Let me tell you the story of when I first met Wild Willy. It was five years ago in the year 1857. Wild Willy was a strong pioneer built like the largest buffalo that ever roamed the prairies. His muscles were as big as full-grown watermelons, and his veins bulged like sinuous tree roots.

Wild Willy was always in a good mood. His smile was so long that you might mistake it for the Ohio River. His laughter was so loud and shrill that the vibrations coming from his mouth shook the trees around him and made them sway.

Wild Willy worked as a lumberjack in California. He was able to uproot trees by tearing them out of the ground as if they were weeds.

But the best thing about Wild Willy was that he was always in the mood for a new challenge. One day his friend Big Time Bobby challenged Wild Willy to see who could jump the farthest. The starting point of their jump would be on the western coast of California, and each would begin his jump in about the middle of the state while heading east.

Wild Willy went first. He began his sprint across the state. The earth shook under him; the animals, frightened by the earth's trembling, ran for their lives. The day was hot and dry, and sweat poured down Wild Willy's face, forming large puddles of water behind him.

Finally, Wild Willy reached the Sierra Nevada region, where he was supposed to begin his jump. He took a flying leap so great that he soared clear across California. He flew so high that some folks said you couldn't see his head because it was actually in the clouds.

Some two minutes later he landed on Arizona. His weight was so immense and his jump so forceful that the land split in half, creating a large canyon. So much sweat was pouring down his face that a river (later named the Colorado) formed within the canyon.

This event created such a stir that a man named Lieutenant Ives was aroused to see what was causing all the ruckus. Wild Willy, meanwhile, was so startled about what had happened that he ran all the way back to California.

Lieutenant Ives later claimed that he was the first American to explore the Grand Canyon. But we all know the real story!n