The Grand Canyon

• Is a chasm 277 miles long and up to 18 miles wide
• Below Yavapai point is 2,400 feet above sea level, about 4,500 feet below the South Rim and 5,400 feet below the North Rim for an average depth of about one mile
• Took 3-6 million years to form; erosion continues to alter its contours
• Includes approximately 70 species of mammals, 250 species of birds, 25 types of reptiles and five species of amphibians
• Was formed by the Colorado River, which flows west through the canyon and averages about 300 feet width, 100 feet in depth and flows at an average speed of four miles per hour

The Grand Canyon National Park

• Was made a national monument in 1908 and became a national park in 1919
• Covers an area of 1,900 square miles
• Is 190 miles long
• Contains some 277 miles of the Colorado River is populated by five Indian tribes: The Hopi, Navajo, Havasupai, Paiute and Hualapai

Grand Canyon Quick Facts from our Visitor Center Staff

• Mules are chosen from Tennessee and Missouri. They are used for pack supplies to Phantom Ranch and pack mail out of the canyon and later promoted to trail mules.
• First Grand Canyon Post Office opened near today’s Grandview Point with J. hi. Tolfree as Postmaster. It was designated as Tollfree, Arizona.
• The condors were reintroduced to the Grand Canyon in 1996.
• Native Americans used Juniper tree barks as diapers because of its soft
  fiber and can absorb lots of moisture.
• The Bola Tie has been the official state tie of Arizona since 1971.
• The first automobile to reach the Grand Canyon’s South Rim was in 1902. It
  took 5 days from Flagstaff.
• Turquoise the official State Gemstone.
• In 1926, the Southern Pacific Railroad connected Arizona with the eastern
  states.
• The Navajo Tribe are the indigenous people of the Arizona, New Mexico,
  Utah and Colorado. They are the largest tribe in US today.
• The famous Navajo leader was Manuelito, who resisted US domination.
• The Navajos speak dialects of the language family referred to as Athabaskan.
  Hair is kept long and worn in a traditional hair knot called a Tsiiyeel which is wrapped in white yarn.
• Navajos live in earthen houses “Hogan” and always face the east.
• Grand Canyon is one the “Seven Natural Wonders of the World”
• Grand Canyon receives close to 5 million visitors each year.
• The first Europeans to visit the Grand Canyon were Spanish and they arrived 473 years ago.
• Tourists started visiting the Grand Canyon in the late 1800’s.
• Grand Canyon was established in 1919, when Woodrow Wilson was President.
• The first people living in the canyon were the Paleo-lndian (Ancient Native American People) 12,000 years ago. They left behind tools.
• The deepest point of the canyon is just over a mile deep.
• The North Rim of the Grand Canyon at an average height of 8,000 ft., it is higher than the South Rim by 1000 ft.
• Grand Canyon includes approximately 70 species of mammals, 250 species of birds, 25 types of reptiles and 5 species of amphibians
• The fastest rim to rim run was set by Allan Cureton in 1981, three hours, seven minutes down South Kaibab Trail and up North Kaibab Trail
• Arizona is the number one copper producing state in the nation. Not surprising then is that the Capitol building of Arizona has a copper roof — the amount of copper used is equivalent to that used in 4,800,000 pennies.
• Arizona has the largest percentage of land of any state set aside for Native American use.
• There are 11.2 million acres of National Forest and 1/4 of the state is forested.
• One law of the state of Arizona says that it is illegal to keep a donkey in your bathtub.
• It is illegal to refuse a person a glass of water in the state of Arizona.
• If you cut down a Saguaro Cactus, you may face 25 years of imprisonment.
• Highest point from the sea level in the state of Arizona is the Humphreys Peak in Flagstaff, elevation 12,637 feet.
• The lowest elevation in the state is a point on the Colorado River which is 70 feet above sea level.