GRAND CANYON CONSERVANCY
ARIZONA DAILY SUN
FEBRUARY 24, 2019 |
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GRAND CANYON
NATIONAL PARK CENTENNIAL SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2019 |
azdailysun.com
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MICHAEL QUINN, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
A view just before sunset from Powell Point along Hermit Road on the South Rim.
2019 marks big point along ancient timeline have been the first Europeans to see the canyon. Seeking a water source in 1540, the Spanish reportedly moved on after finding the river in the canyon’s depths to be unattainable. Mostly unexplored until the second half of the 1800s, Joseph Christmas Ives and John Wesley Powell brought the Grand Canyon into greater public view after their risky expeditions – Ives in 18571858 and Powell in 1869 and 1872. Following the explorers, prospectors and entrepreneurs began arriving to the canyon. Some of these included Dan Hogan, Louis Boucher, Pete Berry, Ralph and Niles Cameron, Emery and Ellsworth Kolb, John Verkamp and David Rust. The Fred Harvey Company and architect Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter have had a lasting impact on South Rim visitor services and accomodations.
NANCY WIECHEC
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Arizona Daily Sun
ne hundred years is a tiny speck along the ancient timeline of the Grand Canyon. Yet this year marks a significant point for the natural wonder—the centennial of Grand Canyon National Park. Known first to Native people and later to a few adventurous explorers and settlers, the Grand Canyon began to draw visitors in earnest at the start of the 20th century. The Grand Canyon Railway, completed in 1901, had much to do with making the canyon accessible to more people. By the time it was named a national park in 1919, the canyon was well on its way to becoming a much-loved destination. It was that year on Feb. 26 that our nation’s leaders set aside the great chasm “for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.” The act to reserve the Grand Canyon as a Visitors venture onto an outcrop for photos on the South Rim. public treasure was applauded by most, but it had its detractors, including some individuals looking to profit from the land and tourism. Still today, the landscape’s most pressing issues are protection from development and those looking to take advantage of cultural and natural resources.
Grand destination
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Canyon formation
The Grand Canyon is the result of geological events that began nearly 2 billion years ago. Volcanic activity, plate tectonics and erosion all played a role in its formation. Other forces, especially the Colorado River and its tributaries, have been carving the landscape for about 6 million years. The river has had the most recent influence on the canyon’s depth and width, creating a spectacle of carved rock with striking colors and shapes. With an average depth of about a mile, the canyon is 18 miles across at its widest and 277 miles long. It represents the earth’s best exposed example of geological history. But geology is only one
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piece of the canyon’s venerable A selfie is an essential keepsake. story. ple have lived in and around the Human history canyon for several thousand years. People have been part of the Up until the 1800s, the Grand Grand Canyon for 12,000 or more Canyon was known mainly to years. Archeological evidence Native tribes that lived in and points to hunter-gatherers pass- around its rim. Havasupai, Hopi, ing through, and Puebloan peo- Hualapai, Diné (Navajo), Zuni,
Paiute, Apache and Yavapai people have connections to the canyon. Havasupai members continue to live in the inner gorge in Supai, a village only accessible by foot, mule or helicopter. Spanish explorers are said to
During its first year as a national park, the Grand Canyon had 37,745 recorded visitors. Nearly a century later in 2017, Grand Canyon National Park saw a record 6.25 million visitor. The vast majority of visitors linger at viewpoints along the South Rim. In fact, according to park records, most tourists spend less than eight hours at the Grand Canyon. The same features that make the canyon awe-inspiring make a more adventurous trip out of reach for many. Backcountry trips and river expeditions require more advance planning, can be expensive and are regulated by the park service. In 2017, just less than 313,000 people camped in the backcountry of the Grand Canyon and even fewer — 25,000 — toured the canyon on the Colorado River by either commercial or private boat trips. Enthusiasm for outdoor activities and proximity to the canyon seem to put people at an advantage for a Grand Canyon adventure. Park statistics reveal Please see CENTENNIAL, Page A2
MICHAEL QUINN, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE M 1
Visitors at Mather Point view the canyon during a spring storm.
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A cow elk forages on the rim near Pima Point.
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The canyon receives more than 6 million annual visitors.