El Tovar: A New Hotel at Grand Canyon of Arizona (Classic

El Tovar: A New Hotel at Grand Canyon of Arizona (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from El Tovar: A New Hotel at Grand Canyon of Arizona

No One can describe it to you. It must be seen - not once, but many times. Only by frequent visits may a small portion of its ineffable loveliness be apprehended. For a distance of nearly 500 miles (from the junction of the Grand and Green rivers in Southern Utah to the mouth of the Rio Virgen), the Colorado River flows through a series of deep canyons, culminating in the Grand Canyon of Arizona.

This latter chasm begins near the mouth of the Little Colorado River and extends southwest 217 miles. The granite gorge section is sixty-five miles long. Here the plateau level varies from 6,500 to 8,000 feet above the sea. The river has carved a winding channel through the uplift more than a mile deep and from ten to thirteen miles wide. In this titanic trough are hundreds of mountains more imposing than Mount Washington, yet none of which project their peaks above the canyon's rim. The ages-old rock strata are many-tinted, creating a rainbow sea of color. There are safe trails at three points on the southern side from rim to river.

The civilized world first heard of the Grand Canyon in 1540, when it was discovered by early Spanish explorers. From then until the middle of the nineteenth century it remained practically unvisited. The rediscovery of this notable world-wonder by Maj. J. W. Powell occurred in 1869. The journal of his venturesome journey in frail boats down unknown rapids and waterfalls, braving the dangers of sunken rocks and powerful eddies, is an epic story of sublimest heroism, modestly told.

Not until the building of the Santa Fe's 'cross-the-continent line in 1884 was the scene of Major Powell's exploits made easily accessible. To-day there is a branch railway from Williams, Ariz., on the main California line of the Santa Fe, to the head of Bright Angel trail, in the middle of the Grand Canyon district. Visitors now number thousands yearly, where a decade ago they were counted by dozens.

The latest triumph of the American invader is the new $250,000 hotel. El Tovar, described in these pages.

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Country USA
Brand Forgotten Books
Manufacturer Forgotten Books
Binding Paperback
ItemPartNumber black & white illustrations
EANs 9781332123971
ReleaseDate 0000-00-00

Country	USA
Brand	Forgotten Books
Manufacturer	Forgotten Books
Binding	Paperback
ItemPartNumber	black & white illustrations
EANs	9781332123971
ReleaseDate	0000-00-00

El Tovar: A New Hotel at Grand Canyon of Arizona (Classic Reprint)

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