When natural beauty is discussed, there are a
few places that always come up. Aurora Borealis for example is a well-known phenomenon;
the Alps are an amazing landscape. But few places are as well-known or
well-loved as the Grand Canyon. The 270 mile long natural wonder is Arizona’s
most popular tourist destination. But the history of the Grand Canyon began
long before the area became a National Park in 1919.
The Grand Canyon was home to many different
Native American tribes before Europeans discovered it. Ancestral Pueblo peoples were among the first in the area, followed by the Paiute, Cerbat, and the Navajo. These tribes were
all eventually forced out of the area by the American Government.
One of the best known stories about the early history
of the Grand Canyon is Powell’s 1869 Expedition down the Colorado River. John
Wesley Powell was a captain in the civil war and he led a scientific expedition
to chart parts of the west, namely the river. The trip involved capsizes, food
rationing, and extensive portaging. Three members of the trip went missing as
well, becoming one of the greatest unsolved mystery of the area. Their disappearances
were first blamed on local Native American tribes; it is now considered most
likely that they were killed by nearby Mormon settlers. The Grand Canyon has
also been the location of some great breakthroughs in geology and our
understanding of the natural world. Because the canyon is a mile deep in some
areas, layers of the earth previously unseen were exposed for scientist to
explore.
The first settlers came to the area in the 1880’s,
which is around when the area became known as a tourist destination. The trip
to the rim used to be a grueling adventure from Flagstaff, most often by
stagecoach. Tourism slowly increased until the Santa Fe Railroad finished the
Grand Canyon Railway in 1901. This became the most common way to reach the canyon
for many years. However, with the increased popularity and affordability of
automobiles by 1930, the train began to be used less frequently. The route was
finally canceled in 1968; just three passengers were on the final run. Hotels
have been in the in the canyon since the area could support them. Bright Angel Lodge is currently the most popular hotel on the canyon rim.
The
canyon was first considered a Forest Reserve in 1893 and later a National
Monument. The Grand Canyon did not achieve official National Park status until
1919. The visitor center in the National Park is full of facts and information
on the Grand Canyon and the surrounding area.
