Grand Canyon's Desert View Watchtower May Be Converted To Inter-tribal Cultural Heritage Site

Above, the Desert View Watchtower at Grand Canyon National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Desert View Watchtower at Grand Canyon National Park is on the far east end of the park. Many visitors don't go that far and the tower is under-utilized (I last visited the Watchtower in 2016).

All that may change if a plan that is being talked about is implemented.

According to the Grand Canyon News:

GRAND CANYON, Ariz. — Located at the southeast edge of Grand Canyon National Park, the Desert View Watchtower rises high above the Colorado River — for many, it’s the first glimpse they get of the park. It’s also an area of great cultural significance, and as such, the National Park Service is planning a facelift for the area. 

Desert View Watchtower is, of course, on the National Register of Historic Places, but it’s a deceptively young building in relation to many other structures within the park. Designed by architect Mary Coulter, who had a knack for making the new look old, it was painstakingly built to resemble many Native American structures Coulter came across in her Southwestern travels. 

Hopi artist Fred Kabotie painted murals that still adorn the walls inside the tower — Coulter created the tower to serve as not just architectural eye candy, but to give visitors an experience. 

An experience that connects them to the Native people who lived on and revered the land for hundreds of years. 

It’s this experience that the National Park Service (NPS), along with the Intertribal Advisory Council and the 11 traditionally-associated tribes, hopes to improve by embarking on the Desert View Inter-tribal Cultural Heritage Site plan. The plan calls for transforming Desert View from a traditional scenic overlook and visitor services area into an Inter-tribal Cultural Heritage Site that provides opportunities for first-voice cultural interpretation from associated American Indian Tribes —including cultural demonstrations — and enhances visitor orientation to both the cultural significance of the site and greater park, as well as information about tourism opportunities on surrounding tribal lands.

To read more, go here. 

About Grand Canyon's Hermit's Rest

Above, Hermit's Rest. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

One of the places in Grand Canyon National Park I have never previously been to (at least I don't remember being there before) was Hermit's Rest. The structure was designed by architect Mary Colter, who also designed the Watchtower at the Grand Canyon.

Above, the plaque designating Hermit's Rest as a National Historic Landmark. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

On our second day at the Grand Canyon, we took a shuttle bus along the road to the landmark. To catch the Hermit's Rest shuttle (Red Line), one needs to take the Blue Line shuttle to the transfer station near Bright Angel Lodge. Without exiting the Hermit's Rest shuttle, it is an eighty-minute ride in total.

Above, the Hermit's Rest chimney. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Before reaching Hermit's Rest, we stopped at several viewpoints along the way to enjoy views of the Grand Canyon.

Above, the fireplace. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

According to Wikipedia:

Hermits Rest is a structure built in 1914 at the western end of Hermit Road at the south rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona, United States. The Hermit Trail, a hiking trail that extends to the Colorado River, begins about ¼ mile beyond the shuttle bus stop at Hermit's Rest. Hermits Rest also represents the western terminus of the Rim Trail. The location was named for Louis Boucher. Around 1891, Boucher - a Canadian-born prospector - staked claims below present-day Hermits Rest. With help, Boucher carved the aforementioned trail into the canyon, and for years lived alone at nearby Dripping Springs. The main structure currently standing at Hermits Rest was designed by architect Mary Colter. Hermits Rest is the westernmost point on the canyon's south rim that is accessible by paved road. It was built as a rest area for tourists on coaches operated by the Fred Harvey Company on the way to the now-vanished Hermit Camp. The building was designed to appear to be a natural stone formation, closely tied to the land. Colter selected furnishings that are included in the National Historic Landmark designation.  

Hermits Rest stands a few feet from the rim of the Grand Canyon, partly buried in an earth mound. The exposed portions of the structure are designed to look like a natural rock formation, apart from the prominent rubblestone chimney. The structure is approached by a path that passes (and originally ran through) a stone arch decorated with a broken bell that Colter salvaged from a Spanish mission in New Mexico. A small porch supported by peeled log posts stands to one side of the outside observation area that overlooks the canyon rim. The low porch roof extends into the interior, which opens up to a double-height space. Opposite the entry, the south wall houses a semi-circular alcove with a fireplace and a raised floor. A snack bar opens on the west side of the space, and the "rug room," where native crafts were sold, is on the east side with its own fireplace. The interior furnishings throughout were chosen by Colter and are part of the historic designation. The overall impression imparted by Colter's design is one of antiquity. Colter, when kidded by AT&SF executives about the dark, antique-looking interior, retorted "you can't imagine what it cost to make it look this old."

Above, the gift shop. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

There is a gift shop and snack bar at Hermit's Rest. While inside the gift shop, I purchased a t-shirt for myself and a t-shirt/cap combo for Jes.

Above, the ceiling and windows of the inside of Hermit's Rest. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The snack bar had coffee, soft drinks, ice cream, candy, sandwiches and other snacks.

Above, the Hermit's Rest bell and arch that was once the entrance. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Visitors to Grand Canyon National Park should take the Hermit's Rest shuttle. It was an enjoyable excursion.

Grand Canyon "Parkitecture" of Mary Colter

Above, the Desert View Watchtower at the Grand Canyon's South Rim. It
 is considered to be a Mary Colter "masterpiece". Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Architect Mary Colter is finally getting some recognition for her "Parkitecture" of many famous buildings of Grand Canyon National Park.

Thanks to CBS News, we get to learn something about Colter and her designs at the Grand Canyon.

They begin with:

Most of the 5.5 million visitors who pass through Grand Canyon National Park each year come for the views.  And when they inevitably need a break from the majestic scenery, they head inside -- to shop for souvenirs, admire Native American art, and check into the lodge. 

For Ranger Kristen Luetkemeier, the buildings of the Grand Canyon are just as grand as the vistas -- a stunning example of "Parkitecture." 

Knighton asked, "If someone were to come to the Grand Canyon and just look OUT and maybe not turn around and look BACK, do you feel like they'd be missing out on some of the park experience?" 

"I do," Ranger Luetkemeier replied. "I would feel sad for them. The opportunity to be in Grand Canyon Village, among the best collection of Mary Colter buildings in the world, was a real draw for me and something that I was really excited about." 

Mary Colter was the visionary architect behind the Canyon's most recognizable buildings. Born in 1869, Colter was the child of Irish immigrants, and left home at 16 to study interior design in California. 

Above, another view of Desert View Watchtower. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To read more, go here.