Evening star., 1939-10-29
Arizona Grand Canyon
Remains a Wild,
Tremendous Scene
Coming Of Tourists
Has FuiIed to Mar
Spectacular Beauty

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz., Oct 2S.-Tour-
lists naturally try to describe the
Grand Canyon of Arizona, but few
who have seen it can put words to-
gether that really prepare the other
chap for what he finds on his first
Grand. Canyon visit. Apparently
only the Grand Canyon is big
enough to describe itself.
The first white man to look down
on 1t was one Don Garcia Lopez de
Cardenas, a captain in the little
army of the famous Spanish ex-
plorer Coronado. In 154l, on a long
scouting expedition, Cardenas came
to great river that stopped him
short. The river was red and muddy
and so was christened Rio Colorado.
He reported that its banks rose three
or four leagues into the air" and
were broken into pinnacles higher
than the tower of the Cathedral of
Seville"
Back to the Indians.
Then for 200 years more only the
Indians saw the Grand Canyon.
In 1776 another Spaniard, the
priest fernando D'Escalante Fon-
taneda. made marvellous journey
into what now is Colorado and
Utah. He, too, saw the great canyon,
without scaling its cliffs. He did.
however. work his way down to and
across the red river higher up in
its canyon system. But people
weren't travelling Western America
for pleasure in 1776 and Escalante's
report followed many others into the
buried archives of Spain.
For yet another century the
Southwestern wilderness hid this
tremendous spectacle. Only the
rare travellers of a dangerous, little
known frontier saw the Grand
Canyon In 1879 the railroad was
still hundreds of miles away, though
coming nearer. BY 1882 the Santa
Fe had passed through Flagstaff,
Ariz., IS miles to the south. Travel
to the canyon increased appreciably
by horseback and stage coach, the
latter charging what was real money
In those days-s20 gold for the round
trip from the railroad.
Twenty more years and the pres
ent Santa Fe branch line was laid
north from Williams-then, as now,
the only direct rail connection to
either rim. Dude" trails for saddle
animals were worked slowly into and
across the abyss. Motor roads
spread through the forest to jutting
points giving magnificent views. The
Santa Fe and Fred Harvey built the
now famous Ell Tovar Hotel and
added, a couple of years or so ago,
the rambling comfort of the new
Bright Angel Lodge, both on the
brink of the canyon. The area now
counts its yearly visitors in millions.
Unmarried by Man.
Has the coming of the crowds
spoiled the Grand Canyon? Hardly.
There isn't a town within miles of
Its twisting, painted depths. Only
the spear point of Santa Fe track
age touches its 220-mile lips. The
motor roads and trails are about as
conspicuous as scratches on the tin
roof of warehouse. Eagles still
wheel below, among the buried
mountains. A letter mailed from
one rim to the other-10 miles in
an air line-travels $500 miles,
through four States, to be delivered.
There is plenty to do in Grand
Canyon National Park, whether
ones visit last day or many days.
Within walking distance of the ho-
tel there are innumerable vantage
points for magnificent panoramic
views, each one different from the
other. There are bride paths
through the red-shafted forest. There
are breath-taking saddle trails into
the inner canyon, down to and across
the hidden river and to Phantom
Ranch. nearly a vertical mile below
the hotels
Motor drives reach out to ever new
and startling canyon vistas, but none
has a more intriguing objective
than the great watchtower placed
on the tip of Desert View Point,
near the eastern boundary of the
park, and some 26 miles east of Ell
Tovar and the Santa Fe railhead It
Is just here that the main canyon
turns at right angles from north to
west. One can see long stretches of
the Colorado, cleaning silver 5000
feet below. There is no finer point
from which to watch the glory of a
canyon sunset, the uprush of day
from the eastern desert, or the awe
some flash and roar of wandering