Today marks the 104th birthday of Grand Canyon National Park. I first saw it in 1970 on a cross country trip that introduced me to several National Park Service sites. That was long before any indication that the agency would become my career and its mission a life long pursuit. The Canyon is far removed from my early park experiences in the reaches of the Potomac River Valley from Shenandoah to Gettysburg and east to the Mall in Washington. In addition, all of my career assignments were well east of the Mississippi River. It may seem odd but, outside of them, I spent more time - several months - on temporary duty at the Canyon than any other place during my career. That makes the sight, touch, taste, smell, and sound of Grand Canyon very special.
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| Hermit Rapids on the Colorado River, Grand Canyon National Park, 1974 |
Although the scenic drives, visitor centers, museums, and accommodations are outstanding, the park is really an outdoor, immersive experience. And it's unfortunate that far too few visitors choose the immersion. Thankfully I spent most of my time there when such an orientation was commonplace. Like most people my age, I was ready because Mom sent me out the door after a summer lunch and didn't expect to see me until the street lights came on. Lots of time for adventure then and now. At the Canyon I ran untold miles on trails through the Ponderosa Pine forests along the South Rim. On many occasions I went over the rim into the Inner Canyon on trails named Grandview, Kaibab, Bright Angel, Hermit, Dripping Springs, and Tonto. Each was its own experience as was the day I climbed 5200 feet out of an 80 degree summer into a blizzard and two feet of snow at the South Rim.
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| Grand Canyon National Park Poster, 1938 |
The Grand Canyon wasn't well known to most Americans until around 1900 and the completion of an Acheson, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad link to the South Rim. There had been interest in making it a national park as early as 1882 but the first protection afforded the canyon came in 1906 with its proclamation by President Theodore Roosevelt as a game preserve and later in 1908 as a national monument. With the conservation movement in full swing across the nation, Congress finally passed the Grand Canyon National Park Act. It was signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson on February 26, 1919.
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| El Tovar, the AT&SF hotel, Grand Canyon, early 1900s |
In the century following its national park designation, Grand Canyon has witnessed millions of visitors. The park wears it World Heritage Site designation proudly with its multi-faceted display of nature and culture. It does so even when less than one percent of visitors - around 45,000 in 2020 - actually leave its rims to explore the Inner Canyon. Today, the computer and its games, the focus on the automobile as transportation, an aging population, and other demographic and cultural variables may take a bigger toll on an already dismal number. For most of my life I've enjoyed the adventure, walking the beaches and trails end to end on Georgia's Cumberland Island National Seashore and almost every mile of the C&O Canal National Historical Park's 184 mile long towpath across Maryland and the District of Columbia. That's not to mention the hundreds of miles "in the traces" in parks from the Mississippi River southeast to the U.S. Virgin Islands. All in a day's work then. Today? No question there is less walking in my retirement but I can still recall the wonder-filled experiences on the traces in one of the grandest places in the world. It's even more enjoyable to do so on a very special day that very likely made all those experiences possible.
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| Post-hike at Hermit Rest trailhead. Old Tybee Ranger kneeling, right. |
If the Grand Canyon is on your bucket list, be sure to visit. If you've been there many times, go again. Either way, go over the rim. Go into the Canyon. Be the beauty and mystery of this sacred place.
Sources
Photos and Illustrations:
National Park Service
Library of Congress
Personal photo
Text:
wikipedia.org. National Park Service
National Park Service
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