The Grand Canyon
By
Kristy McCaffrey
Grand Canyon National Park is known for
its overwhelming size and its intricate and colorful landscape. Over time, the
elements have scoured and carved the dramatically splendid Grand Canyon, known
as one of the world’s seven natural wonders. The distance from the South Rim to
the North Rim varies from half a mile to eighteen miles, and the canyon has a
maximum depth of 6,000 feet. This great range in elevation allows for a variety
of climate, flora, and fauna; of the seven life zones on the North American
continent, four can be experienced within Grand Canyon.
The first documented expedition of the
Colorado River through the Grand Canyon was accomplished by Major John Wesley
Powell in 1869. Powell, a Civil War veteran with only one arm, and nine
companions became the first men to journey 1,000 miles on the river, part of it
through Grand Canyon. They braved rapids, heat, plummeting morale, and the loss
of three men. Powell’s account of this expedition, Exploration of the Colorado River of the West and Its Tributaries,
made him a national hero as well as brought the canyon to the attention of the
country. The Paiutes called the plateau that the canyon cuts through ”Kaibab”
or “Mountain Lying Down,” but it was Powell who first consistently used and
published the name “Grand Canyon” in the 1870’s.
The Colorado River, meaning “red” in
Spanish, was named in 1776 by a Spanish missionary, Padre Francisco Tomás
Garcés. It was a description of
the brown, muddy river at the time. However, since the construction of Glen Canyon
Dam in 1964 the river is now clear, clean, and cold.
The river begins as a tiny stream in
Rocky Mountain National Park, eventually flowing into Lake Powell, formed by
the Glen Canyon Dam. Below the dam it begins its journey through Marble Canyon
by joining with the Paria River. At the confluence of the Little Colorado River
does the Colorado finally enter Grand Canyon National Park, flowing 217 miles
until it reaches Lake Mead Recreation Area.
One of the most colorful characters in
Grand Canyon history was Captain John Hance. Born in 1840, he served in both
the Confederate and Union armies and is thought to be the first non-Native
American resident of the Grand Canyon. Arriving in 1883 he first attempted
mining asbestos, but failed due to the expense of removing it from the canyon.
He soon started giving tours, opening the first tourist trail in the Canyon in
the late nineteenth century. He’s credited with carving a number of trails
which often followed old American Indian paths.
John Hance loved the canyon and
remained until his death in 1919. In his memory there’s a Hance Trail, Hance
Creek, Hance Canyon, Hance Spring, Hance Mine, Hance Rapid, and a Hance’s Cove.
He was famous throughout Arizona for his tall tales. In one, he stated that the
Colorado River got so muddy that the only way to quench his thirst was to cut a
piece of water off and chew it.
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