26 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the age of 20. Emery, his younger brother, had been more dedicated to photography at home, so, recognizing a business opportunity, Ellsworth telegraphed Emery and encouraged him to come to Arizona. It was not long before they began constructing the wood studio building precariously anchored on the sidewall of the canyon at the trailhead, a building which stands today as a historic landmark. It operated as a studio business and a movie theater, where Emery narrated the completed film daily for 60 years. As their business grew, the Kolb brothers were always looking to expand their operation. This led to the idea to honor the hero of the Grand Canyon, John Wesley Powell, by making the first-ever moving picture of the entire length of the Green and Colorado Rivers and more. As self-taught commercial photo- graphic artists working in a spectacular natural setting, the brothers always seized the dramatic action of the river, unique geological formations of Grand Canyon, and some daredevil stunts, which were desired by their buyers. They hoped to add a motion picture to their repertoire at the studio for the growing tourist attendance. Both brothers maintained written journals of the journey, now housed with the Kolb studio archives in the Cline Library at Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff. (The journals and addi- tional letters were transcribed and edited by William G. Suran, published by Firewater Press, Flagstaff, Arizona, 2003.) Their purpose for the expedition is clear, as Ellsworth’s first sentence on September 8, 1911, is “Groceries loaded. 9:30 AM started moving picture of start and showing bridge.” Emery’s entry for the same day is “Taking a moving picture of our boats and a small party, who came to see us start …” The tenor of their writings throughout is similar to that of an adventure story, describing weather conditions, the rigors of using ropes to lower their two boats through Emery Kolb, End of Echo Cliffs; the Mouth of the Yampa River Is on the Right, 1911. Courtesy Cline Library, Northern Arizona University rapids, damage to their crafts, the repairs, fishing, some hunting, and the people they met along the Green River and then the Colorado. They used Dellenbaugh’s A Canyon Voyage, as their guide and source for all statistical information, allowing them to concentrate on the action of the journey. The upper Green was bordered by scattered farms and ranches and even limited boat uses. Some mention is made of taking still photographs, but lengthy descriptions of selecting, setting up, and executing the film with their hand-crank movie camera was their goal. There are no aesthetic observations of the landscape or of atmospheric sensibility. The diaries served as an outline for two successful projects: the film and a resulting 1914 folksy adven- ture/travel book by Ellsworth, Through the Grand Canyon from Wyoming to Mexico (MacMillan, New York, 1914), which contained 48 photographs and has had 38 editions through 2020. Both were significant profit makers for Kolb Studio. In retrospect, the Kolbs’ diaries and activities make clear that they saw devel- opment of the Colorado system as their future, even though in 1908 Grand Canyon Monument was created by President Theodore Roosevelt who proclaimed famously, “Keep the canyon just as it is” for future generations to enjoy. Ellsworth and Emery were
