O ne of the "Big Three" tourist draws in the United States, the Grand Canyon is a natural formation that made its home in one of the few places that could match its majesty. The canyon was carved through thousands of years of aquatic perseverance, echoing the perseverance of the founders of its host country who, like the Colorado River, strove ever westward in search of the Pacific Ocean. The canyon winds along 277 miles of the river, reflecting the desert sun in a myriad of shades from red to white to blue to green. This is one of the few places on Earth where such a large portion of the planet's geological history can be viewed first-hand. It rock strata are like the pages of a book, each one detailing a different chapter in the formation of the planet as we know it. Before the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam upstream from the Grand Canyon, every day the Colorado River moved 500,000 tons of dirt, rocks, silt, and other material through the canyon. You would think that such a place would be a treasure trove of fossils, but that is not true. Because of the age of the canyon, and its arid environment, it has very few fossils, and those are of primitive algae and other aquatic creatures. Grand Canyon National Park encompasses 1,218,376 acres of land in an otherwise sparsely populated section of northern Arizona. Many of the people who live there earn their living directly or indirectly from the canyon and its associated tourist trade. There are five Indian tribes living in the area. Pueblo ancestors were among the first to explore the Grand Canyon. Some of their cliff dwellings are still visible high up the canyon walls where they sought shelter from the elements, and protection from the river while remaining close to this source of life-giving water in the desert. Strangely, they walked away from their settlements between 1100 and 1400, but their descendants still live near by. The Grand Canyon's width varies. It is 18 miles at its widest point. The Grand Canyon's depth varies. It is 6,000 feet at its deepest point. The north rim of the canyon is 1,200 feet taller than the south rim. While summer temperatures at the rim remain near a comfortable 80F, they can easily exceed 100F inside the canyon. About 5,000,000 people a year visit the Grand Canyon.
1540: Francisco Vásquez de Coronado becomes the first European to see the Grand Canyon.
1893: The Grand Canyon is named a Forest Reserve.
11 January, 1908: The Grand Canyon is named a National Monument.
26 February, 1919: The Grand Canyon is named a National Park.
26 October, 1979: The Grand Canyon is named a United Nations World Heritage Site.
