Grand Canyon National Park 106th Anniversary

Above, the Grand Canyon with the Colorado River flowing through. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Today in history, President Woodrow Wilson signed the bill establishing Grand Canyon National Park in northern Arizona.

From the Grand Canyon National Park Facebook page:

Today marks the 106th anniversary of Congress establishing Grand Canyon National Park - in order to preserve and protect one of the world's most awe-inspiring natural wonders.

Over the past century, the National Park Service has worked tirelessly to protect the park's resources, to maintain trails and facilities, and to make Grand Canyon accessible to millions of visitors from all around the globe.

Above, our campsite at Trailer Village RV Park at the South Rim. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It is hard to believe that we've reached 106 years. I bought a commemorative coffee mug for the 100th anniversary.

I have been to the Grand Canyon's South Rim several times and the North Rim in 1972. I was last at Grand Canyon National Park in 2017 and stayed at Trailer Village RV Park at the South Rim. 

President Trump Weighs In On John Wayne

Above, John Wayne in The Sons of Katie Elder (1965).

A few minutes ago, President Trump Tweeted:

Happy 100th Birthday, Grand Canyon National Park

Above, the Colorado River continues to carve the Grand Canyon. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Grand Canyon has been around for millions of years, but it has been only 100 years since it first became a national park.

Today marks the park's centennial.

From UPI.com:

On Feb. 26, 1919, 37 years after the first bill to establish the Grand Canyon as a national park was introduced, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Grand Canyon National Park Act, bringing the landmark under the protection of the National Park Service, preserving it for future generations.

I have been to the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park many times and once to the North Rim. My most recent visit was a little over a year ago.

Above, the South Rim's Grand Canyon Village. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

One does not get tired of visiting national parks as there are new things to discover on each visit. This is especially true of Grand Canyon National Park. If one has never visited it, they should include it in their "bucket list" of places to see.

2 National Parks Established On This Date

Above, the Grand Canyon. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Two events in national park history took place on this date involving national parks that I have visited more than once. One can say both are "grand" events.

From the UPI:

In 1919, 37 years after the first bill to establish the Grand Canyon as a national park was introduced, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Grand Canyon National Park Act, bringing the landmark under the protection of the National Park Service, preserving it for future generations. 

In 1929, Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park was established following the signing of an executive order by President Calvin Coolidge.

Above, the Grand Tetons. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Wilson Establishes Grand Canyon National Park 2/26/19

Above, Grand Canyon National Park in November 2016. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

On this day in 1919, President Woodrow Wilson established Grand Canyon National Park.

According to Politico:

Three years after the creation of the National Park Service, on this day in 1919, President Woodrow Wilson signed into law a bill establishing the Grand Canyon as the nation’s 15th national park. Nearly 2 billion years of the Earth’s history are exposed as the Colorado River and its tributaries cut through the sediment. 

A history report in 2000 by Michael Anderson for the Grand Canyon Association notes that President Theodore Roosevelt liberally interpreted the Antiquities Act of 1906 in creating the 1,279-square-mile Grand Canyon National Monument in 1908. The monument was carved from Grand Canyon National Forest, initially designated by President Benjamin Harrison as a preserve in 1893. The U.S. Forest Service managed the monument from 1908 until it became a national park, relying on the Santa Fe Railroad to invest in roads, trails and facilities to serve a budding tourism industry.

Last year, nearly 6 million people visited Grand Canyon National Park. I stopped in Grand Canyon National Park on the way home from my cross-country trip in November,

To read more, go here. 

Westways Magazine Salutes National Park Service Centennial

The January/February 2016 issue of Westways magazine, published by the Automobile Club of Southern California, arrived in the mailbox yesterday and it salutes the centennial of the National Park Service.

I had mentioned in a previous blog post that 2016 marks 100 years since the founding of the National Park Service. It all began when President Theodore Roosevelt and naturalist John Muir paid a joint visit to what is now Yosemite National Park in 1903.

The National Park Service didn't come into being for another thirteen years until the administration of President Woodrow Wilson. But, the Roosevelt-Muir visit to Yosemite was the "springboard" for the National Park Service's creation.

Fittingly, Amber and I will be visiting Yosemite in April.

The issue of Westways is one issue that those who are fans of our national parks should get.

For more on Westways magazine of the Automobile Club of Southern California, go here.