The Hatch Family’s Unexpected Start in River Running

Bus Hatch

Today, if you ask nearly any member of the Hatch family how they got into river running, they’ll tell you they were “born into it”. But like any great legacy, this river-running tradition had to start somewhere. Enter Bus Hatch, the founder of Hatch River Expeditions and the father, grandfather and great grandfather to many of the Hatch family’s river rats.

Let’s start at the beginning. Bus was born and raised in Vernal, Utah—a place that would eventually become a hub for whitewater rafting, though that wouldn’t happen until much later. A contractor by trade and an avid outdoorsman by choice, Bus had never experienced whitewater rafting. The closest he had come was rowing a boat on a lake or navigating short stretches of the rivers around his home during hunting trips.

It was Bus’s cousin, Frank Swain, a deputy sheriff for Uintah County, who would unwittingly set the stage for the Hatch family’s river-running legacy. In September of 1929, Frank was tasked with transporting a prisoner back to Vernal Utah. The prisoner was Parley Galloway, a man wanted for non-support of his family. Parley’s father, however, was a figure of legend in the world of whitewater rafting: Nathaniel Galloway.

Frank Swain

Nathaniel Galloway was a pioneer in the sport, revolutionizing whitewater rafting with his unique rowing style. To match his rowing technique, he also designed a custom boat—the Galloway boat. In short, Nathaniel Galloway was a rafting celebrity, and his son Parley had been raised on the river, learning the craft from his father’s side.

Bus, like many who had a deep love for the outdoors—especially the wild West—had read John Wesley Powell’s famous account of his Grand Canyon Expedition and had long been fascinated by the world of river running. So when he learned that Parley Galloway was in the jailhouse, he saw it as an opportunity to learn more about rafting from someone who had grown up in the sport.

Every chance they got, Bus and Frank spent time with Parley in the jailhouse, listening intently to his stories. Eventually, Parley saw a way to gain his freedom. Parley promised that if they helped collect money that was owed to him and used it to post his bail, he would teach them how to build a Galloway boat. For Bus and Frank, this was an opportunity they couldn’t pass up, and they quickly set to work.

But Parley Galloway didn’t keep his word. As soon as he was freed, he skipped town.

Stubbornness is a common trait in the Hatch family—though we prefer to call it determination—and it was this trait that would come to the forefront. Bus and Frank couldn’t shake the idea of navigating rivers, and they decided they didn’t need Parley to make it happen. So, they set out to build their own boats.

Bus and his brothers had built a boat for hunting trips before, so they figured they could do it again. Luckily, Parley had left behind sketches of his boats during his talks with them. Using these drawings, Bus built his first whitewater boat. But when they took it on the water, it quickly became clear that the boat wasn’t cut out for river rafting. Still, determined as ever, they pressed on with what they had.

Then, during a less-than-successful journey on the Green River, Bus spotted something along the shoreline at Ruple’s Ranch. There, he saw a boat that he instantly recognized: a Galloway boat. Hod Ruple, the owner of the ranch, had purchased it from Parley to help hercattle across the river. This boat was a world apart from the one the Hatch boys had built. It was decked over with airtight compartments for gear and provisions, and it featured a range of other improvements that Bus’s boat lacked. Bus meticulously noted every detail and set to work building a similar boat as soon as he got home.

The new boat’s first voyage on the Green River was a success! Soon after, two more boats were built. They were named What Next?, Don’t Know, and Lota Ve. And just like that, Bus and his family were hooked on river running—marking the beginning of the Hatch family’s legacy on the river.

 To read more about Bus Hatch check out Riverman: The Story of Bus Hatch by Roy Webb and The Rivers We Know  by Doris Karren Burton and Kathleen Murphy Irving!