Grandview, 1898
"No language can fully describe, no artist paint the
beauty, grandeur, immensity and sublimity of this most
wonderful production of Nature's great architect.
[Grand Canyon] must be seen to be appreciated."
C.O. Hall, Grand Canyon visitor, 1895.
Reports like this from early tourists aroused
curiousity and stimulated Grand Canyon tourism.
The year is 1898, and you have come
to decide whether the lofty reports
you've heard about Grand Canyon are
true. Pete Berry, miner-turned-hotel-
manager, greets you here at his Grand
View Hotel and escorts you to the
canyon rim. Awestruck, you quickly
forget your bone-jarring, 12-hour
stagecoach ride from Flagstaff. You
begin to ponder tomorrow's mule
ride into the canyon.
Thus began Grand Canyon tourism.
Mining proved only briefly profitable,
so a few entrepreneurs like Pete Berry
turned to tourists for profits. In 1893
Berry offered crude lodging in a cabin
here at Grandview, and began guiding
eager, mule-riding patrons into the
canyon. In 1897 he built a two-story
log hotel, and later added a large
frame building.
Until 1901 Grandview was Grand
Canyon's most popular tourist destination.
Grandview boasted the best hotel,
and, some said, the best trail. After 1901
when Sant Fe Railroad reached
Grand Canyon Village, 11miles west of
here, few tourists opted for the jolting
stagecoach ride to Grandview. Today
little remains of Pete Berry's hotel on
the rim.
Don't miss the rest of our virtual tour of Grand Canyon National Park in 10803 images.