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Some Grand Canyon Photos and Captions by Merrel Clubb - Summer 1951 From the Grand Canyon National Park Museum Collection.

Below are some photos by Merrel Club, the premier Grand Canyon Hiker of his time. He was Harvey Butchart's backcountry mentor and an old English professor from KU in Lawrence, Kansas. After his son and grandson were killed in a 1963 flash flood in Indian Gardens, they say that Merrell became unstable and began to loose his grip on reality. Harvey Butchart said of Clubb, "I never hiked with Merrel. He was ten years older and he was through the best stuff. But I hiked the places he had just finished hiking one time. The last thing he climbed in the Canyon was King Arthur Castle. He had sort of a record of kind of goofing things up much worse than I did. He took four days to climb King Arthur Castle and spent two of those days wandering with a fog in the woods confusing him. When I heard about climbing King Arthur Castle, I went up there and slept out there near the Point Sublime road that's close there where you can go from Point Sublime up to the Swamp Point road. And next morning, I think I drove a little way up in that forest road. It's a pretty wild thing, overgrown. But I used Merrel Clubb's help and advice and I got over there and climbed King Arthur Castle with lots of time left. The way back to the car I climbed Guinevere Castle, which is the next thing, which Merrel Clubb had passed up because of lack of time. It wasn't too hard to climb. But that was the kind of thing, I think I spent maybe a whole day talking to Merrel Clubb in the North Rim campground where he used to go almost every summer." 1

Filename: 15336 Description: WHY I WENT NO FURTHER UP TOWARD MERLIN ABYSS, HAVING NEITHER A RAFT NOR A CRANE FOR MY PACK. WONDERFUL SWIMMING. AT LEAST 10 FEET DEEP. THE CLIFFS GO UP A HUNDRED FEET OR SO. GRCA 70058. SUMMER 1951. CLUBB PHOTO.
Filename: 15337 Description: YOU CAN SEE WHAT I MEAN BY SAYING SHINUMO MOUTH IS AN EXCITING SPOT, BUT NO PLACE FOR A SINGLE MAN TO SHIMMY DOWN WITHOUT A ROPE (EVEN IF THERE IS A NICE HOLE AND CAVE DOWN LEFT OF THIS PICTURE.) AREN'T MY CACTUSES CUTE ON THE BRINK? I LOST AND FOUND MY PHOTO METER CLIMBING BACK DOWN TO THE CREEK BED. GRCA 70059. SUMMER 1951. CLUBB PHOTO
Filename: 15338 Description: JUNCTION OF THE WHITE AND SHINUMO - EARLY MORNING. (MY COLOR SHOT OF THIS WON A LOCAL PRIZE) SHINUMO ENTERS FROM RIGHT. WHITE IS THE QUIET MIRROR-PATCH NEAR LEFT CENTER. GRCA 70060. JULY 1951. CLUBB PHOTO
Filename: 15339 Description: CONQUISTADOR AISLE (WHAT THE STONE-AGERS SAW MORNINGS FROM THEIR CITADEL, OFF A LITTLE PIECE TO THE RIGHT) GRCA 70061 SUMMER 1951. CLUBB PHOTO.
Filename: 15340 Description: THE ENFILADE CITADEL RUIN. THE WAY UP IS THE CRACK NEAR THE RIGHT EDGE. (I.E. TOP 1/2 OF IT) I'LL SHORTLY MAKE AT LEAST AN 8X10 FOR BETTER DETAIL. (WHICH IS HARD TO BELIEVE) REMEMBER, IF NOBODY ELSE HAS RECORDED IT, M.D.C. CLAIMS IT. GRCA 70062. SUMMER 1951. CLUBB PHOTO
Filename: 15341 Description: THOR, ALL BY HIMSELF. GRCA 70063. SUMMER 1951. CLUBB PHOTO.
Filename: 15342 Description: VESTA TEMPLE (A BLAND BEAUTY) OFF MESCALERO POINT. GRCA 70064. SUMMER 1951. CLUBB PHOTO
Filename: 15343 Description: THIS MEMENTO MORI PAIR OF CAVES ALMOST DESERVES A NAME ON THE MAPS. GRCA 70065. SUMMER 1951. CLUBB PHOTO
Filename: 15344 Description: I) PHOTOS I, II, III, AND IV HELD TOGETHER AT THE SKYLINE GIVE SOME FAINT IMPRESSION OF THE SWEEP OF VIEW. A GOOD BRANCH ROAD FROM THE CAPE ROYAL ROAD TO HERE (NOT HARD TO BUILD OR MAINTAIN) WOULD BE ABOUT AS REWARDING AS THE ROAD TO POINT SUBLIME (JUST ALMOST.) GRCA 70066. SUMMER 1951. CLUBB PHOTO
Filename: 15345 Description: II) DOWN THE CENTER BRANCH OF CLEAR CREEK. GRCA 70067. SUMMER 1951. CLUBB PHOTO.
Filename: 15346 Description: III) EL TOVAR ALMOST OVER ZOROASTER. MARICOPA TO HOPI BETWEEN Z. AND BRAHMA. YAKI'S LONG PROFILE SLOPING TOWARD Z. GRCA 70068. SUMMER 1951. CLUBB PHOTO.
Filename: 15347 Description: IV) ARIEL POINT AT RIGHT OVER ITS COCONINO PRONG: ISIS, OSIRIS, BUDDHA, SHIVA AND LOWER DEVA. TOWER OF SET AND CHEOPS FURTHER SOUTH. GRCA 70069. SUMMER 1951. CLUBB PHOTO.

The Clubb Anglo-Saxon Collection

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