The Creation of The Grand Canyon National Park
On this day in 1919, the Grand Canyon became a national park. But, which was the first national park in America, and which is the most popular?
The Grand Canyon is one of the most spectacular wonders in the American landscape. It stretches for 277 miles and sits within 1 million acres of parkland. However, it took longer for this site to become a national park than you might imagine.
Creating The Grand Canyon National Park
Senator Harrison created a bill calling for a Grand Canyon National Park in 1882, but with no luck. Once he became president, he was able to create the Grand Canyon Forest Reserve as a compromise in 1893.
It wasn’t until Teddy Roosevelt’s time in office that the movement gained momentum. He declared it a national monument in 1908, insisting that America should “Leave it as it is. You cannot improve it. The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar." After the creation of the National Park Service in 1916, President Wilson finally signed the National Park Act for the Grand Canyon in 1919.
The creation of the Grand Canyon National Park is the most celebrated achievement of the National Parks Service at the time. However, it wasn’t even the only one established that day. February 26th also saw Acadia National Park, Maine. This site sometimes goes under the radar because of its location. It is one of the few national parks located in the northeast, as there are none from there down to Virginia.
Neither The First Nor The Most Popular National Park
The Grand Canyon is still a must-see destination, as millions of Americans and tourists venture out to see its grandeur with their own eyes. It is a bucket list destination for many, yet not the most visited national park in America. Statistics from 2023 show that that honor goes to the beautiful Great Smoky Mountains National Park instead. There, there were 13.29 million visitors over the year compared to 4.73 million at the Grand Canyon.
This was also nowhere near the first national park created via an act of Congress. It seems like an obvious candidate, yet there were 13 previous additions to the list. The first to be declared a national park was actually Yellowstone. President Grant awarded the honor on March 1st, 1872, calling it “a public park or pleasuring-ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people”.
This led to a host of western parks being established around the turn of the century. This region was still new and undeveloped compared to the eastern United States. The vast forests and landscape were perfect locations for adventurers and prime candidates for preservation. In fact, California has the most in total at 9, with the most recent being the Pinnacles in 2013. Sequoia and Yosemite were next to earn their titles within a week of each other in 1890.
Next came Mount Rainier, Washington, in 1899 and Crater Lake, Oregon, in 1902. There are now 63 in total across the United States, thanks to the inclusion of New River Gorge, West Virginia, in 2020.
The Grand Canyon may not be the most visited, but it is certainly the most iconic. There is no doubt that millions more will explore its trails again in 2024.