Before it was designated as a National Park, the Grand Canyon was a National Monument by President Theodore Roosevelt on January 11, 1908. Multiple times, Senate bills were introduced to establish the area as a National Park before finally being signed by President Woodrow Wilson in 1919. The Grand Canyon became the 15th National Park in the United States.
While the Grand Canyon is certainly one major draw to the region, there is no lack of beauty in the American Southwest. The Grand Canyon is certainly a showstopper, and there’s also Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks across the border in Utah, Joshua Tree National Park further west in California, Sedona’s red rocks, the deep gorge of Black Canyon of the Gunnison…I could keep going but we’d be here all day! Instead, here are a few books to explore these incredible facets of our planet, whether you’re planning a trip or doing some armchair travel:
Grand Canyon Country: Its Majesty and Its Lore by Seymour L. Fishbein
The Grand Canyon: Between River and Rim by Peter McBride
The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America by Douglas Brinkley
Lazy B: Growing up on a Cattle Ranch in the American Southwest by Sandra Day O’Connor
Zion & Bryce by Moon Handbooks
Arizona and New Mexico: 25 Scenic Side Trips by Rick Quinn
-Linnea
Read it or Weep 