Grand Canyon, Arizona (Page 2 of 3)

Historic Human Occupation and Development

With the exception of trappers and other rugged individualists, the Grand Canyon was little known to European/Anglo settlers until the end of the 19th century. Only after the Sitgreaves and Powell surveying parties mapped the area did Anglo settlement and development begin in the region. Land procurement and exploitation was highly encouraged by the Manifest Destiny land policies of the federal government during these pioneer times. The plateaus surrounding the canyon provided plentiful wildlife for hunters, grazing lands for ranchers' cattle and sheep, and large expanses of old growth ponderosa pine and other timber for loggers. Mormon colonists moving south from Utah founded farming settlements throughout the region, from Kanab to the Little Colorado River Basin.

Mooney Falls, Havasu Canyon. Image 2962a by Bill Belknap, courtesy of Cline Library Special Collections, Northern Arizona University.

Prospectors came to the canyon in droves, believing that the gorge contained large deposits of valuable minerals. As rumors circulated the country that the Grand Canyon was rich with untapped riches, several mining companies (whether already existing or created for this purpose) came to the canyon to investigate copper, lead, asbestos, and other deposits. Although hundreds of claims were staked within the canyon by individuals as well as mining companies, few fortunes were ever made from mining in the canyon. Not only was access difficult due to the ruggedness of the terrain and lack of transportation, most of the deposits were marginal at best. Unfortunately for the Havasupai Indians, Havasu Canyon did contain rich mineral wealth in the form of high grade lead and silver ores and was the site of some of the most intense and enduring mining activity in Grand Canyon history.

Prospectors spent much time and effort building and improving trails on which beasts of burden could travel into and out of the canyon; many of these trails still exist today. Burros, which are nonnative to the U.S., were brought into the canyon by prospectors and allowed to roam freely and feed on the sparse vegetation. Eventually, the burros multiplied and spread throughout the canyon, destroying native plant cover and fouling springs. In an effort to control the feral burro population, park authorities killed or removed all of the animals in the central corridor. Today, small populations still survive in the remote side canyons to the west of the park.

Flagstaff Lumber Company #1, c. 1920. Photo NAU.PH.85.3.26.202 by Fronske Studio, courtesy of Cline Library Special Collections, Northern Arizona University.

The completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1883 had profound effects on Northern Arizona, especially the Grand Canyon region. Prior to 1883, people and goods arrived either by wagon train on rough roads from Albuquerque and Los Angeles or by steamboat from the Gulf of California, often taking weeks to reach their destination. The railroad changed all of this dramatically; transportation could be accomplished in a fraction of the time and cost. Towns such as Flagstaff, Williams and Ashfork sprung up along the railroad to provide the goods and services for the hundreds of men employed by the railroad. Population and property values quickly soared as families settled in these towns and large cattle and logging companies came to exploit the now accessible lands.

Tourism at the Grand Canyon skyrocketed as travelers from all over the country came to the railroad towns of Flagstaff and Williams, both of which capitalized on providing a gateway to the canyon. Although both towns rallied for the extension of a railroad directly to the South Rim, it was Williams that won the privilege, and in 1901, the first train delivered tourists to the canyon. Around this time, many prospectors and explorers of the canyon's earlier days found the tourism business to be an easier and more profitable venture, leading to the creation of lodging and touring outfits in and around the canyon.

On January 11, 1908, Theodore Roosevelt established the Grand Canyon National Monument out of the existing Grand Canyon Forest Reserve, prohibiting any new mining claims. Grand Canyon became the seventeenth national park in 1919, under the direction of the newly created National Park Service.

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References