The following is an actual ac­count of the three men, Ed Keney, Tom Grant, and Gordon Byrd who set out from Pittsburg, Pa., in an eighteen-foot canoe and pad­dled 525 miles in 15 days, to the Walter Cline Range at Friendship, Ind. A feat of endurance, deternmination, hardship, and not ex­cluding the heartbreak loss of equipment. As you follow along with these men, part in the narrative, part . in actual daily entries from their diary, you will see they still have the fiber of the frontiersmen who opened this country.

The inception of this idea came about while talking around a fire on "Pine Tree Row" during the Spring Shoot of '69, with a group of men from Illinois and Ohio. The conversation developed as to how it would have been to travel on the Ohio river-years ago. It is a different thing to do. There was a time when it was an every­day occurrence compared to the feel of a canoe that is strange to you. To throw yourselves back 200 years for 15 days is not the san1e as an afternoon in the woods picking mushrooms. · As the con­versation unfolded, the will to do this -became more intent, to the place it had to be done. Ed Keney crewed up with Tom Grant and Gordon Byrd at the Illinois rendezvous and the die was cast.
Many trips were needed to out­fit the voyage, discussions as to what to take, weight limits, etc. At 6:00 p.m. on April 30, 1970, they said their good-by's, accepted the good wishes of those onshore, and pushed the nose of their canoe into the Mongehela, above Fort Pitt.

Listen to the story today with commentary from Tom Grant as he looks back on the 50th anniversary.

The men made a "Hudson Bay Start", by this I mean; They left late in the day so if something was needed at the first night camp, the distance would not be too great to return for it. In the first few miles of the trip, they passed under a series of stacked, clover-leafed superhighways, noise, and cars streaming as ants carrying sugar to a nest. Those above who saw them possibly commented on the green voyager’s cap, the wide brim, the bandana, the water cask, the rifles, and the three men "away". Those they passed afloat aboard their 40 foot Richardson and Ma­thew cruisers noticed their four inches of freeboard, refreshed their martinis, and felt very secure five feet above the water.

Entry: April 30th. Made it to Emsworth dock on the Ohio before dark-camped above locks-was informed to our surprise that we were allowed to pass through the locks regardless of size of our craft -we were happy to hear we would not have to portage pass 38 locks, time being important to make the,
Range by shoot time this camp warm and comfortable.

Entry: May 1st. Started the clay passing through the above lock­now moving away from industry complex-country becoming pleas­ant-seeing all sorts of game; musk­rat, groundhog, ducks of all kinds, geese, heron, and deer.-encounter­ed heavy head winds-waves run­ning 2 feet high-made a 28-mile day-camped at dusk on the mouth of little beaver creek-good supper of beef stew and tea-must main­fain personal hygiene as much as possible.

-Entry: May 2nd. Made break­fasst and broke camp at 8:30 a.m.­started-- to sprinkle-spent the· rest of day iii hard rain-ate dried fruit along - the way. I (Ed Keney) sit astern, Gordon in the middle with the longest blade, Tom in the nose. Passed East Liverpool, Steubenville- Needed Ponchos all this day. Camped in a park at Wellsburg, W VA, across from .. Mingo Junction. Met some-young men interested in our trip-was informed by them that one of the members of the Lewis & Clark Expedition is buried here.

Entry: May 3rd. Damp, but no rain-fog and mist-passed Wheel­ing, W. Va.-laid into Moundsville,
W. Va., here bought food., beans, cigars dried fruit, tobacco, -all the items covered with dust-floated down from here-getting dark fast -no suitable camp in sight-::_camp­ed at "Dillies Bottom," a mud flat - -slept on hillside-rigged a lean­to-built fire-cold, very cold and damp, men trembling with cold, dropped below 30' with frost.

Entry: May 4th. Awoke at 3:00 a.m .-fire lo ashes-cold and shak­ing-struck fire for warmth-fog so thick could only see 3 to 4 feet ahead of canoe-dried blankets over gear while afloat-made Powhatan Paint ( old steamboat landing)­made 35 miles to New Martinsville, saw a statue of Levi Morgan (an early settler of this area)

Note: At this town, the men came under suspicion due to dress, con­dition, and appearance. ·was ques­tioned by Sheriff as to where they were from, where they were going, and how soon. The trip and the N.M.L.R.A. was explained to them and they left.

Entry: May 5th. Ramrods swell­ed in ferrules from constant damp­ness-laid riffles on top, belly up to catch wind and sun for drying- passed Bens Run W. Va.-in mak­ing bend in the river to the right we angled from the far shore to cut the distance-now in a heavy head wind with waves running 2 - feet high and building-taking solid water over prow-here canoe swamped under us, we are in water 55 feet deep and ·one quarter-mile from either shore....: keel ' with waves breaking over us-loss of much equipment-our survival now most important. holding to canoe drift­ing downstream a mile, this tak­ing an hour before we were able to beach.

(Gear lost) Two Art Hol­ly rifles, pouches, and horns, two tomahawks, two hunting shirts, twp pair moccasins, Gordon's clothes, two ponchos, coffee pot, tarp, two fine W.K. knives, possi­ble bag, strike-a-light-this equip­ment lost with much regret due to value and sentiment.

Entry: May 8th. Stopped this day at Point Pleasant battleground named by Simon· Kenton- (His­torical note) Point Pleasant Battle. Here, Oct. 10. 1774 General An­drew Lewis and a thousand Vir­ginia riflemen defeated the federated Indian tribes led by Corn­stalk. - Known as the "first battle of the Revolution." It was the most important battle between In­dian and whites. (for further in­formation, see page No. 95 of the Frontiersman) -leaving here paddled till 1:00 a.m. making 50 miles -camped at Cox's Landing-fell exhausted and slept

Entry: May 9th. Passed Hunt­ington West Virginia and Ashland Ky.-determined to make Ports­mouth, Ohio, worked boat till I :30 a.m.-.beached and slept-had made 57-mile day.
Entry: May 11th. Early start­warm-camped at Ripley, Ohio due to storm approaching-loss of belt ax now felt as poles were needed for making shelter.

Entry: May 12th. Some wind, some rain-got caught in heavy storm above New Richmond, Ohio -visibility in this rain at 15 feet­rainwater running off banks as from a slate roof-passed through our last locks.
Entry: May 13th. Determined to pass Cincinnati and make Au­rora, little rain and good current, made Aurora by dusk' and camped on Wilson Creek.
(Historic notes from now on are courtesy of Mrs. Esther Roache of Aurora, Indiana, Executive Secre­tary of the Hillforest Historical Foundation, a friend and mos,t in­teresting person to talk with.)

The men were now passing through some very early Indiana history. Benjamin ·walker came into this area from Pennsylvania in 17%. Benjamin had to travel un­der the name of "Wilson due to the fact he and his, brother had killed two Indians in retaliation for the Indians killing there father. Peace was later made wi•th the pursuing Indians and Benjamin were able to use his •true last name and bring his family out.
On May 14th. 1970 the three men left the "Spay-lay-wi-theepi" (Shawnee name of the Ohio river) and entered Laughery Creek. The water was high enough that they were able to paddle 8 to 9 miles in comfort. Had they been there in the I820's their passing would have been just a matter .of daily course. The town of Hartford was laid out by Benjamin Walker in 1817. Mr. Walker had a grist mill at this site in 1820 and there was a great deal of farming and trade at Hartford. It was a flat­boat center with ·the farmers build- ing their boats from the local oak timber and floating their surplus grain down to New Orleans or to Nitches. These large cumbersome boats, some being from ·75 to 125 feet in length were built along the banks and, then floated off in high water and loaded out. In their draught of 40 inches of water and beam going to 16 to 22 feet, they carried com, hay, potatoes, and various produce of the' area. The corn, sometimes converted from its bulk into 1liquor and stills in Laµghery valley, was a common sight. As you pass through Hart­ford now, on to a little secondary road numbered 262, it is hard to picture 40 or 50 flatboats tied up to her wharfs, men chanting and their backs bent to the labors of loading out the boats. ·stranger still would have been what they would have seen at Milton just a few miles further up Laughery. Here, all romance of the trip end­ed for the three men, for they had to "Cordell" the rest of the way, which is, to pull -the canoe by ropes. At Milton, .first called James Mill after its founder John James, they would have seen a steamboat u under construction named the "Dolphin" and this boat's run took it between Rising Sun, Indiana and Cincinnati, Ohio. A hard thing to believe now, as they were in ankle-deep water, sliding and falling on moss cover­ed rocks, pulling their canoe along behind them.

Entry: May 14th. At Milton water level no longer sufficient to paddle-cordelled the last 16 mile to the range-during this time a copperhead entered the water and passed within inches of Ed and Tom, driving them into the canoe. -darkness overtaking us at 9:30p.m.-can hear firing at the range but unable to make it due to the danger of slipping and injury on slick rocks.
Notes The storm that passed over the range Thursday evening hit these men, driving •them to high ground for fear of a flash flood. They camped a mile from the range due to this storm and dark­ness.

Entry: May 15th. Soon after starting we could hear firing at the range-made the range at 8:30
a.m. this date-thus completing the 525-mile trip.

With moccasins falling apart these men stepped ashore and into, the hearts of the members who greeted them. They wish to· thank all who offered them guns, money, clothes, and all the gear they would have needed to compete in the matches.

It was my honor to .re­cord their ordeal,

Max Vickery