Evel Knievel’s Snake River Canyon jump hits 50th anniversary

Don Nelson, KIVI

TWIN FALLS — Fifty years agone connected Sunday September 8th, this mound of ungraded was astatine nan halfway of attraction for conscionable astir everybody. Because everybody wanted to spot Evel Knievel climb successful a Skycycle and return disconnected from present and onshore complete location connected nan different broadside of nan Snake River Canyon.

The ramp Evel Knievel utilized to motorboat into nan entity successful a Sky Cycle x-2 rocket successful his effort to jump nan Snake River Canyon. | KIVI

Evel Knievel had already made a sanction for himself arsenic nan world’s astir celebrated daredevil. He jumped complete cars, trucks, h2o fountains, and conscionable astir thing he find, ever pushing himself and unit to entertain his fans. Knievel was intrigued astir jumping complete a canyon, but not conscionable immoderate jump aliases immoderate canyon.

The Snake River Canyon is successful a spot called Twin Falls, Idaho. An technologist named Robert Truax designed a Skycycle, powered by steam that would motorboat disconnected a rail, soar precocious complete nan canyon, deploy a parachute and onshore safely connected nan northbound broadside of nan rim. That’s wherever nan communicative turns for nan worse.

The tract wherever Evel Knievel attempted to jump nan Snake River Canyon connected Sept. 8, 1974. | KIVI

Twin Falls was inundated by thousands of funny fans and onlookers successful nan days starring up to nan launch, gathering each astir correct here, galore very adjacent to nan rim itself.

Now depending connected who you talk to astir Twin Falls, you’ll get various opinions astir nan crowds that Knievel attracted. Nevertheless nan motorboat day was group for September 8th, 1974 and broadcast by ABC’s Wide World of Sports. With a wave, Knievel climbed into nan Skycycle and disconnected he went into nan chaotic bluish yonder.

Evel Knievel takes disconnected successful his rocket astatine Twin Falls successful 1974. | Courtesy ABC’s Wide World of Sports via KIVI

But thing went wrong. For immoderate chartless logic nan parachute deployed prematurely.

Evel Knievel’s parachute unexpectedly deployed early during his flight. | Courtesy ABC’s Wide World of Sports via KIVI

Knievel and nan Skycycle floated down and slammed into nan rocks astatine nan bottommost of nan canyon.

Evel Knievel descends into nan Snake River Canyon. | Courtesy ABC’s Wide World of Sports via KIVI

Evel Knievel survived but near noticeably angry complete what had conscionable happened.

And that’s wherever nan communicative ended. Why nan jump was unsuccessful had been debated for, 50 years. Ironically, Knievel’s boy Kelly and Robert Truax’s boy worked together pinch Hollywood Stuntman Eddie Braun to do what Kelly’s dada could not. On September 16th, 2016 Idaho News 6 was location to watch Braun jump from nan northbound rim conscionable eastbound of nan Hansen span and onshore successfully connected nan southbound side.

Hollywood stuntman Eddie Braun successfully completed Evel Knievel’s extremity connected Sept. 16, 2016. | Courtesy KIVI

Five decades later, nan bequest of Evel Knievel’s jump has not faded astatine all. In nan eyes of many, Twin Falls will everlastingly to beryllium synonymous pinch Knievel’s infamous and daring effort to jump nan Snake River Canyon.

The Perrine Bridge spans crossed nan Snake River successful Twin Falls. | KIVI