Happy Birthday, Grand Canyon National Park!

Grand Canyon National Park visitors watch a winter sunrise.

On February 26, 1919—94 years ago today—President Woodrow Wilson signed the proclamation that created Grand Canyon National Park. Of course, the canyon itself is a bit older than that, and the park has expanded its boundaries to encompass 1,218,375 acres.

The Grand Canyon region first gained protection as a forest reserve in 1893. President Theodore Roosevelt, who made many visits to the canyon and described it as the one sight that every American should see, granted it national monument status in 1908.

Protecting this awe-inspiring landscape containing forest, desert, and riparian ecosystems seems like an obvious move today, but the senate bill that set aside Grand Canyon National Park in 1919 was hard-fought, and its signing didn’t assure the canyon’s future. Many battles were yet to come over proposed dams, uranium mining, air quality, airplane noise, etc. Even today, nearly a century later, the possibility of renewed mining activities threatens the quality of experiences for future visitors.

As GCNP celebrates its 94th birthday, let’s take a moment to appreciate the canyon as a national treasure, something rare and special that will be there to inspire generations after ours. In the words of Alan Gussow (1931-1997), artist and conservationist:

“There is a great deal of talk these days about saving the environment. We must, for the environment sustains our bodies. But as humans we also require support for our spirits, and this is what certain kinds of places provide.”