Few people have not seen pictures of the Grand Canyon and still when first seen, we could not be anything else but impressed and in awe of this majestic sight. What must have it been like for the first people who happened on this unbelievable vision of nature at its best?
The oldest human artifacts discovered date to the Paleo-Indian period nearly 12,000 years ago. For thousands of years the Puebloans, Cohoninas, the Paiutes, Cerbats and the Navajoes lived as semi-nomadic hunter-gatherers and canyon dwellers in the area of the canyon.
There are approximately 2,000 known archaeological sites within the park boundaries giving evidence of their existence and their way of life. The most accessible site is Tusayan Pueblo believed to be constructed sometime around 1185 and possibly housing about thirty people. There is further evidence that in the late 1200's these nomadic people seemed to have left the area of the canyon. It is thought that the mass exodus may have been due to a climate change since a lot of their existence depended upon agriculture.
Following this for a period of about one hundred years the canyon remained deserted by humans until the Paiutes, Cerbats and later the Navajoes returned to reestablish their settlements. The Dines, relatives of the Apache, later became inhabitants of the canyon as well until in 1882 when all Native Americans were forced onto reservations.
In 1540, Captain Garcia Lopez de Cardenas lead a party of Spanish soldiers into the Grand Canyon on an expedition but left believing that it was impossible to get through many of the areas. It was another two hundred years before a second expedition arrived in the form of two Spanish priests. They were searching for a route from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Monterey, California. In 1826, James Ohio Pattie and a group of trappers reached the canyon but little more is known about them. And in the mid 1800's Lieutenant Joseph Ines attempted to explore the area as well but eventually gave up his quest.
John Wesley Powell (1834 - 1902) was the first geologist to navigate the often treacherous Colorado River through the Grand Canyon studying the geology of the canyon. He later founded the U.S. Geological Society and wrote several books on the subject. His first trip was in 1869 and his second, more successful trip, was between 1871 and 1872. Others later followed him discovering and recording additional information about this fabulous creation as they went.
In 1901, the Grand Canyon Railway was established and ran between Arizona and the South Rim opening the canyon up to tourists who had previously only been able to visit by stagecoach. In 1905 a luxury hotel, the El Tovar, was opened on the South Rim and the Phantom Ranch in the Inner Gorge opened in 1922.
In May, 1933 the Watchtower at Desert View Point opened allowing visitors to see for over one hundred miles on a clear day and be able to watch the Colorado River as it snakes through the canyon. The Watchtower was designed by Mary Elizabeth Colter using rock from the canyon. Paintings and artwork decorate the inside walls. Standing seventy feet tall, there is an unbelievable view from the top level.
Besides viewing the canyon from various look-out points, there are many tours that can be taken which include flying over it by airplane or helicopter or by taking rafting trips down the river. You can also take a jeep down the Diamond Creek Road to the bottom of the canyon to explore caverns and take pictures of the towering rock formations. We took a shuttle bus from one view point to another, getting off where we wanted and back on the next one that came along.
When you look down into the canyon below and see the different layers of history that nature has preserved for us, it puts life into perspective.The formation of the Grand Canyon took many, many thousands of years to create and almost as many years for those who lived their lives struggling within its walls.
On a visit to many places you feel you are glad you came, enjoyed what you saw, but may not come back again. But on a visit to the Grand Canyon, you know you definitely want to return to view its beauty again.
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