… was proclaimed by President Theodore Roosevelt on this date in 1908. It became a national park in 1919.
These progressive gestures influenced the status of Grand Canyon during the 1890s and 1900s but did not immediately cause federal agencies to participate in its preservation nor in tourist management. Indiana senator Benjamin Harrison introduced legislation in 1882, 1883, and 1886 to set aside the canyon as a “public park,” but the bills died in committee. On 20 February 1893 President Harrison set aside Grand Canyon Forest Reserve, but the 1897 law that allowed grazing, mining, and lumbering within reserves, though it led to permit requirements for such pursuits, did not challenge rimside entrepreneurs. President Theodore Roosevelt visited the canyon in 1903, expressing his wish that it remain pristine for future generations, then enhanced its protective status by declaring portions to be a federal game preserve on 28 November 1906.
The first real measure of protection from uncontrolled development, however, did not arrive until 11 January 1908, when Roosevelt proclaimed the 1,279-square-mile Grand Canyon National Monument.This status prohibited future private claims of any type, although the canyon’s pioneers scurried to properly file their claims with Coconino and Mohave Counties prior to that date.
Polishing the Jewel: An Administrative History of Grand Canyon National Park
There was a second Grand Canyon National Monument proclaimed in 1932. It was consolidated into the national park in 1975.
NewMexiKen photo, 2010. Be sure to click the image and see the larger version. Photo taken at Yavapai Point.