Benches from boat tours donated to museum

One of the most beautiful views around can be located along the 70-mile length of Big Horn Canyon on Big Horn Lake. From 1979 through 1981, one of the best ways to see its rugged beauty was aboard a special boat tour on the “Wayward Wind.”

The 36-foot pontoon boat was built especially for Big Horn Lake with U.S. Coast Guard inspection to ensure its safety to the potential 34 passengers aboard.

It had twin 100-horsepower engines, an enclosed restroom, was fully covered by canvas that could be adjusted in inclement weather and had a 126-gallon fuel capacity.

Owner Don Harness and wife Susan ran chartered boat tours to Yellowtail Dam, Black Canyon, Devil’s Canyon, Barry’s Landing and Chain Canyon throughout the summer months through their company, Big Horn Canyon Boat Tours.

While the tours lasted several hours, the comfortable seats, space to move around and the natural beauty of the area made the experience enjoyable and the time fly by. The only downside to running the boat tours was that it was only a seasonal business, which led the owners to pursue year-round work elsewhere.

The Harness family has recently donated two of the boat’s original benches to the Lovell-Kane Area Museum so visitors can rest on pieces of local history.

“We have such fond memories of our time in Lovell and the canyon and people there,” Don Harness said. “We had locals and people from all over the country and world experience our boat tour. We are happy that part of it is now available to be highlighted and remembered for years to come.”