The Native Americans who dwelled there were exotic. To newcomers from the East, the red rock terrain was otherworldly. It’s much the same today (minus the tent cabins) for hikers and mule riders navigating the canyon’s most popular trail.īy the late 1800s and early 1900s, visitors were arriving in large numbers by train. In the early days of tourism, visitors rode down on mules and stopped at Indian Garden for a meal and rest. By 1903, it was the realm of the Havasupai Indians, who allowed pioneer Ralph Cameron to build tent cabins at the spot.

The spot, visible from the South Rim, is an oasis dating to ancient times. Take Indian Garden, a plateau along the Bright Angel Trail before the path drops precipitously to the Colorado River on the canyon’s floor.

Place names throughout Grand Canyon National Park are reminders of its early inhabitants. Its Indian heritage is as compelling as its natural historyīefore the explorers, adventurers, and prospectors discovered the Grand Canyon - and long before it became a tourist mecca - Native Americans called this magnificent place home.Įleven tribes have ties to the canyon, including the ancestral Puebloan people (believed to be the ancestors of modern-day Pueblo Indians such as the Hopis and Zunis) and the Navajos, whose sprawling reservation borders the eastern side of the national park.Īnd though the natural history of this cherished national icon is a big part of the visitor experience, its cultural history is compelling, too. They say we’re a poor tribe, but we’re rich in our heritage,” says Letha Talasyousiea, a Hopi Indian who works at the Grand Canyon.

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