They were young, happy and full of plans. Glen and Bessie Hyde dreamed of spending their honeymoon in such a way as to get a lot of impressions and, with luck, go down in history. The couple set off on a dangerous journey through the Grand Canyon, and a month later their boat was found empty and without any signs of damage. More than 90 years have passed since the disappearance of the Hydes, and the mystery of their disappearance has not yet been solved.
Ambitious newlyweds
They registered their marriage on April 12, 1928, and six months later they went on their honeymoon trip, for which they had long and carefully prepared. Glen was 30 years old and already had the experience of traveling by boat, and 23-year-old Bessie was a romantic poet who, for the sake of marriage with Glen, left her first husband and gave herself up to feelings. She immediately caught fire with Glen's idea of traveling through the Grand Canyon, although she had no idea what such an adventurous undertaking could cost.
Glen Hyde.
Until 1928, only 45 people managed to pass the Grand Canyon. All those who were included in this number had serious physical training and extensive travel experience, but there was not a single woman among them.
The Grand Canyon.
The Hyde spouses set their sights on two records at once: Glen was going to overcome the Grand Canyon faster than all his predecessors, and Bessie was going to become the first woman to pass this difficult and full of dangers path. Naturally, there was no question of any special equipment.
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They hit the road on October 20, 1928 in a six-meter boat and hoped to end the journey after a month and a half. Glen made his own flat-bottomed boat, on which the couple traveled along the Colorado River
Meetings on the way
On November 16, the newlyweds met with a Denver Post correspondent in one of the villages, where the travelers stopped for a short break from the hardships of the journey. The Hydes expected to reach their final destination in two to three weeks.
Glen and Bessie Hyde.
However, by this moment Bessie had already lost all her ardor and her husband had to constantly cheer her up. It seemed to the correspondent: the young woman is ready to abandon her plans and stop the race for fame. But Glen, unlike his wife, did not lose hope of going down in history, breaking the Grand Canyon in record time.
Glen and Bessie Hyde.
On November 18, the Hydes arrived at the Grand Canyon Village to replenish their supplies. On the same day, they visited Emery Kolb's photo studio, which he kept with his brother Ellsworth. Tired and even somewhat emaciated, the Hyde couple told the brothers about their unusual honeymoon, dedicated to overcoming the world's deepest gorge. Glen and Bessie asked to take a commemorative photo, promising to return for it immediately after the end of their difficult journey.
The photographer noted that the spouses did not have life jackets and even offered them their own, but the couple categorically refused them. Emery Kolb also drew attention to the excessive nervousness of the young woman. She broke down on every occasion and at first glance at her it became clear: the girl was already at the limit of her strength and capabilities.
Glen and Bessie Hyde.
Apparently, Bessie no longer seemed romantic about this crazy adventure with a trip. Perhaps she imagined their honeymoon differently, and the journey was not so hard. It is unlikely that a young poetess could know how many times she would have to overcome herself in order to achieve her goal. The Kolb brothers will later reveal that Bessie was in critical condition.
Glen and Bessie Hyde.
This was also confirmed by the words of Bessie, said to the daughter of Emery Kolb, who went out to see the travelers. Bessie looked longingly at the girl and, with a deep sigh, expressed her doubt that she would ever be able to put on beautiful shoes in her life.
Mysterious disappearance
A few days after visiting the photo studio, the Hyde couple covered a short distance in the company of the accidentally met traveler Adolf Sutro. He, too, noted Bessie's desire to stop, but Glen was still eager to win the record. After the Sutro no one saw the spouses. Neither alive nor dead.
Glen Hyde.
The Hydes were supposed to reach the end of the Grand Canyon in early December. However, neither at the indicated time, nor later did the spouses appear at the appointed place. Flying around the Grand Canyon in a small plane, the pilot noticed the Hydes 'empty boat just a few kilometers from the supposed end point of the newlyweds' journey.
Rescuers found only an empty boat.
Rescuers were sent to this place, who hoped to find a couple who had taken refuge in one of the caves while waiting for help. The boat was examined first. There was no damage on it; supplies of food and water were found on board, as well as things of the spouses, including Bessie's diary and a camera. The last photos were taken on November 27, and the last entry in the diary appeared three days later.
The 40-day rescue operation organized by the father of the missing Glen yielded no results.
One of the Hydes' camera photos.
Many years have passed since then, during which repeated vain attempts have been made to find at least some trace of the missing spouses.
Assumptions were made that Bessie, driven to an extreme degree of despair, tried to persuade her husband to stop extreme travel, and when she heard another refusal, she shot her husband and started a new life under a false name. Or, conversely, Glen took his wife's life.
Glen and Bessie Hyde.
There were also women who claimed that it was they who bore the name Bessie Hyde in a past life, but in reality their words turned out to be a lie. The mystery of the disappearance of the spouses has not yet been revealed.