trout.
Rain held off and we slept out in the open again, instead of under the shelter.
Sunday, July 31
This was another lay-over day. Apparently the distance of the whole trip, divided
by a weeks worth of time, and factoring in the rivers current, meant that days on
the river would be short and there would still be time for lay-over days. Now we
understood how Mr. Muir could hike down to his car and get back to camp on the
river with such ease.
We had Leos BIG fish for breakfast. Again, we made our own lunches and
went fishing. We crossed the river and found rough going along the edge of the

5
river on that side, so Jack, Susie, Leo and I fished Skull Creek again, without much
luck. Susie went back to camp, and Jack took the trail upstream. I hooked a BIG
fish, and Leo lost it when taking it off the hook. Chow mein for supper. Slept out
under the stars again. Oz mentioned that when he returned to Missouri he would
lead a canoe club week-long trip on the Current River. We hadnt canoed at all
before this Clearwater trip, but felt confident we could learn. And, he had an
aluminum Grumman canoe that needed to be transported to Missouri. We
volunteered to take the canoe to Missouri if we could use it for the Current trip.
That was the start of our canoeing!
Monday, August 1
This was Susies birthday, and it rained! We just had time to roll up our bedding
and have breakfast of blueberry pancakes and eggs. We loaded the rafts, and the
rain started in earnest. Once in the rafts, rain dripped down our noses and necks
and blurred our eyeglasses. Much fog filled the valley and completely hid the tops
of mountains. However the temperature wasnt too chilly. We stopped at Canyon
Ranger Station, and Leo, Cynthia and I continued down to the take-out point just
beyond the last rapid: Dragons Tooth.
I scrambled for shelter when we beached. Leo helped unload and deflate the
rafts. We ate a hasty, sandy lunch. Finally, Janet, Dennis and Susie arrived with a
car, and Shirley brought the jeep. Oz had trouble packing the car and disregarded
the road warnings. We started out, but Dennis car got stuck just on the other side
of the bridge. The rain had ruined the roughly graded road. We finally got jacked
and pushed out of the mud. Then we faced the 50 mile drive to Pierce over a slick,
one-lane lumber road bulldozed across steep hillsides. The little streams below were
swollen and muddy.
Once in Pierce, Leo and I and Susie decided to get a motel room. We had supper
at a caf, phoned home to Zion, and came back to our room for hot showers. Pierce
celebrated its Centennial that evening.
Tuesday, August 2
Susie had started out on an air mattress in the motel room, but the air leaked out,
so she finished the night on my side of the bed. We had a rather restless night, but
sheets felt good. Much of our clothing was wet and sandy. We gave Oz a deposit on
the Ozark canoe trip, tied the canoe on top of the trailer and departed for Aunt
Noras.
The scenery was pretty and green, but the road was very winding. Then we drove
through a recently burned area. We finally crossed the combined South and Middle
forks of the Clearwater. Not far downstream it would be joined by our North Fork,
but we missed the sight because we turned the other direction.
We came out onto the main highway. Soon we climbed over a divide with many
switchbacks, passed a beautiful camas prairie and came down into the Salmon River
country. We now had a new appreciation of rivers and cast a knowing eye at rapids.
We stopped long enough to pick some blackberries and then drove on.
About dusk we pulled into Boise. We continued eastward through town, and the
trailer had a flat tire on U.S. 30. It took quite a while to change the tire. It was late,

6
and we used a pay phone at a closed gas station and called Aunt Nora (Leech)
Maltby, Mothers sister, who lived with Uncle Bill on a farm outside of Twin Falls.
She gave us directions to their farm. After we hung up, the phone began
discharging coins until it was empty. It must have thought it lived in Nevada! We
enjoyed the sight of the Snake River with the moonlight on it as we crossed it on a
bridge. Finally, at 1:30 am, we pulled in at Aunt Noras and were soon asleep.
Wednesday, August 3
We washed our wet, muddy, sandy clothes. That evening, we went to Cactus
Petes for supper. It was south of the Maltby farm, just over the border into
Nevada. There was little there but a gas station and the restaurant/casino. This was
a first for Leo and me. There was a partition between the restaurant and the
gambling area. We had a nice dinner with relaxing, dimmed lights for leisurely
dining, but sound from a loudspeaker on the other side of the partition kept
announcing, Jackpot on # 20; jackpot on # 4; jackpot on # 17, etc.
Dinner was getting in the way of winning some of that money!
The Twin Falls, Idaho, newspaper carried daily $1 coupons for use at the casino,
and Nora had saved up four (for herself, Bill, Leo & me Susie was too young at 12
years of age). We cashed in our coupons and got a roll of nickels each -- they had 5cent slot machines back then. Susie & I wandered around the sparse crowd, while
Leo stood watching two men a gambler and the operator at what looked like a
billiard table. There were numbers marked around the inside edges of the table,
and the player had several silver dollars on some number in front of him and was
handed more silver dollars each time the operator tossed out some dice.
Leo decided to win some silver dollars himself, so he traded in his roll of nickels
for a silver dollar and placed it on the table in front of him, trying to imitate the
other player. He was right! He got a new silver dollar and handed it to me. At
another roll of the dice, he was handed another silver dollar, which he handed on to
me, with the suggestion that I should go get a hat or bag or something that could
hold all of the silver dollars he expected to receive.
But the next throw of the dice resulted in the operator taking Leos silver dollar.
Leo asked for one of the two I was holding, and the operator took that one away as
well. Leo asked me for the last (and original) silver dollar, and I refused. When we
went back to the Maltby farm that night we still had our silver dollar and roll of
nickels. And that is our one and only gambling tale.
Thursday, August 4
We put away clothes and finished cleaning and arranging the car. Uncle Orlando
and Aunt Alma came out from town for a picnic lunch. Leo enjoyed visiting with
Uncle Bill Maltby.
Friday, August 5
I helped clean out the camper/trailer and Leo worked on his school plans. We ate
supper in Twin Falls with Orlando & Alma.

7
Saturday, August 6
We left the Maltby farm after breakfast and stopped in twin Falls to get a new
spare tire for the trailer. We crossed the Snake River, heading northward towards
the Sawtooth Mtns., favorites of mine since early childhood. Near the town of
Shoshone we had another trailer tire blowout, and at Ketchum we bought another
tire. At Galena Summit, we got a beautiful view of the Sawtooths. It was late
summer, and there was not much snow left on them.
Susie had told us shed like a horseback ride for a late birthday present, so we
turned off the main road to get to a dude ranch whose horses Uncle Orlando had
recommended. To get there, we crossed the Salmon River as a spot where it was
only 6 wide and only a few inches deep. Nevertheless, the ranch owner said theyd
seen salmon fish come that far upstream. Leo discussed the proposition of
Spiking hiring horses and a guide to carry ones camping gear far back into the
mountains. (We eventually did just that eight years later and in the Big Horn
Mountains of Wyoming.)
We returned to the main highway till we saw the turn-off to Red Fish Lake
Campground. We found a very nice campsite close to the beach. I fixed supper
while Leo & Susie tried out the canoe. After supper, I went out with them on the
lake. This was our very first canoe ride! Later we drove into Stanley for phone calls
home to Zion. Today was the birthday of my mother, Lutie, of Leos mother, Esther,
and of Susies sister, Cindy.
Sunday, August 7
We got up early, packed our lunch and set off in the canoe intending to have
lunch somewhere along the shore. The big speed boats rocked us a little, but we
learned to head our bow into their waves to ride them out. We stayed near shore
and soon reached the far end of the lake. It was around a bend, and we could see
much more of the mountains than we could from our campsite. We ate lunch up off
the shore near a little cold stream in which we chilled our fresh peaches and milk.
We hiked for a while on a trail that bordered the lake and climbed up to see what
was in back of the ridge at the upper end of the lake. First we came upon a quiet
little lily pond. Farther on we found a rushing stream tumbling over a small
waterfall.
On the return canoe trip the water was choppy, and a head wind was quite stiff
when we crossed open stretches. At times we didnt seem to make any headway at
all. When we got back to camp, Leo & Susie headed off to a nearby stable to ride
horses for an hour. It been a very nice day.
Monday, August 8
We broke camp and headed toward the town of Stanley, and then beyond, to
Stanley Lake, just to see it. Then we backtracked to the town where we looked up
Preston Shaw, a somewhat distant cousin. (His grandfather was my greatgrandmothers nephew and my great-grandfathers half-cousin I think.)
Back on the highway, we followed the beautiful, green Salmon River for quite a
distance. Near Challis we turned southward along U.S. 93A. The country looked
drier. We passed by Mt. Borah and began following the Big Lost River. We decided

8
not to visit Craters of the Moon Natl. Mon. I had been there back in the 40s and
remembered it as harsh and barren volcano cinder, without trees or other plants.
Geology is interesting, but I LIKE GREEN! Besides, we were in a hurry to get back
to Zion, and get down to Missouri for the Current River trip!
We turned toward Idaho Falls, passing the Atomic Research Center, and
continued eastward. At Swan Valley we turned north to Victor, then east across
steep and beautiful Teton Pass and into Wyoming. We held our breath and trusted
our radiator on the way up and our brakes on the way down. We drove through
Jackson and skirted the eastern side of Grand Teton Natl. Park.
We headed east on U.S. 20 and chugged up over Togwotee Pass. Just beyond the
Pass we took a side road up 5 miles to Brooks Lake Recreational Area to camp. The
altitude was quite high, and the temperature quite cool. The lake was lovely and
calm. The sunset was reflected off some nearby beautiful cliffs.
Tuesday, August 9
We were up early. Fog was thick over the lake and cliffs, and the air was cold.
Too bad we couldnt catch some in a bottle and let it out in Nebraska when we got to
it. We returned to U.S. 20 and continued eastward. We looked south to the Jim
Bridger Natl. Forest and Wind River Mtns. where wed been more than a month
earlier.
We followed the Wind River after a while, and the area got drier and drier. We
began to run low on gas, but the first town of any size that we came to was
experiencing a power failure, and the gas couldnt be pumped! We made it to
Riverton, got gas and provisions and continued eastward towards Casper. To make
a long story short, we decided to drive through the night. About midnight we
stopped at Valentine for coffee.
Wednesday, August 10th our 2nd Wedding Anniversary
During the night, Leo got us to Sioux City, and we were in Iowa. We pushed on
till we get back to Zion.