Grand Canyon - Arizona
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member Max and 99
N 36° 03.238 W 112° 07.247
12S E 399053 N 3990515
At 277 miles long, 18 miles wide, and over a mile deep, the Grand Canyon is one of the most easily recognizable landmarks viewed from space
Waymark Code: WMKKXD
Location: Arizona, United States
Date Posted: 04/28/2014
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member saopaulo1
Views: 31

Located at the north end of Arizona, the Grand Canyon is one of the nation's most popular tourist destinations. It is easily spotted on satellite maps because of its size.


From the Grand Canyon National Park page:

On 24 May 1869, Major John Wesley Powell (1834 - 1902), a Civil War veteran, and ten other men, set forth to explore the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon. Powell came back in 1870 to explore the North Rim Plateau and made a second expedition through Grand Canyon in 1872.

By the 1880's, a number of live stock companies were developing in the Grand Canyon area of Arizona. By the 1890's it was estimated that there were over 100,000 head of cattle and more than 250,000 head of sheep grazing the land.

Kaibab National Forest was established in 1883, taking most of the Kaibab Plateau and by the time the Grand Canyon National Preserve was established in 1906, most of the ranchers were out of business. Why? The land was now desolate with sagebrush where lush grassland had been. It had been grazed out.

James T. Owens was appointed warden of the Grand Canyon National Preserve. He built a cabin and set up a mountain lion hunting business. Some 12 years and 600 mountain lions later, Uncle Jimmy, as he was know, began buffalo ranching on the plateau. Preferring the lower reaches of House Rock Valley, the buffalo moved down from the Plateau. In 1926, the buffalo were sold to the State of Arizona.

The first tourist facility was constructed in 1917 on the North Rim by W.W. Wylie. It provided minimum accommodations and was located near Bright Angle Point. At the same time, tourists camps were being developed at Bryce Canyon and Zion. Stephen T. Mather, the National Park Service's first director, encouraged the development to encourage people to visit these areas. In 1919, Congress made the Grand Canyon Preserve a National Park and established it's use for the enjoyment of future generations as a recreational resource, as well as recognizing the region's scientific value.
Website: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:
Please provide another photo of the location. You don't have to be in there shot, but you can. The photo requirement is to discourage any armchair visiting.
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