Mississippi River Paddling History

by Clark Eid

Canoe and Kayak Firsts, Attempts, Guinness Records, and Noteworthy Runs

1872 First: Julius Chambers is noted as first person to document their travel down the entire Mississippi River. Chambers used a canoe to Quincy, IL, two steamboats to New Orleans, and an ocean liner to the Gulf as he continued to New York City. He detailed his trip in a 1910 book titled “The Mississippi River and its Wonderful Valley. Twenty-seven Hundred and Seventy-five Miles from Source to Sea”.

1881 False First: Willard Glazier fraudulently claimed to be the first to not only canoe the entire river, but to have discovered an overlooked source. He wrote a book of his discovery and travels in 1892 titled “Down the Great River”. It was soon discovered that he had plagiarized other expedition reports and was subsequently discredited by both the MN State Legislature and the MN Historical Society. The MN Historical Society’s Historical Society Collections Vol. VII, 1893, by J. V. Bower titled “The Mississippi River and its Source” has an outstanding presentation of facts that led to the establishment of Itasca State Park. Bower also clearly presents evidence to disprove Glazier’s claims. The Library of Congress has this free link to Bower’s book: https://www.loc.gov/item/01007920/

Further analysis of Glaizer’s false claims can be found in H. D. Harrower’s 1886 book titled “Captain Glazier and His Lake”. Strangely (or perhaps to keep Glazier’s theme going), a 1990 book titled “A Lake to the South of Itasca-Willard Glazier and the Mississippi Fiasco 1881-1891” by Gary Brannon, closely mirrors the contents of Harrower’s 1886 book without ever mentioning it. Sadly, Glazier’s fictional story causes confusion to the present day.

1921 Attempt. John Koors and Louis Neumann of Bemidji, MN attempt to canoe to New Orleans, calling it the “Pine to Palm Trip”. They began from Bemidji on June 14th, 1921 and ended sometime on or before July 25th, 1921 when they overturned after striking a wing dam near Hannibal, MO.

Newspaper reports: The Bemidji Daily Pioneer, June 29, 1921 article “Boys reach St. Cloud on Pine to Palm Trip” and July 25, 1921 article “Koors and Neumann Overturn in Canoe”. The Little Falls Herald, August 5, 1921 article “Met Grief with Canoe”.

Tousley (1925 entry below) briefly comments on page 28 of his book that he had communicated with the team, and that they had warned him about crossing Lake Winnibigoshish.

1925 First: Albert S. Tousley (24; born September 3rd, 1899, died March 20th, 1940) of Minneapolis, MN is generally recognized as first person to have canoed down entire Mississippi River, taking 105 days. Albert had three different paddling partners (William O. Forssell, Allen C. Sulerud and Richard Storrs Pattee) during his trip that ended in the Gulf at Lower Pilot Station, beyond Port Eads, and well past what is now the Mile 0 marker. No official record is known to have been applied for or awarded. (He died from a car accident well before Guinness World Records began in 1955.) Tousley detailed his journey in his highly detailed 1928 book “Where Goes the River”.

1937 Attempt: Glenn Gunderson (23) and Emerson Gonnsen (21), sophomores at Wheaton College, began their run on May 22nd, 1937. Sadly, the canoe capsized 1,900 miles later in a giant whirlpool along the newly made Caulk Neck Cut near Greenville, MS on August 1st, 1937 and Goonsen drowned. (This section is still shown on present day river charts near Mile Marker 576.) Articles appeared in the June 1st and September 17th, 1937 Wheaton Record that discussed their journey preparation and intent to photograph their adventure for National Geographic magazine. Their 17-foot, 75-pound canoe, named the “Mississippi: Source to Sea”, was later recovered and sold near Greenville, MS for $20 to provide Gunderson money for clothes and transportation home.

This attempt began two weeks before Tagg/Capers/Saunders started their run on July 4th, 1937 (see next entry). Capers’ 1938 Alumni article and 1977 book mentions the tragic event had happened two weeks prior to their arrival into Memphis, TN on August 15th, 1937, indicative that the Wheaton paddlers were pulling further ahead. (Note that Capers’ accounts misspelled “Gonnsen” as “Gunnsen” and varied as to which paddler had drowned.) While no articles have been found to indicate that the two teams were competing, but it was very likely that at least the Memphis team knew from talking with people along the river that the Wheaton team was ahead of them.

Glenn Gunderson’s son and daughter kindly provided their father’s story titled “Death in a Whirlpool” that was published in the September 1941 issue of Field & Stream magazine, a letter and telegram sent at the time detailing the tragedy, and photos from the start of their 1937 run taken by a friend of the paddlers. Thank you both for sharing your father’s harrowing story! These items will highlight that preparation alone does not completely eliminate the great risk faced by such undertakings. I wouldn’t be surprised if his story will help save someone else in the future.

1937 1st Guinness Record: The Memphis team of Joe Laughlin Tagg, Jr. (17), Gerald M. Capers, Jr. (28) and Charles David Saunders (17) set the first Guinness World Record for canoeing the river, from Itasca (July 4th, 1937) to New Orleans (August 28th, 1937) in 56 days. Tagg (born March 16th, 1920, died June 17th, 2008) and Saunders (born October 17th, 1919, died August 28th, 1993) were both 17-year-old high school seniors at the time. Note that Tagg is the youngest known Guinness World Record holder to date. Capers (born May 30th, 1919, died May 28th, 1992) was 28 years old when the record was set.

Their record was reported to be in the 1976 Guinness Book of World Records. Capers writes that the record reads the “first crew to canoe the Mississippi River from the source to the mouth.” Their trip was detailed in the second half of Gerald M. Capers’ 1977 book “The Mississippi River: Before and After Mark Twain” (ISBN 0-682-48845-3). Capers also authored an article titled “The Cruise of the Tonawanda” in the 1937 Commencement Issue of The Southwestern Alumni Magazine with trip details not disclosed in his 1977 book (link is below).

As far as “rules” are concerned, it’s worth noting that not all three paddlers were in canoe on some river sections, they had used a truck to portaged part of Lake Pepin due to stormy weather, used a sail on several sections of the lower river, and ended their run in New Orleans rather than Mile 0. Nevertheless, it’s the 1st official Guinness World Record and stands as is.

https://dlynx.rhodes.edu/jspui/bitstream/10267/20942/1/Alumni_Magazine_1938_commencement_issue_complete.pdf

1978 2nd Guinness Record: British Royal Air Force (RAF) Team of Brian Smith (34), Peter Dodd (22), Mac Macboyle (23), Terry Riley (21), John (Steve) Stevenson (38) and Steve Pinkham (26) set the Guinness World Record using tandem kayaks, reaching Mile Marker 0 after 42 Days, 4 Hours and 59 Minutes. The record setting event was part of the Royal Air Force Diamond Jubilee and was documented in a booklet titled “Mississippi Paddle ’78.” The paddlers needed to qualify for the team through racing trials in England. The team’s record appears on page 456 of the 1980 paperback editions of the Guinness Book of World Records.

Brian Smith kindly sent me items from their record run (event booklet, scanned photographs, event sticker, etc.), for the exhibit at the Tunica Riverpark and Museum. I’ll scan their booklet and will post it later. Thank you, Brian!

(L to R) Doleman, Smith, Riley, McBoyle, Dodd, and Young

1937 Guinness Record holder Gerald M. Capers (L) talking with Brian Smith in New Orleans; Team publication.

1980 3rd Guinness Record: Steven M. Eckelkamp (23; born July 27th, 1956, died June 10th, 2017) and K. J. Millhone (21) of Minnesota set the Guinness World Record of 35 Days, 11 Hours, and 27 Minutes. Their two-man support crew (Terry Haltner and Todd Sandberg) drove a car pulling a trailer for equipment. An 18 ½ foot fiberglass canoe was provided by Sunkist and there was some support noted from the Univ. of MN Alumni Association Student Board. Their run was the last time an open canoe, without a rudder, was used to set the record.

1981 First: Verlen Kruger and Steve Landick paddled up the river in 83 Days!

1983 Notable Run: Ron Bath, well known disabled Australian marathon canoeist, is believed to be the first to solo kayak the Mississippi River, doing so in 41 days. I don’t have any more information if a formal Guinness record was applied for or awarded. Note that their video documentary (below) mentions a section of about 100 miles was not run because of an accident on the river.

Ron’s inspirational run was documented in the 1983 movie “The Mississippi Challenge”, found on YouTube in four parts:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnbtFlKPf6Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FDE2JQCYf8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFLmPU0mesw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijKwH46clGA

1983, Notable Run: Kathleen and Curtis Saville rowed the entire Mississippi River in their self-made 18’ long and 3 ½ beam rowing shell named “GUENEVERE” in 67 days. This was done between their Guinness World Records for rowing across the Atlantic and South Pacific oceans. They documented their trip in their book “MISSISSIPPI VOYAGE: How we rowed down the Mississippi River in 67 days.” Note that Curtis rowed about the first and nearly the last hundred miles of river by himself. Both rowed the very last, small section to Mile Marker 0.

1984 4th Guinness Record, Firsts: Verlen Kruger (61; born June 30, 1922, died August 2, 2004) and Valerie Fons (33) set the Guinness World Record of 23 Days, 10 Hours, and 20 Minutes during the Eddie Bauer Mississippi Challenge, also sponsored by Mad River Canoe. Their support team of Jon and Marianne Fons, and Helen Broomell, followed by van with supplies. This was the first attempt that used a deliberate strategy to sleep one paddler in the canoe while the other paddler kept the canoe moving on the river.

Their Kevlar canoe was manufactured at the Mad River Canoe factory and outfitted with a rudder and full fabric deck. These (two were made) were the prototypes for what would later become the Kruger Cruiser. The motto “With Equal Effort” was painted on the craft. Valerie also raised money through the event to help Guide Dogs for the Blind purchase a dog, aptly named Mississippi, or “Missi” to her new family. Valerie also became the first woman to hold a Mississippi River paddling Guinness record.

Valerie has kindly provided items from their record run for the exhibit at the Tunica Riverpark and Museum. Thank you!

1985 Notable Run: Eddy L. Harris is noted as the first African American to run the Mississippi River, starting in Itasca and ending in Jefferson Parish, before the city of New Orleans. Eddy wrote about his remarkable journey in the 1988 book “Mississippi Solo-A River Quest.” Technically, several river sections were missed (Montrose to Keokuk, a few miles below St. Louis, a section below Osceola) and he paddled with his brother Tommy briefly near Cape Girardeau. This still does not diminish his adventure. He would return 30 years later in 2015 for a second run for a film documentary (see his 2015 entry).

1989 5th Guinness Record: Bill Perdzock (25) and Mike Schnitzka (25) set the Guinness World Record of 23 Days, 9 Hours, and 51 Minutes. Their land support team was Rod Hanson and Mike Mlynarski. Budget Rental was a corporate sponsor. Mike wrote about their record run in Chapter 4 of his 2017 book “Escaping the Velvet Rut-An Adventurer’s Guide to Chasing Your Dreams.”

The team used an 18-foot, 6-inch Wenonah Odyssey canoe with no rudder during the initial, shallow section prior to Bemidji, MN, after which they switched to a fabric-decked, 18-foot 6-inch Wenonah SCR (Standard Class Racer) with no rudder for the remaining run. Portages were considered acceptable for obstructions and convenience. A very difficult land portage at the New Madrid, MO river bend was made, but the team concluded this portage option was not worth the time and physical effort to repeat. Upon reaching Baton Rouge, all extra weight from the canoe was removed for a tremendous sprint to Mile Marker 0, reaching their goal only 30 minutes faster than the existing record time of Kruger and Fons.

Initial efforts to secure the Guinness World Record were hampered by not having many witness signatures along the river near Memphis, TN during stormy weather. This was rectified by obtaining letters of support, including one from the American Canoe Association, that assessed their rate as equal to, or less than, their rate flanking the river section in question.

Mike has kindly offered to send items from their record run for the exhibit at the Tunica Riverpark and Museum. Thank you!

2001 Firsts, Notable Runs, Unofficial Records: “The Great Mississippi River Race for Rett Syndrome” took place. This charity event was organized by Clark Eid and his wife Mary Potter in honor of their daughter Amanda to raise awareness and research funds for Rett Syndrome.

Mary and Clark with their children Amanda and Noah at the Headwaters.

The event holds the unofficial world record for the longest non-stop Canoe/Kayak Race in history. (Note Guinness recognizes the 1967 Centennial Voyageur Canoe Pageant as the longest canoe race, covering 3,283 miles in 104 days, but it was a multi-staged event with rotating crews.) This race was sanctioned by the ACA and the USCA, had insurance coverage, medical officer, timekeeper, judges, race officials, and was coordinated with both the Corps of Engineers and Coast Guard. Detailed rules were established and published prior to the race, setting a new standard for future attempts to be judged against.

Record flooding and storms challenged all five starting teams. Miscommunication between the Coast Guard and local law enforcement caused a significant delay when Teams “Kruger” and “Double Helix” were forced off the river due to severe flooding. Eventually, Verlen Kruger and Bob Bradford of Team “Kruger”, using a fabric-decked Kruger Cruiser with rudder, won 1st place at 24 Days, 17 hours, and 51 minutes.

Verlen became the only known paddler to race a canoe twice down and once up the Mississippi River. Details of Verlen’s life and records, including his involvement in this charity event and the subsequent entry for the 2003 charity event, can be found in Phil Peterson’s excellent 2006 book titled “All Things are Possible-The Verlen Kruger Story: 100,000 Miles by Paddle” (ISBN-10: 1-59193-138-X).

Clark Eid and Kurt Zimmermann of Team “Double Helix” won 2nd place and set the unofficial kayak record of 26 Days, 6 Hours, and 40 Minutes. Their kayak (built by Eid) was called the “Double Helix”, and at 25 ½ feet long, is the longest craft to successfully run the entire river. (Eid’s family has since donated the kayak to the Tunica RiverPark and Museum to initiate their paddling exhibit.) Road Crew Captains were Kent Spading and Tony Swenson. Road Crew Members were Jeff Romine, Andrew Gribble, William Schmitz, Eric Marshall, Johann Fembek, Edith Paule, and Bill Evans. Additional support was generously provided by Stephen Bertenshaw, R. Martin German, Christine Hendricks, and Jan White. Mary Potter sewed several versions of spray skirts for the kayak, developed the event website, was pivotal in providing communication during the event, and essentially kept the event focused in the right direction!

(L to R) Eid, Phil Melhorn, Jan White, George Karageorge, Omar Lopez, Jeff Romine, William Schmitz, Christine Hendrics, Eric Marshall, and Zimmermann at the BMS Wallingford, CT Facility.

Team “Alaska MSC” (Tony DeGange, David Hoffman, Will Miles, Kerm Ketchum, Bud Bourn) used a kayak and won 3rd place as they remained on the river when the event’s mandatory clock ran out at the end of May. Kayak teams “Rebels with a Cause” (Carl Johnson, Al Levine, and Eric Kocher) and “Amazon” (Cynthia Belbin and Megan Duffy) withdrew from the race earlier while still in Minnesota.

More information can be found at www.BeyondTheFinish.org

2003 6th Guinness Record: “The Mississippi River Challenge for Rett Syndrome and Leukodystrophy” took place, with all funds raised supporting research for these two rare diseases. Clark Eid (42) and Bob Bradford (60) of Team “Hope”, supported by a road crew led by Stan Hanson, set the Guinness World Record of 18 Days, 4 Hours, and 51 Minutes following the same stringent rules as in their earlier 2001 charity event. The team used a full, fabric decked Kruger Cruiser outfitted with a rudder that could be controlled from either the bow or stern.

The Guinness World Records Certificate states: “Bob Bradford and Clark Eid (both USA) paddled the length of the Mississippi from Lake Itasca, Minnesota, to Mile Zero in the Gulf of Mexico in a time of 18 days, 4 hours and 51 minutes from 10 to 28 May 2003. The record was set during The Mississippi River Challenge for Rett Syndrome and Leukodystrophy.”

Of note is that Verlen Kruger was a race advisor. Clark Eid is thought to be the only person to have raced the river using both kayak and canoe, holding time records for each craft. Mary Potter built a combined 2001 and 2003 charity event website that contains detailed information, located at www.BeyondTheFinish.org

2014 Guinness Attempt: Four-man team of Tim Muhich, Clinton Adams, Colin Bright, and Tom “Boot” Baweja. This was the first known four-man attempt at the Guinness record. Their attempt advanced to within 45 minutes of the 2003 record by L&D #11 in Debuque, IA, but gradually lost momentum by Greenville, MS where they were 24 hours off the pace. They stopped their run at this point given the unlikelihood of breaking the record. Overall, an outstanding run!

2014 First: Grace Kluesner (24) is believed to be the first woman to solo canoe the Mississippi River. Completed over 102 days during the months of September, October, and November of 2014.

2014 First: Ellen McDonah (60) is believed to be the first woman to solo kayak the Mississippi River. This is documented in her book “One Woman’s River-A Solo Source-to-Sea Paddle on the Mighty Mississippi.” She began on May 25th, 2014 and ended September 8th, 2014 for a total of 107 days.

2015 Notable Run: Dale Sanders (80) became the oldest person to canoe the entire Mississippi River while raising awareness for Juvenile Diabetes. Dale’s run took 80 days. His record lasted until 2020.

2015 Notable Run: Eddy L. Harris completes his second run from Itasca to New Orleans (his first was in 1985) while filming the documentary “River to the Heart” (2017). Technical details of his run are not publicly available. Harris described the film by saying “he wanted to experience and then show others that no matter what your color, the more we know of each other the less we fear, and the more unity we’ll have as a country.”

2015 Notable Run: Alyssum Pohl solo kayaks the Mississippi River.

2016 Notable Run: Janet Moreland solo kayaks the Mississippi River in 65 days, from May 25th, 2016 to July 28th, 2016.

2017 Guinness Attempt: Tim Muhich lead another four-man team of Clinton Adams, Colin Bright, and Dale Waldo (replacing 2014 paddler Tom “Boot” Baweja). They set the fastest recorded pace on the upper river sections, outpacing the 2003 Guinness record by 24 hours by New Boston, IL. Poor weather near Burlington and Nauvoo deeply eroded their time advantage to a point they could not recover beyond Cairo, IL. Their time advantage eroded to zero when a paddler developed heat exhaustion ~30 miles upriver from Greenville, MS, forcing them to stop. Nevertheless, the team’s outstanding effort pushed many boundaries beyond what was thought possible!

Tim Muhich, Clinton Adams, Colin Bright, and Dale Waldo

2017 Attempt: Michael Waterford attempts fastest solo kayak run. Attempt ended in Dubuque, Iowa.

2017 Notable Run: Matt Rens and Jesse Richard, both 17-year-old from Bloomington, MN made solo kayak runs during their “Source to Sea” fundraiser for Lifewater, International. They started from the Headwaters on June 11th, 2017 and ended 51 days later on August 3rd, 2017. It’s unclear if they made it exactly to Mile Marker 0 from press reports.

2018 Guinness Attempt: Three-man team of Kirk “KJ” Millhone, Kevin Eckelkamp and Nate Lastinger attempt the record as the first three-man team to try setting the record since 1937. Lastinger was raising awareness of heart disease and funds for the American Heart Association. Unfortunately, he needed to depart from the team following Lake Pepin, MN to return home to his sick son. The remaining two paddlers continued to Guttenberg, Iowa before officially stopping. The run’s pace lagged the 2003 record pace by 5 hours at the Lake Winnibigoshish Dam and progressed to an 11-hour deficit by the end of Lake Pepin. Note that KJ was a 1980 record co-holder, and Kevin was the nephew of the late Steven M. Eckelkamp (the other 1980 record co-holder with Millhone).

(L to R) Kevin Eckelkamp, Kirk “KJ” Millhone, and Nate Lastinger

2020 Notable Run: Dustin Stensland became the first person on record to travel the entire Mississippi River in a birchbark canoe. He started on 19 JUN and ended 04 OCT.

2020 Notable Run: Stan Stark (81) became the oldest person to canoe the entire Mississippi River, breaking Dale Sander’s 2015 record. Stan started on 15 JUL and ended on 03 NOV.

2020 Notable Run: Nate Denofre became the first double amputee to canoe nearly all the Mississippi River. Nate started his run “Paddling to Persevere” on 09 MAY and ended on 31 AUG after following the Atchafalaya River to the Gulf (last minute choice because of pending hurricanes). He also raised money for his nonprofit Courage Incorporated which takes veterans and other adults with disabilities on free wilderness adventures in the U.P. of Michigan and NE Wisconsin. Disabled combat veteran Don Jokinen joined Nate for more than half the trip while Nate’s wife Christa provided land support. The team was accompanied by their rescue dog Marcie.

Six of one and half a dozen of the other, Nate’s a true champion! Inspirational run!

Notable accomplishments for SUP paddling the Mississippi River

2011: David Cornthwaite first to stand-up-paddleboard (SUP) the Mississippi River in 82 days. Cornthwaite’s journeys (there are many) are designed to raise money for two charities: The AV Foundation, which works in East Africa schools and communities developing water system infrastructures; and Coppafeel, a breast cancer charity.

2017: Dan Lee sets new record of 55 days for a SUP. He started on August 31st, 2017 and ended on October 24th, 2017; switching from an inflatable paddle board on the initial sections to a hard-shell paddleboard for the remainder. Lee raised money through his run for twin camps, Camp Lincoln for boys and Camp Lake Hubert for girls where he had been a counselor.

2019: LouAnne Harris claims to be first woman to SUP the Mississippi River, from August 11th, 2019 to November 4th, 2019.

Mississippi River Paddling History

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