The two arrived in Green River in mid - August 1896, built their own boat - the Fanthon, and launched on August 27th, 1896. Far downstream in Yuma, Arizona, Flavell told a reporter the reasons for the journey, ”First, for the adventure; second, to see what so few people have seen; third, to hunt and trap; fourth, to examine the perpendicular walls of rock for gold”.

One of the major river controversies which remains today is whether it was actually George Flavell instead of Than Galloway who was the first to use the facing downstream method of running rivers and to build the newer style boats better suited for river travel.

In any event, Flavell’s diary records running all the rapids except for six on the entire journey from Green River to the ocean.