Our History

A 100 YEARS OF INNOVATION

The history of Wooldridge Boats and company founder Glen Wooldridge has been chronicled in numerous books, magazines and films since 1915.

The book, “The Rogue, a River to Run”, by Florence Arman, gathers up many of the adventures, along with fascinating historical photos and facts.

That Rogue River trip was just one of Glen’s many “first-evers.” The adventures ranged from Alaska’s Yukon River to California’s Klamath, including the powerful and intimidating Idaho rivers and those seldom touched in British Columbia.At age 79, “Grandpa” Glen was first to run the fearsome Hells Gate on BC’s Fraser River.

Ted Trueblood, famous associate Editor of Field & Stream, who ran rivers and fished with Wooldridge, wrote a glowing foreword to Arman’s book, part of which we’ve reprinted in this website’s historic section.

Ginger Rogers, Clark Gable, Herbert Hoover, Zane Grey and countless others, famous and not, chose Glen Wooldridge for their fishing and adventure trips. At the root of it all was a Wooldridge Boat.

The First River Boat

It was 1915 when “Grandpa” Wooldridge (1896-1986) built his first river boat to make that first-ever float down Oregon’s Rogue River. The evolution of Wooldridge Boats from the past to the present was laced with many firsts, like the first-ever trip up the Rogue River in 1947. (with a prop, of course, no jets back then).

1920s Glen, taking boat through Coffee Pot in early 1920s. Louise Stokes, a Grants Pass Courier employee, was the photographer.
1947 Running the Rogue
1948 Glen and Ruell Hawkins, first trip up the Salmon River in Idaho, The River of No Return.
1979 Four generations of boat builders
1940 Glen developed a method of stacking wood strips over a form allowing for better hull shapes without sacrificing strength. At last check this boat is still on display at Rand Ranger Station.
1949 Glen started a boat tour from the city park to Hell Gate and made a 50 mile run. He used a 26ft boat and charged $5.50 a person.
2010 Wooldridge family, Leading the way in custom boats
1920s Glen, taking boat through Coffee Pot in early 1920s. Louise Stokes, a Grants Pass Courier employee, was the photographer.
1940 Glen developed a method of stacking wood strips over a form allowing for better hull shapes without sacrificing strength. At last check this boat is still on display at Rand Ranger Station.
1947 Running the Rogue
1948 Glen and Ruell Hawkins, first trip up the Salmon River in Idaho, The River of No Return.
1949 Glen started a boat tour from the city park to Hell Gate and made a 50 mile run. He used a 26ft boat and charged $5.50 a person.
1979 Four generations of boat builders
2010 Wooldridge family, Leading the way in custom boats