The Intriguing Disappearance of Glen and Bessie Hyde
Tags: True Crime, Mystery, Romance, Missing Persons, Crime

Seeking New Insights in Century-old Mystery

“ We of sedentary habits may decry their daring and the risks they take — unnecessary by our standards — but life would be a sorry spectacle if all of humanity were cast in the mold of the commonplace” (43).

“Glen and Bessie Hyde, Nov. 17, 1928.” Northern Arizona University, Cline Library. NAU.PH.568.4035, 122788.

On October 20th 1928, Glen R. Hyde and his wife Bessie began their honeymoon by embarking on an adventure few dared to undertake: running the rapids of the Colorado river. Housed by a pioneering spirit and home-made vessel they made national headlines as they went along their journey; reporting in length on the activities and locations of the romantic “thrill seekers”(8). Had they finished their journey, Bessie would have been the first woman recorded (41) to ‘run the rapids’ and together they would have lived among the few accomplish this feat even in today’s standards. Such a feat not completed until recently with Brad Dimock and Jerry Ledbetter managed to run those rapids in the same manner in 1996 (40, 42).

Relying mostly on newspaper articles and second hand century old accounts initially to iron-out inconsistencies versus facts, the only consistency was inconsistency regarding these facts and dates. Two years later these notes evolved into research, thus with research, opportunity to publish an article in understanding the analysis of news broadcasting methods in 1928, the topography, and the many interwoven cultural fabrics.

“Bessie and Glen Hyde at the Foot of the Bright Angel Trail; Adolph Gilbert Sutro photograph, 1928.” Northern Arizona University, Cline Library.

NAU.PH.568.5386, 123729.

Glen and Bessie

When it comes to the quite adventurous and enigmatic newlyweds, Glen and Bessie Hyde, the images speak for themselves; a young dapper couple, born just before the Edwardian era who embraced the liberating times of the roaring twenties to architect their own destinies. They embarked on a self made vessel (crafted in two days with the help of experts), apparently a hobby of Glen’s, to battle the rapids of the Colorado river. They were dubbed “thrill seekers” by the media and after seeking refuge at the Grand Canyon for rest, they were never heard from again. The facts of this story are varied and the towering perils of their journey lost to time’s description, but this story, despite its mysteries, uncovers an intrinsic allegory of human versus nature and the admirable spirit of the day to adventure into the unknown.

“Jeanne Hyde’s photo album of family, friends, vacations and teaching assignments, covering the years 1927–1934.” Northern Arizona University, Cline Library. Hyde, Jeanne. NAU.PH.2001.11.4 (104)

No Stranger To River Running

“The canyon of the Snake River intrigued him as a boy, we happen to know. Even so did the canyon of Colorado. He answered that challenge” (43).

“Jeanne Hyde’s photo album of family, friends, vacations and teaching assignments, covering the years 1927–1934.” Northern Arizona University, Cline Library. Hyde, Jeanne. NAU.PH.2001.11.4 (104)

The newspapers dubbed the two inexperienced, but Glen Hyde was quite familiar with the area and adventuring, having “shot the rapids” many times before all over North America with his family. Glen’s prior conquests were Peace River in Canada and Salmon River in Idaho (51). Glen was also familiar with reading river currents due to this time in Canada (40). In fact, Glen Hyde had grew up on the coast of British Columbia boating with his family (4). In the Salmon River run, he conquering what Lewis and Clark avoided on their journey across the United States wilderness due concern for safety. Prior to their disappearance, Glen and Bessie had even broke a record crossing Soap Creek rapids together, according to reports, which had never been done before(44). Glen had been described as obsessed with river running, especially the Colorado River (43). An infamous river-man, Captain Harry Guluke, served as a mentor for Glen, both in the years prior to his trip but in Green River, Utah just before his trip began; guiding him on how to build the boat, and providing lumber for his journey (40).

Bessie Faced Her Own Rapids

Parkersburg, WV Quill, 1924, page 14.

Bessie’s childhood was spent in Philadelphia with her parents and brother; and later she moved to Parkersburg, West Virginia (36). Bessie, was adventurous and attracted to the arts, even playing Juliet in a Highschool play (4). After graduating high school, she she eloped with her high-school sweetheart, Earl Helmick. She lived with him for around two months while attempting to finish college, but they agreed she could continue with school as a condition of thier marriage. She returned to college, but later commented in divorce proceedings the marriage was loveless and that he was indifferent to her by saying, he “did not seem to care if she returned”. She had requested a divorce which was uncommon in the day, and when he refused, she suddenly moved (assumedly heartbroken) to San Francisco. On a boat to Los Angeles, she met, and fell in love with Glen Hyde, who she had so much in common with and likely felt an intense connection (40).

“Jeanne Hyde’s photo album of family, friends, vacations and teaching assignments, covering the years 1927–1934.” Northern Arizona University, Cline Library. Hyde, Jeanne. NAU.PH.2001.11.4 (104).

Better matched for Glen, Bessie herself also no stranger to a thirst for the wild, writing in her book of poetry while in college: “My church is made of rocks and sand, with clear blue sky and pounding waves (96).”

It appeared Glen having the same sentiment, comparing carved rock canyons to a cathedral (51). Having so much in common, including extra curricular activities from school days, likely drew them together; overstated by both having family connections to Canada and both being accomplished authors with a love of nature. (Dimmock, 53).

“Wandering Leaves by Bessie Haley, 1901–1928”, Northern Arizona University. Cline Library., nm33g000s001b001f0003

Bessie Fought Tooth and Nail for Glen

Idaho Evening Times (Twin Falls, Idaho) · 13 Apr 1928, Fri · Page 8

Bessie and Glen wanted to marry, but first she needed a divorce from Earl Helmick, her prior love; but he would not grant it. She did what many did desperate folks did back in those days and moved to ‘the Divorce Mill’ of the United States, Elko, Nevada, for residency. She was required to reside for six weeks to claim residency, to apply lax laws for the era regarding marriage dissolution. She did so with very little funds, and being described as starving, sometimes to faint for lack of food, but she was determined to marry the man she loved and end her first loveless marriage. One day after the divorce was granted, she and Glen wed, despite her parent’s disapproval (40). She had not even told her parents she was running the rapids until she was on the river, per her letters, likely due to tense introductions with Glen to her parents (51).

Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, The Evening News (Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania) · 21 Nov 1928, Wed · Page 7

After they met and fell in love, she later married Glen in Idaho near his hometown. They seemed the perfect pair and well aligned in spirit for this epic journey. Newspapers picked up the trail and followed them as they went along, with the AP releasing nation-wide coverage of the couple’s journey. It was stated that Glen and Bessie hoped to create a film regarding their journey, but family accounts disagree that they did this for fame.

An Era of Sensationalized Adventurism

One note is that this was an era of sensationalized adventurism. The newspapers quickly caught on to ‘stunts’ like this and the public was eager to read. With the radio becoming widely used and the telegraph transmitting data across country in record time, stories like these were very lucrative. Initially, I found a total of 33 known digitalized articles nation-wide within a newspaper database who published the same AP broadcast of the Hyde’s adventure on Nov. 21, 1928. All AP articles published existed with varying lengths and arrangement of the same account (53–86).

The Colorado River Basin lies directly across all lines of travel between the rapidly increasing population of California and densely populated eastern half of the United States. In the past the basin was to a large extent considered just a vast space that had to be crossed on the way to California. (Chapman, Drury. xxii)

Documented Initial Coverage of the Hyde’s Honeymoon Trip per AP reports (likely more not in database). ©2019, Electric Consulting LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Per Francesca Pitaro (Archivist, Associated Press Corporate Archives, Nov 15 2019) the original AP bulletin cannot be located over this much time. Francesca explained that “member papers [were] allowed to edit AP stories as long as they don’t change the content of the article. They can shorten them, write their own headlines, use a byline […]” . Thus we can surmise that the full AP bulletin on Nov. 21, 1928 that went out to nation-wide newspapers looked similar to the following:

(AP Bulletin, Nov 21, 1928) Mrs. Glen R. Hyde of Hanson, Idaho, is taking a vacation frolic with her husband by trying to navigate the Colorado River dangerous rapids and all in a homemade scow. The foaming Colorado river, whose muddy, turbulent waters have wrapped in a tragedy many times the efforts of a man to conquer it by boat, is being dared for the first time by a woman as a “vacation” frolic. Somewhere between Needles, California, and here, Mrs. Glen R. Hyde of Hansen Ida., and her husband are crouching in a home-made scow as they tumble over dangerous rapids down the twisting river. The journey is over what is known as the “inland water route.”

They first launched their scow at Green River, Utah. Never before has a woman attempted to triumph over the long stretches of the Colorado, one of the most difficult and dangerous rivers in the continent. All previous expeditions lined their boats down the more dangerous passages, while the Hyde scow is without aid other than that its two passengers can render.

The adventure, undertaken as a part of the couple’s vacation, also will set another record if it is successful. All previous expeditions lined their boats down the more dangerous passages, while the Hyde scow is without aid other than that its two passengers can render. The scow is constructed of two by four planks and double bottomed. Huge sweeps at stern and bow guide it the river’s current supplying its motive power.

Within the titles themselves, political commentary is made regarding the times (suffrage, “thrill seekers”) with the tone seeming to either celebrate or question the experience the two were undertaking. Many article titles questioned the daring of the couple, more so, a woman (53–86) who challenged to overcome nature. In aggregating article title names as they were set by the papers themselves, objective analysis was attempted via wordcloud to sample the titles and gain more insight both on the words most and less used. It has long been established that cultural memory of the flapper and jazz stereotypes dominate The Roaring 1920’s do so inaccurately. Since titles regarding this event are at each individual editor’s discretion, the most used words being ‘Colorado’, ‘River’, & ‘Woman,’ with some articles being kind enough to even mention Glen’s presence. In short, they reported on Bessie, not Glen, likely for sensationalism and hype. The focus of the initial AP broadcast text on Nov. 21st is made clear by repetitive words with a more neutral tone: Scow, Colorado, River, Hyde, Dangerous, Vacation. Generally, this is an accurate way to analyze future datasets for context.

“Feared Lost in Shooting Rapids”, The Daily Tribune (Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin) · Mon, Dec 31, 1928 · Page 3

Length of the Hyde’s Journey by River

Canyon Lands of southeastern Utah.

The area comprising of the Canyon Lands of southeastern Utah, part of the largest section of the United States without improved roads and one of the last known, is a region of the unusual color and form; of great natural bridges, monuments and spires, deep twisting canyons, mammoth terraces with sheer walls a thousand or more feet high, and rock formations that resemble huge castles and cathedrals. (Chapman, Drury. xxi)

First leg of the documented trip into to the Grand Canyon.

Using today’s maps (which are slightly inaccurate due to dams and the natural migration of river’s through erosion) while noting rapids and locations from Bessie’s Journal, as well as eye-witness accounts, the Hyde’s approximate course can be mapped. In 1928, there were very few paved roads(100) and the Colorado River Basin was very undeveloped (Chapman, Drury. xxii), the above and following maps illustrate how truly remarkable the attempt the navigate course was, even in today’s standards. There are around 30 verifiable accounts of their journey, outlined below via map. They did face many perils, and an era specific video show (below) shows just what they faced in around those times. Bessie did note several times the boat had to be repaired and even that they were stuck in the rapids at one point, similar to the way their boat was found (rope stuck in a rock, keeping it stuck in place).

The Colorado River beyond this [Green River] junction plunges into a wild and fantastically eroded land of winding gorges and sandstone mesas whose vast expanses are punctuated at irregular intervals by the isolated, steeply upthrust masses of the Henry, Abajo and Navajo Mountains. (Chapman, Drury. 1–4)

Full route taken from onset to time reported missing sourced from journals, letters, and accounts.

Simple math indicates that they would have traveled an average of 10 miles a day, but this is a matter of the Colorado River whose rapids were potentially are life threatening for even the most hardened “thrill seekers”. Rescuer accounts in Dec 1928 record traveling around 11 miles every 12 hours. Bessie herself mentioned in her journals of being stalled by weather (52), and going much slower, once they had reached the Grand Canyon (6). Communicating via letters with family, and declaring to the press that they had left Bright Angel trail in Arizona on November 15th, 1928 (8) in a home-made scow built especially to deal with the rough rapids, they announced to the newspapers at near the Grand Canyon that they would reach their destination, Needles, California, around December 6th, 1928 (8, 23), which would have been approximately three weeks. Bessie herself had estimated she would reach Needles by December 9th(52) and her last journal entry was Nov 30th (4, 52). The frantic R.C. Hyde (father) started searching for them around two weeks after their supposed arrival date in Needles, but had noted they mentioned in last letters at Bright Angel Trail that they would not write home until they reached Needles (6). Could it be that they underestimated the time frame to arrive as they had told they were through the worst rapids, and the rescuers intervened too soon, making them stranded?

Close up of Bessie’s Journals per Newspaper accounts (6)

According to papers, at the time, the area between Bright Angel and Needles ”winds and twists its way with frequent rapids, deep gorges along the crest of which is only wilderness and a few scattered Indian villages” (15). The area was fairly remote and lacked food. The search planes descended 3000 feet until 50 feet above water for three days, in total traveling 246 miles (35, 28) until the Hyde’s craft was located at Separation Rapids (this location is disputed) (35), also referred to as Separation Falls (25) and above Diamond Creek, thirteen miles east of the Grand Canyon (28). If their boat did capsize, and they did survive despite having no life preservers (34), they would have had to scale the canyon walls to make it back to civilization (31), which the searchers had noted the only entrance/exit point to the river by foot due to the canyon walls was approximately 63 miles from Diamond Creek (11). The canyon walls were isolating (25), and would have encountered freezing temperatures (28) with snow on the canyon rim (5), rattle snakes, scorpions and fire ants (41, 45).

The area they were going through was, at the time, very removed from civilization(25) and without paved roads (100). R.C. Hyde, Glen’s father, said the two would have been light on provisions (23) and accounts report the only thing missing from the boat was food (accounts decades later state that money was missing). It does seem logical that their boat was again stuck in a rapid and that they left on foot.

There is note that Bessie’s sketches were found in the boat along with Glen’s gun (4), two items they probably would not have left behind. Per Bessie’s journals (52) and his sister Jeanne, he often hunted for his own food and did so when running such rapids. Food was scarce in the canyon walls, even devoid of fish. Locals to the river stated that at time of the disappearance, the river would have been impassible. Many experts theorized that they were stranded on a sand bar in the desert (23, 24).

As far as the condition of the boat, it contained all of their possessions, and was in good condition (with conflicting accounts of water in the boat). The army aviators who searched for the Hyde’s said “the craft appeared to have gotten out of the control of its adventuring pilots, and stranded them after floating down-stream.” There were footprints found of a man (11), but no other clues existed on site, except at Soap Creek (very far away) in which a couple’s footprints were found three months later in February, 1929. Glen’s father was quoted that he estimated they were about 200 miles out from Bright Angel Trail (23).

“Last Picture of Missing Thrill Voyagers”, St. Cloud Times (Saint Cloud, Minnesota) · Sat, Dec 29, 1928 · Page 3

Eager to hear news, and worrying of their safety, Glen’s father, R.C. Hyde, contacted Secretary of War, Dwight Davis, explaining he had not heard from the couple since November 15th. Together, they received support from the President of the United States to do searches due to its remote location and the fact that few had flown over the region.

“Thousand Dollar Reward”, Arizona Republic (Phoenix, Arizona) · Fri, Dec 21, 1928 · Page 7

R.C. Hyde promptly posted a reward, pleaded with Native Americans familiar with the area to conduct searches. He also, by said proxy, sent military search parties, military planes (dropping food), and water resources in the area (15), as well as adverts in many newspapers pleading for all to join the search.

Actual Footage of Hyde Boat Retrieval

“Searchers Risk Lives in Colorado”, Daily Capital Journal (Salem, Oregon) · Sat, Jan 5, 1929 · Page 4

The Kolb brothers, who made money photographing tourists and taking tourists into the wild (later Kolb Studio); joined in on that search (30). The Kolb’s had previously photographed the Hyde’s and knew the river well from their own expeditions. The Kolb brothers were the first recorded to shoot the rapids down the Colorado river in 1911(5). A day into searching, their ‘scow’ was found, in good condition (30) with their luggage intact. The Kolbs brought back Bessie’s diary, and were forced to the boat loose from where it was stuck in the rapids by a rope (6, 19).

Excerpt of The Grand Canyon Film Show, Narrated and Produced by Emery Kolb.” Northern Arizona University, Cline Library. VT257, 128689, 1910–1970 [Permitted for use], minutes 9:34–13:02

The Kolb’s stated they were flipped by rapids in the boat at Diamond creek, but other sources refer to Separation Rapids, notable as the newspapers claim that is where the Hyde’s boat was found(19). The vessel was photographed by camera and motion picture by the Kolb’s at the time of location (see video above). It was also mentioned in a newspaper that during the search the Kolb’s found and used Glen Hyde’s boots recovered from the boat (9) while searching alongside Hyde’s father. The Kolb brothers later spent a considerable amount of time with the search parties in search of the couple. They stated to newspapers that when their boat was overturned, they were unable to land it, and were forced to stay in boat overnight on Christmas in wet clothes (19).

“Searchers Risk Lives in Colorado”, Daily Capital Journal (Salem, Oregon) · Sat, Jan 5, 1929 · Page 4

On December 29th, the search was called off due to hazard concerns (17) and the media was frenzied with opinions and obsessions of the couple’s fate. Prominent outdoorsmen stated there is no way they would have survived the rapids (26), and that they drowned. There seemed some relief to the family and public when the military planes had reported finding Hyde’s footprints at Bass Cable on the Colorado river (38), which no longer exists and was torn down in the 1960’s (today located on the South Bass Trail). The footprints are nowhere near where the craft was reportedly found. Other reports indicate the footprints were also found near Diamond Creek, which is where the Kolb brothers stated they lost control of their vessel in other accounts.

Also there were conflicting accounts of whether Bessie was terrified or not, and questions around domestic violence give pause. A.G. Sutro (Jr.), one of the last people to see Bessie and Glen alive said that Bessie was terrified (40). There were two accounts that Bessie was literally picked up and carried into the boat when she did not want to continue, but if she was being forced down the river her journals gave no indication of this (52). Bessie seemed to be having a good time, remarking on seeing the mountains, poetic descriptions of the rocks and sky, the food they ate, commentary on the people they met, also romanticized panning for gold per her journals. The last photo taken of her is haunting (40, 45, 52).

Last known photo of Bessie (45)

The Media Frenzy & Theories

As common with December news stories, the media soon went into a frenzy for information. Newspapers reported conservatives complaining about the cost of searching for these “thrill seekers,” and some reporters inappropriately making jokes about the Hydes as a form of “Hyding” or questioning their experience. There were conflicting reports of assumed alive or assumed perished, and the mystery surrounding the amount of detail left out or inaccurate in reports of sequential years. The family, and public sat on edge awaiting news of their fate, but did not stand silently as the newspapers collectively reported inaccuracies, except the AP reports, which were pretty much identical sans title. A month after their dissapearance, Jeanne Hyde who had traveled down rivers with Glen her whole life, wrote a very moving letter (44).

102.

Moving Letter From Jeanne Hyde to the Chronicle in Defense of her Brother Editor of the Chronicle-Sir: I am writing on behalf of my brother, Glen R. Hyde of Hansen, Idaho. As he is not here to answer your suggestion that he started on the Colorado River trip I shall answer it for him. Such suggestion I read in one of your editorials which came to my notice only today. Mr. and Mrs. Hyde were not a couple of fool-hardy youngsters who decided on a trip down a river of which they knew comparatively nothing in search of a peaceful honeymoon. They had read all available material concerning the river before they started, including the account of Major Powell’s trip. They knew just what they were attempting. Neither did Mr. Hyde have the nerve or the idiocy to take his wife on a trip of that sort with-out sufficient experience and skill in that line. Mr. Hyde had his first experience with rough water in the Northwest of Canada on the Peace River, when he was a boy of 19. He had grown up in boats, so to speak, when we lived on the coast of British Columbia as children. On the Peace river he learned the handling of the scow in rough water. In 1926 he and I essayed a trip down the Salmon River of Idaho, nearly approaching Colorado in its danger to boatmen and its isolation between canyon walls. He learned from Captian Gulke of Salmon City in handling of a scow with sweep oars and from him also he learned the construction of such a boat. Having been with him on that 360 mile trip I know that he is an expert river man and “hard-boiled” enough to take care of himself when reduced to roughing it with little food. Mrs. Hyde shares my brother’s love for adventure and knowing his skill with boats in the past, was anxious to go on the Colorado River trip. She did not go for notoriety and neither did he. There happen to be some people in the world who retain enough of that love of roughing it and living, if only for a short time, after the manner of our ancestors, to attempt such a trip. Such are Mr. and Mrs. Hyde. They cared enough for that sort of adventure to be willing to take a chance. We know, too, that Mr. and Mrs. Hyde have been successful in their attempt to master to rapids up to the point where their scow was found. They had already run the Soap creek rapids, above Grand Canyon, never run before. All former parties had (perished in?) these rapids, and parts of others, all run by the Hydes. What was the fate of the Hydes we do not know, but we do know they have run water never run before. Miss Jeanne E. Hyde

Hanson, Idaho, Jan 14th, 1929(44).

The family adamantly refused to give up their search long after the search party left (25), and offered reward money of 1000 dollars (approx. 15 thousand in today’s money) in newspapers well into the Great Depression. The father, R.C. Hyde was quoted as to ‘never give up’ even though he theorized that they had drowned (50). Numerous identity claims, and skeletal remains occasionally have kicked up the dust around this mystery, but no solace or truth to be found for R.C. Hyde in his time. About a year later, the father attempted to settle Glen’s estate(106).

Years later, an account was made of the Hyde’s leaving their name and date in a shack near Diamond Creek (“November 31st, Glen & Bessie Hyde”), suggesting they survived (note the date does not exist). Emery Kolb was quoted in regretting years later that he cut the boat loose, leaving them stranded (45). Rumors started to swirl around their fate, that they disappeared to seek a Shangri-La, that Earl Helmick orchestrated their disappearance (40) or that Emery Kolb was obsessed with Bessie (49). Many of these theories never.panned out, but seemed to add fuel to the fire with inaccuracy of accounts fading over time.

“Who Can Solve The Mystery of This Vanished Bride?”, The Ogden Standard-Examiner (Ogden, Utah) · Sun, Jun 15, 1930 · Page 29 (6)

Skeletal Remains

In the 1970’s, a skeleton was found in Emery Kolb’s garage after his death, but the medical examiner determined the body was not that of Glen Hyde even with a resemblance via forensic art. It was stated that the skeleton was found at Yavapai point (40) or Shoshone Point as noted below.

The NAMUS site quotes, “The decedent was found in a boat in Emery Kolb’s garage in 1977 (Kolb deceased in 1976). Originally rumored to be Glen Hyde, the Anthropologists determined that the decedent was too young to be Glen Hyde and that the facial features do not match. Further recent investigation found archived images from 1933 of the decedent in a skeletonized state laying on the edge of Shoshone Point, Grand Canyon with the .22 revolver near the right hand. A round defect is on the right side of the skull and a .22 cal bullet was recovered from inside the skull.” See the NAMUS site for more information.

I contacted the Coconino County Medical Examiner to ask about DNA testing in 2017. On May 1st, 2017, I received a response from the Coconino County Medical Examiner stating the following:

“The remains found at the studio were submitted for DNA testing but were too degraded to retrieve a good DNA sample for comparison. This case is still active and other avenues of identification are being researched and attempted. Thank you for your interest in this unidentified person. Many times it is through the combined efforts of agencies and citizens that unidentified persons are able to be identified and properly laid to rest. If there are any other questions, please feel free to contact our office.”

There are many other theories, most of them now debunked regarding the identity claims. To read more about them the following book is recommend (link non-sponsored), as the author did an excellent job that by far cannot be compared to a simple post such as this: “Sunk Without a Sound” by Brad Dimmock, ISBN 1892327988, 9781892327987.

The author went so far as recreate the scow the Hyde’s travelled in and theorizes what had happened to them in a unique way.

In Memory of R.C. Hyde

Glen and his father at their farm in Idaho (102).

When it comes to age-old missing person’s mysteries, I am especially attune. In part because I like the idea of resolution even after time has passed, but also because I myself had a family member disappear as a child. I spent years looking for her, and actually started developing websites in 1997 at age 13 because of the search. My family’s own story achieved some closure with yet still no words capable to summarize the heartbreak we felt during the interim. Similarly, though the Haley and Hyde families are long gone, R.C. Hyde never gave up on finding his son Glen. This article is written in homage to his search, his pain and determination to find his son, though it never happened. May we all have fathers such as he.

The story drew me in because I had not only fallen in love with the desert of the SouthWest United States, but because I also identified with this enigmatic couple, who braved the unknown to seemingly answer life’s questions for themselves to consecrate their love for each other. Nearly a century later, I am also impressed by what we can achieve today with advances in information technology and aggregation, and appalled by the inaccuracies and questions that still linger. Sadly the Hyde story yet has no real conclusion, but may their journey and love for each other inspire us.

Author in the Arizona Desert, 2015

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