The National Hells Canyon Association was formed at a meeting on May 23, 1953, attended by representatives of farm, labor, public power and consumer groups, and was incorporated June 22, 1953 at Boise, Idaho. Its purpose was to lobby for construction of Federal, high, multipurpose dams on the Snake River, as opposed to privately constructed, low, single-purpose dams. In June 1959 the Association changed its name to River Resources Association of the Pacific Northwest.
From the guide to the National Hells Canyon Association. Washington, D.C. Office records, 1953-1958, (Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries)