5/14 Grand Canyon Historical Buildings & Rain in the Canyon

I decided to stop taking photos of the canyon and instead highlight some of the historical buildings.

Actually, this is the modern visitor center, and is obviously not historical, but I like the stone and the rough timber that is modeled on many of the early Grand Canyon buildings. It looks like it belongs in a national park.

Hermit's Rest is a structure built at the far west end of the national park as a rest stop for tourists coming by stage coach.  It was named after a man who lived alone in a hut below this current building and staked mining claims.  The current building is one of several buildings designed by Mary Jane Colter.  The others are the Hopi House, Bright Angel Lodge, Desert View Watchtower, and  Lookout Studio.  

Hermit's Rest was constructed in 1914.  This entrance has a broken bell salvaged from a Spanish Mission by Colter.

The building now holds a gift shop, but this very impressive fireplace and some of the furnishings have made this building a National Historic Landmark.

 

 

 

There is a small snack café at the far end, where some of these people got ice cream.

 

The El Tovar Hotel is more wooden beams than rock, but its location very close to the rim makes it a great place to stay, except it books up a year in advance.

Hopi House was Mary Colter's first design commission in 1902. It was intended as a place there Native American artists could live, work, and sell their art. 

Impressive original ceiling and lighting fixture.

This wasn't designed by Mary Colter, but it was one of the original buildings.  It replace a tent that was used by the Verkamp family as a general store and trading post. Here is some history:  https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/verkamps.htm 

 

Wish I had taken more photos of this, but this is the Lookout Studio, also a Mary Colter building, hanging over the edge of the canyon.  Here is some history:  https://www.nps.gov/media/photo/gallery.htm?id=F8DB9DB0-155D-451F-67B88E6D97BC97FE

This is the only photo I took of the Yavapai Geology Museum, but it also was built of natural stone and hangs over the edge of the canyon.

Next time I go, I will take more photos of buildings, especially of Bright Angel Lodge and the inside of the El Tovar Hotel.

These next few photos show a rainy day in the canyon.

This is the trailhead that take you to the bottom of the canyon.  It is also used by the mules  to the ranch on the other side of the river.