Elzada U. Clover was the first woman to successfully navigate the Colorado River. An esteemed member of Michigan’s faculty, Clover received her M.S. degree in 1932 and Ph.D. in 1935 from the University of Michigan. In addition, she became one of the first women to curate the University Botanical Gardens in 1957 (1). But before this could happen, Clover would embark on a journey unlike any other woman had experienced before.

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        The Colorado River, the river that runs through the Grand Canyon, is known for its harsh rapids and dangerous terrain. Clover was told time and time again: The Colorado is no place for a woman (2). However, she was committed to scientific exploration; and working with the Botany Department at the time, the wide array of new specimens she would have the ability to find while on the expedition were too plentiful to pass down. Of course, major news sources, such as the New York Times and LA Times, did not fail to continually mention the danger of a woman venturing down the river. But that did not stop Clover from following her passion (2).  She, along with two students--one a woman named Lois Jotter--and a company of men left for their expedition in July 1938. They rode on the river for over 660 miles during 43 days (1).

 

        Clover set on her journey with three wooden boats painted in green and white, several plant presses to store her specimens, a harmonica, and a bottle of Four Roses bourbon, which was a good luck gift from other faculty members. Throughout the expedition, Clover would discover four new types of cacti as well as a plethora of new plant-based specimen only found in the Grand Canyon. Her research was later published and made a large impact on the success of the Botany Department’s contribution to new discoveries (2).