R.I.P. Willard Lucas

Hello everyone, 

I got a call this morning that my great uncle Willard Lucas Passed away last night 1-31-13.  He was a pioneer of the Mckenzie style drift boats and wooden river boats in general  .  He was a wealth of knowledge about boats and rivers and life as an outdoorsman.  He will be sorely missed.     

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Permalink Reply by Randy Dersham on February 1, 2013 at 1:01pm

That is sad to hear.  Willard was respected as one of the best rowers on the river and a builder of a few fine boats. 

Permalink Reply by Ken Helfrich on February 1, 2013 at 9:36pm
Sorry to hear of the loss of Big Will. That is what we called him in the 60s and 70s. I worked with willard for several years on the Middle Fork of the Salmon, up until 74 when his dad died and he moved to Agness to run the Lucas lodge. He was a very kind, gentle Giant of a man. He was a great boatman and boat builder. Will had a pair of steel chine guards made that he had on several of his boats to protect his chines from the abrasive granite rocks on the Middle Fork. You would never see Willard row hard because he was always in the right spot. He just fine tuned his boat with small smooth strokes.
Ken Helfrich
Helfrich River Outfitter.
541 953 1620
Permalink Reply by Randy Dersham on February 2, 2013 at 7:09am

Daniel and Ken,

I'm organizing a team of people from the University of Oregon that is collecting historic photos, video, and stories from and about the McKenzie River.  Willard would be a big part of that.  Can either of you introduce me to people that would have photographs of Willard and be able to tell stories about what they remember of him?

Permalink Reply by Roger Fletcher on February 2, 2013 at 9:46am

Daniel - Willard was a gentle soul with a big heart, as well as excellent river skills. He was one of those who drew parallels between running a river, and running this thing called life. He ran both well.

Permalink Reply by David Jensen on February 2, 2013 at 9:16pm

About 40 years ago, I got my first wooden boat -  a Willard Lucas.  It rowed like a sports car.  About 4 years ago, Baseball Hall of Fame's oldest player, Bobby Doerr, Bob's long time fishing buddy, Tom Ripp, and I were staying at Bob's home on the Rogue.  One day after lunch, we went to  Lucas Lodge and got access into an outbuilding filled with wooden classics.  In addition to Willard's work was a large wooden sled built by Woody Hindman.  In the early years, these long wooden sleds were powered by outboards and plied the Rogue.  There is still an example of these sleds at Zane Grey's cabin on the Rogue at Winkle Bar, open at no cost to the public.  Willard, and all of the Lucas clan, are treasures to Oregon and beyond.

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