Grand Canyon Centennial #1

Photo by Helen Ranney

This Article by Scott Buffon appeared in the 24FEB19 edition of Flagstaff's "Arizona Daily Sun." Copyright 2019 by "The Arizona Daily Sun"

There aren’t many things in the world that have aged quite as well as the Grand Canyon.

The land and river, within what we now know as the Grand Canyon National Park, have created a unique and intimate relationship with 11 park-recognized Native American tribes in the area. The layered maroon, tan and brown crust translates feet into centuries, and holds stories and knowledge about the Earth’s past for those working to uncover its secrets.

The Colorado River and deep canyon walls have enthralled thrill seekers looking to hike, camp and raft through the bottom of the canyon. The park is also home to various animal species.

The canyon’s grandiose quality has compelled more than 211 million people to travel from around the world to the park since its creation 100 years ago on Feb. 26, 1919. On Tuesday, the Grand Canyon National Park Service will host celebrations for the parks' 100-year anniversary, covering everything people have come to enjoy about the land it protects.

Generations of park rangers, and the canyon’s many supporters, have worked to protect the land from modification.

Stephen Mather, the first National Park Service director who passed away in 1930, worked closely on the Grand Canyon National Park's trails and access points. Later, Mather Point at the Grand Canyon was named after him.

“The parks do not belong to one state or to one section. ... The Yosemite, the Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon are national properties in which every citizen has a vested interest,” Mather said, according to the National Park Service. ”They belong as much to the man of Massachusetts, of Michigan, of Florida, as they do to the people of California, of Wyoming, and of Arizona.”

A small portion of two billion years
Many National Park Service rangers monitor vegetation and land to anticipate and spot the presence of damage, while also being expected to help recreationalists.

Ken Phillips
Photo by Jake Bacon
Arizona Daily Sun

Ken Phillips, a retired backcountry ranger, chief of emergency services and search and rescue coordinator, spent more than 30 years working in the Grand Canyon.

Phillips consistently worked to save people from the misfortunes of either bad planning and bad luck. Before hiking the canyon, hikers are expected to understand and prepare for the harsh conditions. Phillips said the hot temperatures in the summer and river rapids turned him into a pessimist on the job when searching for lost people.

One instance that Phillips remembers is when a hiker at the bottom of the canyon was struck by lightning. Lightning strikes happen up to 25,000 times per year in the park, according to the National Park Service.

"It is a dangerous place,” Phillips said. “This place has a lot of ways to kill you.”

But despite his pessimism, he still has love for the Canyon. Phillips said he met and married his wife in the Grand Canyon, raised his kids into lovers of it and still is moved when standing at the rim.

“I appreciate looking at it every time I’m here,” Phillips said. “I really don’t like to come to Grand Canyon and not come out to the rim. I kind of feel cheated.”

Steve Hatch, owner of Hatch River Expeditions, is a third-generation river guide. He said his grandfather’s company was the first river guide company in the canyon and the first in the United States.

Hatch said he grew up on the Green River in Utah and started learning to row boats on the river at a young age. When he moved to the Grand Canyon, he began to work as a full-time guide for nearly 28 years.

“It’s difficult to describe how people will see or feel during their trip because it’s a personal experience, but you can see how people change afterward,” Hatch said. “They get the appreciation for the canyon and they want to go home and share their experience.”

Helen Ranney with husband, Wayne.

Helen Ranney, Grand Canyon hiking guide, also worked several other jobs involving the Grand Canyon in some capacity. She said growing up, she did not feel at peace until she moved to the park.

Ranney refers to the steep jagged walls and open space of the place as her church, saying she sometimes travels to it for healing.

“The Canyon is part of who we are,” Ranney said. “Once it gets you, it doesn’t leave you. It’s with you forever.” 

The Havasupai Tribe is one of the many tribes that considers the Grand Canyon and its surrounding land sacred, with the Havasupai Reservation located next to the park. Most people live in Supai, which has become widely known for its turquoise waterfall — Havasupai Falls.

Coleen Kaska, councilmember of the Havasupai Tribe, said she and her ancestors have taken on the duty of being guardians of the Grand Canyon. She said before the park was established, they considered their lands to be both within and above the canyon.

The creation of the park, she said, has prevented people within Supai from visiting it and parts of their homeland.

Coleen Kaska
Photo by Jake Bacon
Arizona Daily Sun

"Our future generations, we need to bring them out here to the Grand Canyon and introduce them to the area, the names, the spiritual sites, the sweat lodges, the dances that were done here on the rim," Kaska said. "There's a lot we need to catch up on; it's been 100 years."

She appreciates the land and beauty of the park, but for her there is more to her experience of looking out beyond the rim.

“When I look out there I can just see my people appreciating me being out there for them, the ones that have gone,” Kaska said. “Those types of feelings I always get when I look at the canyon.”

Now, she says children in Supai do not understand her when she describes the Grand Canyon because they have not experienced it themselves.

“I can see the little ones think, like, 'What is she talking about?' Just like I used to be when I was younger. I see that in their faces," Kaska said.

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