Introduction
The Grand Canyon is one of America's natural wonders. Millions travel from around the world to gaze at its beauty. Visitors can stay in the Grand Canyon Village at the South Rim of the canyon in hotels such as the El Tovar and experience the sights on horseback or foot. And in beholding the Grand Canyon's astonishing size and beauty, visitors are connected to all those who have come before.
Even during the winter months, visitors made their way through the snow for the amazing views of the canyon. Overlooking the Grand Canyon, date unknown, Courtesy of Keystone View Company.
The popularity of the Grand Canyon is largely a product of the Atcheson, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad. Their marketing strategies sold the Grand Canyon to a broad audience and turned the South Rim into a major tourist destination. As its fame grew, it was only a matter of time before the Federal Government designated it a National Park.
People who traveled to the Grand Canyon could not help but pose with the railroad's locomotives! Grand Canyon Railway, Sid and Ann Terry, c.1920. Courtesy of Williams Public Library.
The Southwest Appeal
The second half of the nineteenth century was the age of Romanticism. Industrialization and urbanization of the Eastern United States left Americans longing for a quiet escape. The American West called those wanting more than what the charted and settled Eastern states offered. In this period, geologists, soldiers, photographers, and artists met with the isolated and unknown Grand Canyon.
The early white explorers relied heavily on the help of local Native Americans. Tau-Gu, Chief of the Paiutes, is seen here overlooking the nearby Virgin River with J. W. Powell. c.1873. Courtesy of NPS.
Paintings and drawings of the gorge were seen all over the country. This led to an increased interest from the public, especially the upper-class. Advertisements focused on the idea of an exotic, "mythic west." With the end of the Civil War, tourism in the West picked up momentum.
Stages to the Rim
Before the railroad, only the most adventurous travelers would dare make the trip by stagecoach. Even with the Santa Fe Railroad going through Northern Arizona, it took more than ten hours to get to the Grand Canyon from Flagstaff or Williams. Some of the first non-native people to settle near the Grand Canyon, such as the legendary John Hance, became tour guides for these stages.
John Hance (on right) with a group of Arizona tourism promotors and investors on a visit to the Grand Canyon. Buffalo Bill Cody and John Hance with Tourism Promotors, 1892. Courtesy of the Grand Canyon National Park Museum.
The journey was dangerous and uncomfortable. Most stagecoach travelers recalled the horrors of the trip. They sat on hard seats the entire day in the desert heat. But their misery would soon vanish with their first look at the canyon. The Grand Canyon quickly became known not only as a stop on the way to other places but as a destination. As this draw became stronger, a railroad to the rim became inevitable.
"I have never witnessed anything like this. It scares me to even try to look down into it. My God, I am afraid the whole county will fall into this great hole in the ground.” (July 9, 1892, Mrs. John Z. Varme on her first look at the Grand Canyon in John Hance’s visitor log via stage)
Beginnings of the Rail
Since the building of the mainline across northern Arizona, the Santa Fe had plans to connect a spur line to the Grand Canyon. At first, mining was the reason for a spur track from Williams to the canyon. But the original sponsors, Lombard, Goode, and Company, faced unsuccessful mining and construction issues. The line only made it to Anita Mine, about fifteen miles south of the rim, before it abandoned the project.
The failures of the mining firm created an opportunity for the Santa Fe Railroad. The company bought the railroad at a low price. They finished the track to the Grand Canyon South Rim for passenger service rather than mining purposes. On September 17, 1901, Harry Schlee's locomotive 282 made the first trip to the canyon with a load of thirty passengers. Their arrival was met with cheers from the twenty-two residents of the Grand Canyon Village.
The original depot at the Grand Canyon was nothing more than a shack with some wooden planks to serve as the flooring. This would later be replaced with a bigger and better depot. Train in Grand Canyon Yard, c.1904. Courtesy of NPS.
Establishing the Grand Canyon as a Tourist Mecca
With the railway built, the Santa Fe put their efforts into the Grand Canyon Village. To welcome visitors, they built the El Tovar Hotel right on the edge of the canyon. The hotel served the wealthy. The rooms were finely furnished and had steam heat. It held a billiards room, art and music studios, and a restaurant. The Santa Fe built a new railroad depot closer to the El Tovar to replace the quickly-built smaller one further away.
From the railroad depot, carriages took visitors right to the front entrance of the El Tovar Hotel. Carriages also took visitors on excursions around the Grand Canyon. El Tovar Hotel, c. 1905. Courtesy of NPS.,
“El Tovar is more than a hotel; it is a village devoted to the entertainment of travelers” (From Grand Canyon 1905 Advertising Booklet)
Other tourism businesses sprung up around the South Rim, such as souvenir shops, trading companies, tour groups, and photography services. To include more of the cultural aspects of the Southwest, the Santa Fe hired architect, Mary Colter. She combined architecture and the local indigenous cultures to create a unique style for the Southwest. These new developments made the Grand Canyon Village the perfect place to experience all the Southwest offered. In 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt designated it a national monument, establishing it as a major tourist attraction.
*PUT BUTTON OF MORGAN'S EXHIBIT HERE* "To learn more about Mary Colter and her contributions to Grand Canyon, click here"
Fred Harvey
One of the most notable figures of the Santa Fe Railroad company is Fred Harvey. He shared the credit for making the Grand Canyon more livable and exciting for white Americans. Harvey is also responsible for making the journey to the Grand Canyon more enjoyable. Before food was served on board, trains stopped for twenty-minute breaks. Passengers would get off to quickly eat in small mess halls before rushing back to the train. Harvey redesigned these restaurants to be more efficient in making and serving the food. This made it a more enjoyable experience.
The Frey Marcos Hotel was one of the many Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe Railroad. It served customers on regular cross-country lines and was the hub for travelers transferring to the Grand Canyon Railway. Santa Fe Railroad Station and Frey Marcos Hotel, 1910. Courtesy of Williams Public Library.
His company's high standards helped redefine frontier habits throughout the West, especially at the Grand Canyon. Like Mary Colter, Harvey focused on combining cultural elements into his services and restaurants. He fostered the theme park feel at the Grand Canyon, making each visit an experience.
Marketing the Canyon
Natural wonders like the Grand Canyon were often features of promotional campaigns for the railroads. They used images of it as a selling point for the "romantic West." No longer was the Grand Canyon an untamed mystery. Instead, it was developed by the Santa Fe Railroad and Fred Harvey. The area became known as a playground for European Americans.
The Santa Fe Railroad sponsored many artistic ventures to create more business for their railroad. They used postcards like this to spread these images throughout the United States. Grand Canyon Nat Park: Widforss Postcard, 1932. Courtesy of NPS.
Tourists often combined their visit to the Grand Canyon with other natural sites. Advertisers saw this as an opportunity. Soon railroad companies throughout the West partnered up to promote the region as a whole. They spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on advertising brochures, complimentary park guidebooks, and full-page magazine spreads. These connections increased tourism to the soon-to-be National Parks. It was the popularity of these places among visitors that would push Congress to create the National Park Service.
Becoming a National Park
Discussions on The National Park Service bill started in Congress in 1911. But the bill faced many opponents, leading to five years of debate. Only the united support from western railroad companies would force Congress into action. The railroads looked forward to working with a single government agency promoting the parks. On August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the act into law creating the National Park Service (NPS).
Chester Powell designed this poster for the National Park as part of the government program, Works Progress Administration. Grand Canyon National Park, a free government service, Don J. Powell, c.1938. Courtesy of Library of Congress.
The law allowed for a bigger focus on park additions and improvements. For the Grand Canyon, this meant providing new roads and places to stay overnight. When NPS took over, the Santa Fe Railroad and Fred Harvey Company had already established most of the South Rim. The two groups stayed involved with the Grand Canyon. They served as its primary private providers for tourists alongside NPS. This partnership continued for years to come.
End of the Line
With the popularization of automobile travel and the funding of a paved highway from Williams to the canyon, rail transport steadily declined. NPS and Fred Harvey created more services and facilities for car-oriented travelers, such as constructing motels. By 1929, auto tourists doubled that of train tourists.
NPS and the Santa Fe Railroad needed to build more parking lots like this one in front of the El Tovar Hotel. Very quickly traffic composed much of tourists' days at the canyon. Visitor Parking Lot, Dean Dazey, 1951. Courtesy of NPS
In the 1930s, the railroad worked hard to survive. Along with passengers, they carried livestock, timber, and mail to and from ranches and logging companies. They also marketed a new through-service, Grand Canyon Limited, which took passengers from the Santa Fe mainline straight to the canyon. Service dropped to only summers until the last passenger train left the Canyon depot on July 30, 1968. After freight service ended in 1972, the Canyon line became only a distant memory.
Return of the Railway
But with increased car transportation comes increased pollution, congestion, and the need for parking. Environmentalists and rail passenger advocates focused on resurrecting the Grand Canyon spur track to its former glory. It also aligned with the NPS mission of conserving park treasures while providing for public enjoyment. The railway would turn out to be the perfect option for future heritage tourism.
Threats of the railway's removal led to a group of private investors, headed by Max Biegert, to fund the restoration. They focused on the daunting task of rebuilding the track. This included removing large trees between the rails and replacing rusted portions. In 1989, the first trip under the new regime left Williams for the South Rim, exactly eighty-eight years after its journey to the Grand Canyon. Today, the railway continues to welcome passengers in a similar way that it did more than one hundred years ago.
The railway operated a special centennial train. This historic locomotive was converted to run on vegetable oil for fuel further expanding on the park's promise of conservation. Arizona Centennial Train Arrival at Grand Canyon, Michael Quinn, 2012. Courtesy of NPS.
Where to Learn More
Cover Image: The first ride to the Grand Canyon Rim. First Train Ride, 1901. Courtesy of NPS.
Credits:
Introduction: National Park Service Digital Asset Management System (NPS DAMS), Keystone View Company, Grand Canyon National Park Service Museum Collection (GCNPSMC), Williams Public Library Collection (WPLC) Southwest Appeal: NPS DAMS, Atcheson, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad Company. Stages to the Rim: GCNPSMC Beginnings of the Rail: NPS DAMS, GCNPSMC Establishing the Grand Canyon: NP DAMS, GCNPSMC Fred Harvey: Williams Public Library, NPS DAMS Marketing the Canyon: NPS DAMS, UC San Diego Archives Becoming a National Park: NPS DAMS End of the Line: NPS DAMS, GCNPSMC Revival of the Railroad: NPS DAMS, GCNPSMC