Douglas daily dispatch., 1927-03-04
Grand Canyon National Park
Celebrates Eighth Birthday

GRAND CANYON, Ariz., March g.
Today starts the ninth year in the his
tory of Grand Canyon National park.
Although the first of Americas out
standing scenic spectacles to be viewed
by white men, it was one of the last to
be included in the national park sys-
tenn. 1t was in the year 1910, or 80
years before the Pilgrims landed at
Plymouth, that the first European
stood on the brink Of this sublime spec
tacle. 1t was in 1872 that congress
by creating the Yellowstone national
park, recognized the policy that the
outstanding scenic features of the
United States should be set aside. for
all times, 'for the benefit and enjoy
ment of the people"
However, it was not until February
26, 1919, that the Grand Canyon, Amer
ica's transcendent scenic exhibit, was
finally brought into the national park
system
Just why this sublime spectacle
should wait so long for this recogni-
tion forms an interesting chapter in
conservation history. In 1886, Benja-
min Harrison, then senator from Indi-
ana, introduced the first bill to give
it a park status. However, a long
struggle developed between the forces
of conservation and those of local
apathy. politics and private mining,
grazing and power interests. Finally,
in 1908, President Roosevelt took mat
ters in his own hands and set it aside
as a national monument. There re-
mains no doubt but that this act saved
at least the most interesting portions
of the canyon for the American peo-
pie.
After taking it's place among the ma
tionals parks of the country, the Grand
canyon promptly became one of the
major units of the system. The pub
lie use of the area, as revealed by trav-
ell statistics, has increased in a phe-
nomenal manner. For instance, rec
ords show that in 1919, a total of 1,575
autos entered the park; while in 1926,
this had increased to 22,849. Carefully
kept records show that during, the
season Of 1926, total of 140,252 per-
sons entered the park and for the first
year more than half reached the rim
by private means of travel. Although
business by rail has shown healthy
increase the private motorist is the
factor that has caused travel figures
to skyrocket.
During the past eight years, the ma
tional park service and the park oper-
ators have been concerned chiefly in
keeping developments up to the de-
mands made by constantly increasing
numbers of visitors. Many problems
such as those of water supply, power,
sanitation, extension of hotel facili-
ties, public auto camps, extension of
road and trail systems, building OF
telephone lines, etc, have either been
solved or are in process of solution.
The first problem settled was the
adoption of uniform plan of devel-
opment In order that buildings and
other improvements would not be To-
Gated in a haphazard manner during
the extension of facilities, the opera
tors and the government worked out
and agreed to definite plan of devel-
opment. All work has been, and will
be, in accordance with this plan.
Perhaps the most interesting ac-
complishment has been the solution of
the sanitation problem in the Grand
canyon village. The problem concern
ed the disposal of garbage and sewage.
A modern incinerator was built by the
Santa Fe railroad, and all refuse from