Grand Canyon National Park, Its Development and Growth

VACATION LAND, 1929 ARIZONA HIGHWAYS Page Twenty-seven Grand Canyon National Park, Its Development and Growth

The report of the Grand Canyon region HE first complete and authentic rewas made by Lieutenant J. C. Ives as a result of an expedition which he headed in 1858. This expedition was sent out by the War Department to determine how far up from the Gulf of California the Colorado River was navigable, and also to explore the unknown territory north of the thirty-seventh parallel. The trip was made in a small stern-wheel iron steamer, "The Explorer" assembled at the mouth of the Colorado. This boat made its way as far as the foot of Black Canyon, at which point it was sent back to Yuma under a detail, while Ives with the remainder of his party continued the ascent in a small boat to the mouth of the Vegas Wash, whence he traveled overland to Diamond Creek, Havasupai Canyon, and the Hopi villages of the Painted Desert country.

Lieutenant Ives encountered great difficulties and dangers on this entire trip, not only from the distance from a base of supplies, lack of food and water and danger from hostile Indians, but also because of the rough and rugged character of the country traversed, absolutely uncharted and with no roads of any kind.

In his official report to the War Department Ives stated: "Ours is the first, and will probably be the last party of whites ever to visit this region." Again in his diary he states, after a vain attempt to reach the rim: "It seems intended by Nature that the Colorado River, along the greater part of its lonely and majestic way, shall be forever unvisited and undisturbed."

In making his prophecy Lieutenant Ives reckoned not with the one factor which has had the most to do with the great increase in travel that has been so general throughout the entire country in the past few decades, that is, the development of transportation systems and the construction and improvement of modern highways. If means of transportation had shown no improvement in the past seventy years and if roads and other facilities for travel had remained as Ives found them, his prophecy would have been more nearly correct.

Some idea as to the extent to which the automobile is becoming the popular method of travel by those visiting the scenic wonderlands set aside by the Federal Government as National Parks "For the benefit and enjoyment of the people" may be gained from the registration figures at Grand Canyon National Park which show that during the first year of its existence as such there were 1,575 autos entering the Park, while last travel season, only ten years later, the number increased to 32,316 cars, bringing 99,303 visitors. Additional thousands come each year by rail, but the percentage of increase of auto travelers has consistently been greater than that of those coming by train.

Grand Canyon National Park celebrated in February.

The past ten years have seen many changes at Grand Canyon and a remarkable increase in the number of tourists coming each year to gaze upon its many wonders. In 1919 there was a total of 37,745 visitors, while during the past travel season 167,226 visitors were registered, an increase of 443 per cent. The total number of visitors for the ten year period was 1,071,554, and during that same period 146,196 private automobiles have been registered at the Park checking stations.

Scientists and geologists estimate the age of the Grand Canyon at around seven or eight million years. It has not, of course, changed perceptibly in its physical appearance for the past several centuries, nor will there be any noticeable change during a like future period. The growth in travel has been due, therefore, not to any increase in the beauty and splendor of this mighty spectacle, but rather to the increasing interest taken by the people of the United States in the playgrounds and recreational areas set aside for their benefit and enjoyment.

A further factor in the greater popularity of Grand Canyon National Park, as evidenced by the growth in its number of annual visitors, is the many physical improvements which have been made and authorized by the National Park Service during the past ten years. These include the construction of many miles of improved highways along both the North and South Rims, modern and well maintained bridle and footpaths along the rims and high types of trails throughout the inner depths of the Canyon.

Chief among the latter is the new Kaibab Trail extending from the South Rim to the North Rim by way of Phantom Ranch, Ribbon Falls and Roaring Springs and crossing the Colorado River by means of a modern steel suspension bridge. Extensive developments have been made in the way of free public camp grounds, museum and information services. Sanitary facilities are provided by the most highly improved methods of sewage treatment and garbage incineration.

Hotel accommodatitions within the Park are second to none. On the South Rim, open the entire year, El Tovar and Bright Angel Hotels, as well as the housekeeping cottages, are operated. The Hermit Camp and Phantom Ranch are operated at the bottom of the Canyon. On the North Rim there was opened to the public only last season the Grand Canyon Lodge, a million dollar hotel development which provides the highest and most comfortable type of accommodations for those visiting that section of the Park, noted also for its magnificent views as well as for the wonderful Kaibab Forest and its great herd of deer. The North Rim season is from June 1st to October ist.

The recent completion of the splendid new highway bridge, built by the Arizona State Highway Department in cooperation with the Federal Government, over the Colorado River near Lee's Ferry, will do much toward promoting travel to the park and from rim to rim. Already the Park office is besieged with inquiries from all over the country as to the routes of travel that have been made practicable as a result of this new structure.

Many new improvements are under way and being planned by the National Park Service, by Park operators, and by State and Federal road building organizations to provide accommodations and travel facilities for the additional thousands that are expected during this and coming seasons to visit the scenic wonderlands of Northern Arizona and Southern Utah and to pay homage at that greatest shrine of all natural wonders, the Grand Canyon of Arizona.

TRYING THE SHOCK CURE

"How did you cure your wife of her antique craze?" "Oh, I just gave her a 1907 model automobile for her birthday."-Widow.