History of the Grand Canyon area

The known human history of the Grand Canyon area goes back at least 10,500 years. That is when the first evidence of people living there was found. Native Americans have lived in the Grand Canyon and the area now covered by Grand Canyon National Park for at least the last 4,000 years. Groups like the Ancestral Pueblo peoples, first as the Basketmaker culture and later as the Pueblo people, developed from the Desert Culture. Another group, the Cohonina, also lived in the canyon area. Drought in the late 13th century likely caused both groups to move away. Other people followed, including the Paiute, Cerbat, and the Navajo.

In September 1540, Captain García López de Cárdenas led a group of Spanish soldiers with Hopi guides to the Grand Canyon. In 1869, U.S. Army Major John Wesley Powell led the Powell Geographic Expedition through the canyon on the Colorado River. This and later studies by scientists helped uncover the geology of the Grand Canyon area. In the late 19th century, interest in the region grew because of the promise of finding minerals. The first settlements along the canyon’s edge appeared in the 1880s.

Early settlers soon discovered that tourism was more profitable than mining, and by the early 1900s, the Grand Canyon became a popular destination for visitors. Most travelers arrived at the South Rim by stagecoach from nearby towns. In 1901, the Grand Canyon Railway opened, traveling from Williams, Arizona, to the South Rim. The Grand Canyon was first protected as a forest reserve in 1893, then became a U.S. national monument, and was officially made a national park in 1919, three years after the creation of the National Park Service.

Early history

See also: Havasupai and Hualapai

People have lived in the Grand Canyon area for a very long time. Scientists have found signs that humans were there as far back as 10,500 years ago. These early people moved around and gathered food. Later, some groups settled down and grew crops.

One group, called the Ancestral Pueblo, lived in the Grand Canyon area for many years. They were good at making baskets and lived in small groups in caves or simple houses made of mud. Over time, they built bigger homes and grew more food. This helped them stay in one place longer. They moved between the hot canyon and cooler areas depending on the season.

Around the year 1200, a big drought made it hard to grow food, so many people moved away. Later, new groups like the Paiute and Cerbat moved into the area. Today, many Native American tribes still have ties to the Grand Canyon.

Exploration

Spanish

The first Europeans reached the Grand Canyon in September 1540. It was a group of about 13 Spanish soldiers led by García López de Cárdenas. They were sent from the army of Francisco Vásquez de Coronado to find the Seven Cities of Gold. They were guided by Hopi people and likely reached the canyon at the South Rim.

The soldiers tried to find a way down to the canyon floor, but after three days, they couldn’t find a safe route. Cárdenas decided to return to his group, and his report made people think the canyon was too hard to visit for the next 200 years.

Americans

James Ohio Pattie and a group of American trappers were probably the next Europeans to reach the canyon in 1826, though there isn’t much proof.

In 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo made the Grand Canyon region part of the United States. In 1856, Jules Marcou made the first geological studies of the canyon.

In the 1850s, Jacob Hamblin, a Mormon missionary, was sent to find good places to cross the river in the canyon. He found Lee's Ferry in 1858, which became a useful spot for ferries.

In 1857, Edward Fitzgerald Beale led a group to find a wagon road from Fort Defiance, Arizona to the Colorado River. On September 19, near today’s National Canyon, they saw the canyon.

A U.S. War Department expedition led by Lt. Joseph Ives in 1857 explored the area for natural resources and possible routes for railroads and river travel. The group traveled in a steamboat named Explorer but had to abandon it. They traveled along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

Later, geologist John Strong Newberry joined Ives’ expedition and thought the canyon was worth exploring further. He convinced geologist John Wesley Powell to lead an expedition.

In 1869, Powell led a group of nine men down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. Their first trip was difficult, and they lost some of their food and equipment.

Two years later, Powell returned with better supplies and new boats. Their work helped people back home see how amazing the Grand Canyon was. Powell became well-known for his lectures about the canyon.

Geologist Clarence Dutton followed Powell’s work and did detailed studies of the canyon’s rocks and land. His reports helped people understand the geology of the Grand Canyon better.

In the 1870s and 1880s, some people tried to mine minerals like copper and zinc in the canyon, but it was too hard to get the materials out. Some stayed to help tourists, improving trails like the Bright Angel Trail.

Tourism

Transportation

A rail line to Flagstaff was finished in 1882 by the Santa Fe Railroad. The next year, stage coaches started taking tourists from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon. The trip took eleven hours. In 1901, a rail line reached Grand Canyon Village. The first train with paying passengers arrived from Williams, Arizona on September 17, 1901. The trip was 64 miles long and cost $3.95.

The first car reached the Grand Canyon in January 1902, driven by Oliver Lippincott from Los Angeles. It took two days because the roads were rough. By 1907, cars could reach the North Rim.

The Santa Fe Railroad stopped running the Grand Canyon Railway in 1968 but started again in 1989. Trains were the main way to get to the canyon until cars became more popular in the 1930s. By the early 1990s, over a million cars visited the park each year.

West Rim Drive was finished in 1912. In the late 1920s, a bridge was built across the Colorado River, making travel from rim to rim possible. Paved roads finally reached the North Rim in 1926.

Accommodations

John D. Lee was the first person to provide services for travelers in 1872 when he started a ferry. After his death, one of his wives, Emma, kept the ferry running. Another ferry was started in 1876 by Harrison Pearce.

In 1884, Julius and Cecelia Farlee opened a small hotel near Diamond Creek. In 1886, John Hance opened a ranch near Grandview for tourists.

William Wallace Bass began a campground in 1890, with a central building for shared meals. He also built a road for stage coaches to carry guests from the train station to his campground.

The Grand Canyon Hotel Company was formed in 1892 to build services for travelers. In 1896, the Bright Angel Hotel opened in Grand Canyon Village. The Cameron Hotel opened in 1903.

In 1905, the grand El Tovar Hotel opened very close to where the train stopped. It was designed in a rustic style and built with logs from Oregon and local stone.

Fred Harvey hired Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter as an architect in 1902. She designed several famous buildings at the Grand Canyon, including the Hopi House and the Bright Angel Lodge.

A cable car system began operating near Bright Angel Creek in 1907. In 1913, former President Theodore Roosevelt visited and the camp was renamed Roosevelt's Camp. In 1922, it became known as Phantom Ranch.

On the North Rim, W.W. Wylie built guest rooms in 1917. The Grand Canyon Lodge opened there in 1928 but was damaged by fire in 1932 and reopened in 1937. The Bright Angel Lodge and Auto Camp Lodge opened on the South Rim in 1935.

Activities

New hiking paths were created based on old trails used by Native Americans. The El Tovar Hotel promoted rides into the canyon on mule backs, which became very popular.

The Kolb Brothers opened a photography studio on the South Rim in 1904. They took pictures of hikers and mule riders before they went down into the canyon. They also made one of the first movies showing a trip through the canyon river in 1911–12. Their film was shown to tourists for many years.

Protection efforts

By the late 1800s, people began to care more about protecting special places like the Grand Canyon. Some leaders wanted it to be a national park, like Yellowstone and Yosemite.

In 1893, President Benjamin Harrison made the Grand Canyon a National Forest Preserve. This gave it a little protection, but people could still mine and cut trees there.

Later, President Theodore Roosevelt visited the Grand Canyon and loved it. In 1906, he made it a Game Preserve to protect animals. In 1908, he made it a national monument. It finally became a full national park in 1919 when President Woodrow Wilson signed a law. Over time, more land around the Grand Canyon was added to the park. In 1979, it was named a World Heritage Site.

People work hard to keep the Grand Canyon clean and safe. Some worry about air pollution from cars and power plants making the sky look hazy. Others are concerned about mining, especially for uranium, which could pollute the water. Leaders have worked to protect the area from new mining claims to keep the Grand Canyon beautiful and safe for everyone.

Overflights

Main article: 1956 Grand Canyon mid-air collision

With more airplanes flying, the Grand Canyon became a popular place for tours. In 1956, two big airplanes crashed into each other above the canyon. This led to new rules to keep airplanes safe and quiet around the park.

Air pollution

Cars and pollution from nearby places can make the air in the Grand Canyon less clear. Leaders are working to reduce pollution and keep the sky looking clean.

Uranium mining

Some people want to mine uranium near the Grand Canyon, but others worry it could pollute the water. Leaders have made rules to protect the area from new mining claims to keep the Grand Canyon safe.