Martin Litton (1917-2014), Conscience of the Canyon

The Grand Canyon is America’s greatest scenic treasure—an experience made to order in wonder. Floating a boat down the Colorado? Why, it’s simply the best thing one can do.” Martin Litton (1917-2014), Conscience of the Canyon

–Martin Litton

We’re sad to mark the passing of conservationist and river rafting pioneer Martin Litton (February 13, 1917 – November 30, 2014), devoted friend of and fierce advocate for Grand Canyon and the wild lands of the West. Martin was essential to the Grand Canyon Trust’s founding 30 years ago and his vibrant presence in the conservation community will be dearly missed.

A veteran boatman and passionate conservationist, Litton founded Grand Canyon Dories in the 1970s. It was Grand Canyon Dories that outfitted that pivotal river trip during which the idea for the Grand Canyon Trust was conceived.

A fierce advocate for wilderness, Litton devoted his robust energies to protecting the Colorado Plateau and Grand Canyon, working doggedly to oppose Echo Park Dam in Dinosaur National Monument and the Bridge and Marble Canyon Dam proposals in the heart of Grand Canyon, which would have turned the Colorado River into a lake. He served as a board member for the Sierra Club when David Brower was its head and Ansel Adams occupied another board seat. Brower called Litton his “conservation conscience.” Litton long sought to save California’s remaining redwoods, fighting dam proposals and the logging of giant sequoias in Sequoia National Forest and Giant Sequoia National Monument.

Martin remained involved with the Trust, delivering characteristically passionate congressional testimony on the operations of Glen Canyon Dam during the fight for the Grand Canyon Protection Act. In 2006, the Trust awarded Litton its highest honor, the John Wesley Powell Award, in recognition of his service.

Happiest on the river, Martin first floated the Colorado through Grand Canyon in 1955 — the 185th known person to follow in John Wesley Powell’s footsteps. In 2004, he broke his own record, becoming the oldest person to row the entire Grand Canyon at the age of 87.

While we mourn his passing and our hearts go out to his wife Esther and his family, we are grateful for the many passionate and fulfilling years he spent defending the wild places we all cherish, for his inspiration, his vision, and the example he set through his actions.