AZ -- Grand Canyon Natl Park -- South Rim -- Man-made Structures:
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GRCSM_220714_0005.JPG: Measuring the Air
GRCSM_220714_0010.JPG: Stephen Tyng Mather
July 4, 1867 - Jan. 22, 1930
He laid the foundation of the National Park Service defining and establishing the policies under which its areas shall be developed and conserved unimpaired for future generations. There will never come an end to the good that he has done.
GRCSM_220714_0013.JPG: Tribes Call the Canyon Home
GRCSM_220714_0022.JPG: This area has been set aside for individuals or groups exercising their constitutional First Amendment rights.
The National Park Service neither encourages nor discourage nor otherwise endorses these activities.
GRCSM_220714_0030.JPG: Inspire
Educate
Protect
Be a Part of Something Grand ...
Grand Canyon Conservancy
The official nonprofit partner or Grand Canyon National Park
GRCSM_220714_0032.JPG: Due to a recent surge of COVID cases in the area, the visitor center was closed to visitors. The gift shops, run by the Grand Canyon Conservancy, were still open though.
GRCSM_220714_0035.JPG: Grand Canyon National Park
International Dark-Sky Association
International Dark Sky Park
GRCSM_220714_0043.JPG: Building Closed
The National Park Service follows CDC guidance to reduce the spread of COVID-19
GRCSM_220714_0050.JPG: Climate Friendly Park
Grand Canyon National Park is committed to sustainability.
GRCSM_220714_0053.JPG: Have a Green Visit
Join our climate-friendly efforts.
GRCSM_220714_0057.JPG: What You Can Do
Everything is connected -- you can help Grand Canyon from home.
GRCSM_220714_0060.JPG: Mutual Respect
The National Park Service works with tribes on a government-to-government basis.
GRCSM_220714_0063.JPG: The Canyon is Home
Footprints left by ancestors still resonate.
GRCSM_220714_0067.JPG: Living History
Explore links with the past through Grand Canyon's American Indian heritage.
GRCSM_220714_0074.JPG: On the Trail
Be a smart canyon hiker: know the facts and play it safe.
GRCSM_220714_0077.JPG: Have a Safe Visit
Grand Canyon is unlike anywhere else on earth, even when it comes to safety.
GRCSM_220714_0083.JPG: On the Rim
Know the safety facts, so you can make the right choice.
GRCSM_220714_0086.JPG: The visitor services people were in this tented area since tourists were not allowed in the buildings due to COVID.
GRCSM_220714_0089.JPG: Up on the North Rim, ... trees grow tall
but here on the South Rim, they don't ... at all
What makes the difference? What changes what grows?
Elevation and water? What do you suppose?
GRCSM_220714_0093.JPG: Notice
Wearing a face mask is required in this building, regardless of vaccination status.
[ Maybe 40% of the people inside the store were maskless. I approached some of them, none of whom had bothered bringing masks for some reason. Several got confrontational. I asked one of the staff at the counter and she said they didn't confront anyone anymore because some had gotten hostile. ]
GRCSM_220714_0097.JPG: 1919-2019
Grand Canyon National Park Centennial
GRCSM_220714_0102.JPG: Yavapai Observation Station
1928
GRCSM_220714_0106.JPG: A Room with a View
GRCSM_220714_0115.JPG: A Canyon of Enormous Proportions
GRCSM_220714_0121.JPG: North versus South
GRCSM_220714_0124.JPG: Canyon in a Canyon
GRCSM_220714_0130.JPG: Point Sublime
GRCSM_220714_0135.JPG: Cape Royal
GRCSM_220714_0138.JPG: Desert View
GRCSM_220714_0141.JPG: Forces of Change
GRCSM_220714_0143.JPG: Debris Flows
GRCSM_220714_0146.JPG: Before December 1966...
GRCSM_220714_0148.JPG: After
GRCSM_220714_0152.JPG: Ice Breaker
GRCSM_220714_0154.JPG: Chemical Attack!
GRCSM_220714_0157.JPG: Collapse
GRCSM_220714_0163.JPG: Looking Back at You
GRCSM_220714_0171.JPG: A Canyon of Perspectives
GRCSM_220714_0172.JPG: A Retreating Landscape
GRCSM_220714_0181.JPG: Raised High and Flat
GRCSM_220714_0185.JPG: Hiding in the Basement
What's Missing
Sea, Desert, and Wetland
GRCSM_220714_0189.JPG: Hiding in the Basement
GRCSM_220714_0190.JPG: What's Missing?
GRCSM_220714_0193.JPG: Sea, Desert, and Wetland
GRCSM_220714_0196.JPG: There's a River Down There!
GRCSM_220714_0199.JPG: Bird's-Eye View
GRCSM_220714_0202.JPG: Rapid Change
GRCSM_220714_0206.JPG: Yes, It's a Bridge
GRCSM_220714_0208.JPG: Hidden River
GRCSM_220714_0212.JPG: The Power of a River and its Tributaries Make a Grand Canyon
GRCSM_220714_0215.JPG: Too Thick to Drink, Too Thin to Plow
Spanish missionary Fray Francisco Garces, while exploring the region in 1776, named the river Rio Colorado -- Colorado River -- inspired by its reddish color.
Before Glen Canyon Dam was built, the Colorado River was free-flowing. It carried 86 million tons of sediment through Grand Canyon every year.
The clear green water that flows through Grand Canyon today is sediment-starved. Choked back by Glen Canyon Dam, the sediments settle to the bottom of Lake Powell.
A muddy Colorado River echoes its former character, carrying sediment delivered by flooding tributaries downstream of Glen Canyon Dam.
GRCSM_220714_0225.JPG: The Power of a River
GRCSM_220714_0230.JPG: Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
GRCSM_220714_0231.JPG: 1834-1902
John Wesley Powell
The Explorer
GRCSM_220714_0237.JPG: 1841-1912
Clarence Dutton
The Poet
GRCSM_220714_0244.JPG: 1843-1918
Grove Karl Gilbert
The True Scientist
GRCSM_220714_0248.JPG: 1850-1927
Charles D. Walcott
The Paleontologist
GRCSM_220714_0254.JPG: 1822-1892
John Strong Newberry
The Pioneer
GRCSM_220714_0260.JPG: 1882-1965
Levi Noble
The Stratigrapher
GRCSM_220714_0266.JPG: 1864-1948
Francois Emil Mathers
The Mapper
GRCSM_220714_0272.JPG: 1906-1984
Edwin D. McKee
The Teacher
GRCSM_220714_0282.JPG: A Look to the Future
GRCSM_220714_0288.JPG: A Look Through Deep Time
GRCSM_220714_0301.JPG: Laying the Foundation
GRCSM_220714_0313.JPG: How Old?
Angled Layers above the Foundation
GRCSM_220714_0388.JPG: Uplift of Rocks:
Continental Friction
GRCSM_220714_0390.JPG: Gone But Not Forgotten
GRCSM_220714_0397.JPG: A High and Flat Landscape
GRCSM_220714_0412.JPG: Canyon Carving:
A Powerful Sculptor
GRCSM_220714_0416.JPG: Canyon Carving
GRCSM_220714_0417.JPG: Time Empowers Water
GRCSM_220714_0429.JPG: Solving the River's Puzzle
GRCSM_220714_0433.JPG: Five Million Years and Still Carving
GRCSM_220714_0444.JPG: Welcome to the Trail of Time, a geology timeline
Walk a million years, then you will be ready to walk 2 billion years of Grand Canyon history.
See and touch samples of Grand Canyon rocks.
Discovery their ages!
GRCSM_220714_0449.JPG: Congratulations!
You have just walked the Trail of Time, a geology timeline.
You have covered 3 billion years of Grand Canyon history, and seen where people fit into that history.
Walk on to Yavapai Geology Museum.
Think about the future of humans and Grand Canyon.
GRCSM_220714_0452.JPG: Walk a million years on this timeline trail.
To humans, a million years seems unimaginably long, more than 10,000 lifetimes. This trail helps you shift from human time to geologic time.
Find your birthday:
As you walk the trail, think of al that happened before your time.
Talk about time as you walk the trail:
Years -- your birthday
Decades -- your generation
Centuries -- US history
Millennia -- ancient peoples
10,000s -- changing climate
100,000s -- earthquakes and volcanoes
Millions -- a six million year old Grand Canyon
Billions -- oldest rocks in Grand Canyon
GRCSM_220714_0456.JPG: Million Year Trail
22 years ago
Walk a million years
GRCSM_220714_0462.JPG: Million Year Trail
800 years ago
Walk a million years
GRCSM_220714_0465.JPG: People have lived here for over 10,000 years
Today, at least 12 Native American tribes think of Grand Canyon as part of their homeland. The canyon's grandeur attracts millions of visitors each year from all over the world.
Find 150 years ago:
John Wesley Powell led the first geologic exploration through Grand Canyon in 1869.
Find 1,000 years ago:
Ancestral Puebloans farmed the canyon bottom. These rooms were used to store their crops.
Find 4,000 years ago:
Paleo-Indians made split-twig figures. These 4,000-year-old figurines have been found in caves. They are some of the oldest human-made artifacts in Grand Canyon.
Find 10,000 years ago:
Nomadic hunters lived here 10,000 years ago. They may have influenced the collection of large ma mammals like the Shasta Sloth.
GRCSM_220714_0474.JPG: Million Year Trail
1,000 years ago
Walk a million years
GRCSM_220714_0479.JPG: Climate changes affect ecology, geology, and you
GRCSM_220714_0485.JPG: Banded spring deposits
GRCSM_220714_0488.JPG: Basalt (lava rock)
GRCSM_220714_0494.JPG: Eruptions and earthquakes may happen here again
GRCSM_220714_0497.JPG: Congratulations! You have just walked a million years.
Now you are ready to walk a 2 billion year timeline of Grand Canyon geology.
GRCSM_220714_0500.JPG: This bronze meter represents the last million years.
GRCSM_220714_0506.JPG: Million Year Trail
1 million years ago
Walk a million years
GRCSM_220714_0508.JPG: Congratulations! You have just walked a 2 billion year timeline of Grand Canyon geology.
ow see what happened in the last 1 million years.
GRCSM_220714_0510.JPG: Grand Canyon is 6 million years old.
GRCSM_220714_0517.JPG: Thunderbird Lodge
GRCSM_220714_0527.JPG: The Kolb Studio is in the distance.
GRCSM_220714_0531.JPG: CCC Legacy
"Maybe those mountains are hard to climb. Those trees so hard to cut.
But the air is pure, the water fine. And we're climbing right out of the rut....
For besides helping ourselves, you see. We are helping Mother and Dad."
-- Robert L. Robeson, CCC Enrollee
The nearby plaque commemorates an amazing feat achieved by members of the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) in the 1930s - construction of a telephone line spanning the entire width of Grand Canyon. One of the poles still stands behind this wall. Beginning in 1934, CCC enrollees worked through winter snow and summer heat to survey and clear a right-of-way roughly following the Bright Angel and North Kaibab trails. Supplied by pack mules, they set 592 galvanized pipe telephone poles and completed stringing the 18 miles (29 km) of copper-weld wire in 1935.
Captions:
The even stone wall on the canyon rim through Grand Canyon Village is a fine example of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal. Young men employed in the Civil Works Administration (CWA), the Public Works Administration (PWA), and the CCC all built sections of the wall, completing it in 1935.
GRCSM_220714_0540.JPG: Trans-Canyon Telephone Line, built in 1935 by CCC workers, maintained by Mountain Bell, has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior.
GRCSM_220714_0557.JPG: Bright Angel Lodge
GRCSM_220714_0568.JPG: The Lookout
GRCSM_220714_0575.JPG: Buckey's Cabin
GRCSM_220714_0583.JPG: Hotel Tovar in the distance
GRCSM_220714_0589.JPG: Lookout Studio
has been designated a
National Historic Landmark
This site possesses national significance in commemorating the history of the United States of America.
1987
National Park Service
United States Department of the Interior
GRCSM_220714_0599.JPG: Free Exhibit
The Amazing Kolb Brothers
A Grand Life at Grand Canyon
Kolb Studio Gallery
GRCSM_220714_0602.JPG: Mask Required
GRCSM_220714_0603.JPG: Historic Kolb Studio
Established in 1904 by the Kolb Brothers as a photographic studio and operated by Emery Kolb until his death in 1976. Kolb is now operated as a book store and information center by the Grand Canyon Conservancy, a non-profit organization. Proceeds go directly to Grand Canyon National Park.
GRCSM_220714_0608.JPG: Displayed on this balcony are works from Grand Canyon Conservancy's permanent collection.
GRCSM_220714_0615.JPG: Storm Break at Yaki Point
P.A. Nisbet
GRCSM_220714_0620.JPG: National Treasure
Curt Walters
GRCSM_220714_0624.JPG: Out of the Depths
John D. Cogan
GRCSM_220714_0628.JPG: Clear Path to Awe
Serena Supplee
GRCSM_220714_0638.JPG: On the Frontier
GRCSM_220714_0651.JPG: The Kolb brothers explored their new backyard and every opportunity
GRCSM_220714_0660.JPG: A Portable Boat
GRCSM_220714_0667.JPG: Cork Life Vest, 1909
GRCSM_220714_0682.JPG: Motion Picture Cameras
GRCSM_220714_0693.JPG: The Kolb brothers designed souvenir photo albums, some with hand-tinted photographs, which they sold in their gift shop and by mail order.
GRCSM_220714_0697.JPG: Emery's Army Signal Corps Hat from World War I
GRCSM_220714_0712.JPG: A Treasure Trove:
The Kolb Collection
GRCSM_220714_0723.JPG: The Grand Canyon Community
GRCSM_220714_0736.JPG: The Fred Harvey Company's "Harvey Girls" served high-quality meals to early park visitors.
GRCSM_220714_0738.JPG: Grand Canyon School's graduating class, 1946.
GRCSM_220714_0743.JPG: The Kolb brothers met and photographed many dignitaries who visited the Grand Canyon. Left to right: President Theodore Roosevelt, The Virginian author Owen Wister, and artist Thomas Moran.
GRCSM_220714_0784.JPG: The Kolb Family
GRCSM_220714_0787.JPG: The Kolb Family
GRCSM_220714_0806.JPG: During World War II, Emery served as a Lieutenant in the US Army Signal Corps. He is shown here in uniform with his mother Ella, father Edward, and daughter Edith. Ellsworth attempted to join the military was deemed too old to qualify.
GRCSM_220714_0827.JPG: An Enduring Enterprise
GRCSM_220714_0856.JPG: "Grand Canyon Film Show"
GRCSM_220714_0870.JPG: Antics and Adventures
GRCSM_220714_0923.JPG: Emery photographed Ellsworth on top of Rainbow Bridge near Glen Canyon, 1913. The waters of Lake Powell now lap at its base when lake levels are high.
GRCSM_220714_1025.JPG: Spencer Delineascope Projector, circa 1920s
Also known as a "classroom projector," the Delineascope was used to project glass slides for an audience.
GRCSM_220714_1032.JPG: It was interesting to me that the emergency exit sign was in two languages and the second one was not Spanish. I'm not familiar with alphabets but I'm presuming Chinese?
GRCSM_220714_1036.JPG: A portable boat
GRCSM_220714_1038.JPG: No. 4 Panoram Kodak, Model B, circa 1903
GRCSM_220714_1042.JPG: No. 4 Panoram Kodak, Model B, circa 1903
GRCSM_220714_1045.JPG: Blair Weno Stereo Camera, ca 1903
GRCSM_220714_1050.JPG: Blair Weno Stereo Camera, ca 1903
GRCSM_220714_1055.JPG: Anthony's Lantern Slide Camera, early 1900s
GRCSM_220714_1059.JPG: Anthony's Lantern Slide Camera, early 1900s
GRCSM_220714_1065.JPG: The Big Trip
GRCSM_220714_1103.JPG: "Grand Canyon Film Show"
GRCSM_220714_1112.JPG: (left) Pathe Frese Motion Picture Camera
(right) Akeley Motion Picture Camera, circa 1920
GRCSM_220714_1116.JPG: Pathe Frese Motion Picture Camera
GRCSM_220714_1118.JPG: Akeley Motion Picture Camera, circa 1920
GRCSM_220714_1120.JPG: Akeley Motion Picture Camera, circa 1920
GRCSM_220714_1130.JPG: Ladies in Waiting
Ryan Skidmore
GRCSM_220714_1132.JPG: Trees with a View
Mark Christopher Weber
GRCSM_220714_1134.JPG: A Grand Collection of Art
GRCSM_220714_1153.JPG: Powers Peerless Projector
GRCSM_220714_1181.JPG: Mule Power
GRCSM_220714_1185.JPG: Bright Angel Trailhead
GRCSM_220714_1187.JPG: Mules and the Canyon
Behind you is the Bright Angel mule corral, where each morning mules greet riders and another adventure begins. Mules have carried people into Grand Canyon since sightseeers first visited here in the 1890s. For many people - including those who cannot hike - mules provide access to the inner canyon.
Mules?
What is a mule?
Mules are hybrids, a cross between a male burro and a female horse.
How long do mules live? How old are the ones visitors ride?
Mules live about 30-35 years. The ones visitors ride are between 6-25 years old (10 years average).
Can I pet or feed the mules?
No, please. It is dangerous
Will the mules bite?
Yes, they might. They are not aggressive, but if someone reaches out with hands that smell like food, they will bite.
Why mules? Why not horses
Mules carry more weight, are less temperamental, and are more economical. And, as one wrangler said, "The difference between riding a mule and riding a horse is like the difference between riding in a Cadillac and riding in a washing machine. Mules are just a whole lot smoother."
Where do Grand Canyon's passenger mules come from?
Mostly from Tennessee. Often used for tobacco cultivation, mules are generally sold wherever tobacco is grown. The Fred Harvey Company, which operates the mule rides, buys about 15-20 each year.
Where do I get information about taking a mule ride?
Information is available at all park hotel desks. Reservations are made through the Bright Angel Transportation Desk in the lobby of Bright Angel Lodge.
Must I make reservations?
Absolutely! A year in advance is recommended.
How long do mule rides take? Where do they go?
There are two different trips: a day trip and an overnight trip.
The day trip takes about 8 hours. Starting here at 8:00 a.m., it goes to Plateau Point about half way into the canyon, then returns here by about 4:00 p.m.
The overnight trip leaves here around 7:00 a.m. (8:00 a.m. in Winter) and descends to Phantom Ranch in the canyon bottom, where riders spend the night. The trip out is via Kaibab Trail, 5 miles east of here, and ends by about 4:00 p.m.
What should hikers do when mules are passing?
Stand quietly to the inside of the trail and follow instructions from the wrangler. Mules have the right-of-way.
Do the mules ever fall? Have there been accidents?
Almost never. There has never been a human death associated with passenger mules. Occasionally pack mules have fallen. Passenger mules are chosen carefully. They must not be easily excited. The greatest hazards involve heat and interaction with hikers.
"If the mule should slip, all would be over. BUT - the mule doesn't slip. The trail is never as narrow or as steep as you will describe it when you get back home. If it were, no living animal could possibly make the trip safely."
Fred Harvey publication, 1909
GRCSM_220714_1193.JPG: What goes down
Must go back up
GRCSM_220714_1196.JPG: right Angel Trail
Each year thousands of hikers enter Grand Canyon on the Bright Angel Trail. They follow a tradition - and a trail route - established by prehistoric people. For centuries humans have used this route for two key reasons: water and access. Water emerges from springs at Indian Garden, and erosion along the Bright Angel Fault creates a break in the cliffs, providing access to the springs.
When prospectors arrived here in the late 1800s, Havasupai Indians were using the route. Prospectors improved the Havasupai route, but soon realized that the canyon's wealth lay in tourism, not ore. By 1903 one prospector, Ralph Cameron, had secured control of the trail by strategically locating mining claims. He then charged a $1.00 toll per trail user.
For years Ralph Cameron battled to defend his precarious legal claim to the Bright Angel Trail, all the while collecting tolls. In 1928 the National Park Service gained control of the trail and tolls ceased. The Bright Angel has been Grand Canyon's most popular trail ever since.
GRCSM_220714_1202.JPG: No Fault No Trail
GRCSM_220714_1209.JPG: Imagine a time before the canyon's oldest rocks formed.
GRCSM_220714_1212.JPG: Horse-drawn to Horsepower
GRCSM_220714_1217.JPG: Hermit Road
Today, most visitors will travel the Hermit Road by shuttle, but in 1912 when the road first opened, you would have traveled by horse or buggy. The Santa Fe Railway and U.S. Forest Service built the buggy road so early visitors had a choice in experiencing the canyon. Until then, the easiest option for entering the canyon was by Ralph Cameron's trail (today's Bright Angel Trail), which had a dollar toll, equal to about $20 today. Hermit Road enabled visitors to reach the Hermit Trail, where they could hike into the canyon or stay overnight at Hermit Camp.
GRCSM_220714_1220.JPG: Welcome to the Trail of Time, a geology timeline.
GRCSM_220714_1230.JPG: Maricopa Point
westbound
GRCSM_220714_1239.JPG: Orphan Mine
Something unexpected once stood on the rim in front of you. A steel headframe towered over a mineshaft that dropped 1,500 feet (460 m) to one of the richest uranium mines in the United States. From 1956 to 1969, miners extracted ton after ton of uranium ore from this 20-acre (8 ha) claim.
The mine goes back to 1891, when Dan Hogan-an orphan-discovered copper here. Hogan built a daring trail to his Orphan Mine Lode 1,000 feet (330 m) below you. He gave up mining in 1936 and built a lodge and trading post on the rim, which, in 1947, became Grand Canyon Inn. Business quickly changed when uranium ore was confirmed here in 1951.
"I gazed in wonderment at a mine existing at the very rim of the Grand Canyon."
-- Maurice Castagne, 1958-1969 Mine Superintendent
GRCSM_220714_1243.JPG: You can see the mine's headframe has been removed. It was still there for my 2006 photos.
GRCSM_220714_1258.JPG: Grand Canyon National Park
Your Opinion Matters
GRCSM_220714_1270.JPG: Early Explorer
This monument honors Major John Wesley Powell, the leader of the first documented expedition through Grand Canyon. Imagine entering the depths of Grand Canyon down a roaring, not-yet-charted river, not knowing whether you will emerge. Because Powell's first expedition in 1869 was more survival than science, he led a second in 1871-1872, which gave America its first geologic glimpse of the canyon.
The names Frank Goodman, William Dunn, and brothers Oramel and Seneca Howland, 1869 expedition members, are missing from this 1912 monument. All were labeled "deserters"-though not by Powell-for leaving the voyage. Goodman left after the first major rapid in northern Utah. Dunn and the Howlands left just two days before the trip's end. They attempted to climb out of the canyon, but were never heard from again.
"There are great descents yet to made....maybe, we shall come to a fall...we cannot pass...where the water is so swift we cannot return...How will it be in the future!"
-- John Wesley Powell
GRCSM_220714_1288.JPG: Grand Canyon National Park
1919 * 1969
50th Anniversary
GRCSM_220714_1294.JPG: Grand Canyon National Park
1919 * 1994
75th Anniversary
GRCSM_220714_1300.JPG: 1869
John C. Summer
Walter H. Powell
C.Y. Bradley
William R. Hawkins
Andrew Hall
1872
A.H. Thompson
F.S. Dellenbaugh
John K. Hillers
Stephen V. Jones
W. Clement Powell
Andrew J. Hattan
Erected by the Congress of the United States to Major John Wesley Powell first explorer of the Grand Canyon who descended the river with his party in row-boats traversing the gorge beneath this point August 17 1869 and again September 1 1872.
GRCSM_220714_1310.JPG: Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)
GRCSM_220714_1313.JPG: Hopi Point
GRCSM_220714_1318.JPG: No Pets allowed on Grand Canyon Shuttle Buses
Only Service Animals are allowed
A service animals means any dog that is individually trained...
Emotional support animals, comfort animals, and therapy dogs are not service animals...
While Emotional Support Animals or Comfort Animals are often used as part of a medical treatment plan as therapy animals, they are not considered service animals under the ADA ...
GRCSM_220714_1323.JPG: Marks are required if you choose to ride the Grand Canyon shuttle bus.
You have other options if you are opposed to wearing a mask. [They don't explain what they are but I presume walking is always there.]
Drivers are not responsible for making the rules.
Please don't argue with the drivers about wearing a mask on the bus.
Have a great day here at the Grand Canyon.
GRCSM_220714_1327.JPG: Listen
GRCSM_220714_1329.JPG: The Trail of Time
13,750 million years ago
A geology timeline
GRCSM_220714_1332.JPG: A Trail, a Camp, and a "Hermit"
Directly behind you, looking down into Hermit Canyon, you can see part of Hermit Trail and the remains of Hermit Camp. In 1911-12 the Santa Fe Railroad built both trail and camp to serve a blossoming tourist trade.
Why did Santa Fe build here at remote Hermit Canyon, 9 miles from the depot? By building their own trail here the railroad avoided tolls on the privately-controlled Bright Angel Trail.
With some sandstone-paved sections and rock walls along the outer edge, Hermit Trail was once considered the finest trail in the Canyon. A local newspaper in 1912 described the new trail as “a marvel of engineering skill.” Though nature has since restored Hermit Trail to a rough and rugged condition, it is still very popular with backcountry hikers.
A Santa Fe Grand Canyon Trip
After arrival at the Grand Canyon Village train depot, Santa Fe patrons travelled 9 miles by open-top touring stage to Hermits Rest, 1 mile west of here. A mule ride to the river and overnight stay in a tent at Hermit Camp completed their two-day adventure. Cost: $18.25.
Santa Fe Railroad cared about patron comfort. Tents included stoves, glass windows, real beds, and wooden floors covered with Navajo rugs. Cabins eventually replaced tents. The camp even had telephone service. An aerial tramway from here at Pima Point carried supplies to Hermit Camp.
In 1928, the Federal Government gained control of the Bright Angel Trail at Grand Canyon Village and tolls there ceased. With free use of that more-convenient trail, the Santa Fe abandoned Hermit Camp.
Why the Name "Hermit"?
Around 1891, Canadian-born prospector Louis Boucher staked claims below present-day Hermits Rest. With help, Louis carved a trail into the Canyon and for years lived alone at nearby Dripping Springs. He has been described as a kind, gentle soul. Though not a true hermit, Louis Boucher is the "hermit" for whom local features are named.
GRCSM_220714_1348.JPG: Rest House
Your visit and rest here is part of a long tradition started in 1914 with the opening of Hermits Rest. After an 8-mile (13 km) buggy ride, you would be greeted by the resident caretaker and offered a refreshing drink to clear the dust from your throat. The smell of mules nearby may have filled the air and smoke wafted a pleasant scent from the stone fireplace. After a short walk you would return to El Tovar, or ride a mule the 7.5 miles (12 km) to Hermit Camp for a delightful meal and restful sleep.
GRCSM_220714_1353.JPG: Hermit's Rest
has been designated a
National Historic Landmark
This site possesses national significance in commemorating the history of the United States of America.
1987
National Park Service
United States Department of the Interior
GRCSM_220714_1364.JPG: Sing to god, sing praises to his name;
lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds;
his name is the lord, exult before him.
-- Psalm 68/4
[ I had been annoyed on the shuttle when the driver was talking about a stop called The Abyss. He explained that if someone jumped off, it would take x-number of seconds to die. During that time, he said, the person could try to make amends with their maker but he said that wasn't a problem for him personally because he had already accepted JC as his savior... I thought, why the f--- am I getting evangelical messages from a park service employee? ]
GRCSM_220714_1370.JPG: Good nature.
We're all about it. And so are our loyal employees. They're good people doing their best to serve you on your adventure here. Please be kind to them; they are doing everything they can with the staff and supplies available.
Thank you.
GRCSM_220714_1381.JPG: Hermit's Rest
GRCSM_220714_1391.JPG: The Ravenous Raven
by Midji Stephenson
illustrated by Steve Gray
GRCSM_220714_1404.JPG: Authorized Concessioner
GRCSM_220714_1408.JPG: Shuttle Bus Rules
"The guide"
AAA "Gem": AAA considers this location to be a "must see" point of interest. To see pictures of other areas that AAA considers to be Gems, click here.
Bigger photos? To save server space, the full-sized versions of these images have either not been loaded to the server or have been removed from the server. (Only some pages are loaded with full-sized images and those usually get removed after three months.)
I still have them though. If you want me to email them to you, please send an email to guthrie.bruce@gmail.com
and I can email them to you, or, depending on the number of images, just repost the page again will the full-sized images.
Directly Related Pages: Other pages with content (AZ -- Grand Canyon Natl Park -- South Rim -- Man-made Structures) directly related to this one:
[Display ALL photos on one page]:
2006_AZ_GRC_S_Manmade: AZ -- Grand Canyon Natl Park -- South Rim -- Man-made Structures (78 photos from 2006)
2003_AZ_GRC_S_Manmade: AZ -- Grand Canyon Natl Park -- South Rim -- Man-made Structures (11 photos from 2003)
2000_AZ_GRC_S_Manmade: AZ -- Grand Canyon Natl Park -- South Rim -- Man-made Structures (23 photos from 2000)
1968_AZ_GRC_S_Manmade: AZ -- Grand Canyon Natl Park -- South Rim -- Man-made Structures (1 photo from 1968)
2022 photos: This year included major setbacks -- including Putin's invasion of Ukraine and the Supreme Court imposing the evangelical version of sharia law -- but also some steps forward like the results of the midterms.
This website had its 20th anniversary in August, 2022.
Equipment this year: I continued to use my Fuji XS-1 cameras but, depending on the event, I also used a Nikon D7000.
Trips this year:
(February) a visit to see Dad and Dixie in Asheville, NC with some other members of my family,
(July) a trip out west for the return of San Diego Comic-Con, and
(October) a long weekend in New York to cover New York Comic-Con.
Number of photos taken this year: about 386,000, up 2020 and 2021 levels but still way below pre-pandemic levels.
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