The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1920-08-06

~ RAND Canyon of the Colo
HI RADIO In Arizona is a national
park at last, after more than
30 years of endeavor by the
nature lovers of the country. Con-
gress has passed an act changing this
natural wonder of the world from a
national monument to a national park,
and has appropriated money for its
development. The national park serv-
Ice has succeeded the forest service In
control of 1t. Court decisions have
pronounced worthless the fake mining
claims with which it's rim is plas-
tered. And the other day the Grand
Canyon was dedicated as playground
for the people of the United States for
ever. And an interesting part of the
exercises was the dedication Of the
memorial to Powell (thumbnail sketch
with head.
The average weIl-informed American
thinks Of jamestown and Plymouth
when Americas beginnings are men,
toned. That is to say, he goes back
to 1607-20. But by this time the Amer
lean Southwest was near century old.
Allen Chamberlin, writing of the
Grand Canyon dedicatory exercises in
the Boston Transcript, calls attention
to this. For 1t was one of Coro-
nado's lieutenants, Don GARCIA Lopez
de Cardenas, who was the first white
man to behold that tremendous spec
taplp nbOut tbn wear 1E1O
From that time until shortly before
the Civil war the canyon seems to
have attracted no particular attention.
and small wonder, considering its re-
moteness and the forbidding aridity
of the region on every hand. The re-
port of Lieutenant Ives In 1857 to the
war department on the navigability of
the Colorado river seems to have been
the first official recognition of the can
yon by the government, but 1t re-
manned for the Powell expedition of
1860 to put it on the map. so to speak.
The tale Of that adventure. undertake
en- In a purely scientific spirit, was
more thrilling than a novel, and at
tracted considerable public notice.
Nearly 20 years later President Har-
rlson, then a senator from Indiana,
conceived the idea that the canyon
was a worthy subject for national
park, and introduced a bill in congress.
That was In 1885. Yellowstone park
had been created In 1872, the Hot
Springs reservation of Arkansas was
set up as national park In 1880,
Yosemite valley had been turned over
to California as early as 1864 as
state park, aud Senator Harrison evil
IDENTIFY saw that the Grand Canyon
was Mt least equally worthy of pro-
lection from exploitation in the public
interest. At that time Arizona was a
wild Indian country, and the canyon
was miles from anywhere that could
be reached by rail.
Where Roosevelt Stepped In.
Finally, after more than 80 years,
that Grand Canyon National park was
created last year. II did not come
easily into being, however, for the OBJ
stacles of selfish ambitions which be-
set the course of the final legislation
required a decade of patient and per-
slstent effort to overcome. President
Roosevelt. In his characteristicalI
timely fashion. lnterposed a powerful
check upon the hankerings of the
would-be eSploiters when he took mat
tiers. into his own hands In 1908 and
proclaimed the canyon a national mon
ument and game preserve. BY that
time the Santa Fe railroad had built a
line to the southern rim, and every Wis
itor thenceforward became a publicity
agent for the park idea. When the
writer first saw the canyon in 1902,
shortly after the railroad was built.
fewer than 1000 persons made the trim
during the course of a season. Nova.
days more than 100 times that number
are counted on, for this Is one of the
few all-the-year.around parks, and in
stead of the rude log houses and the
adjacent one-story barracks of 90
years ago, there Is now modern no.
tel, and attractive boarding camps as
we'll, where accommodations can he
bad to meet varying tastes and re-
quirements.
The interest that was taken In the
park dedication ceremony was indIcat.
ed by the fact that a special train was
run from the east 10 accommodate
those who had expressed a desire to