Grand Canyon named a National Park by TR Roosevelt 97 years ago today!

[liberalhistorian]

I thought this would be an interesting piece of information, considering the virulently anti-environmental stance of the majority of Republicans today.

Teddy Roosevelt was responsible for the creation of the National Park System, and frequently visited the areas designated as national parks in his time. He was very conscious of the beauty, power, and importance of the natural world, and the vital importance of conserving and maintaining it. He respected and revered the environment, along with many members of his party, and would be horrified, ashamed, and disgusted at the blatantly hostile attitude of most modern Repubs toward the environment, and their overt pandering to and favoring of the big business and corporation lobbies at the expense of the environment.

The Republicans in 1908, and Teddy Roosevelt in particular, were quite a different breed from the Republicans of today. In fact, had we lived at that time, we would likely have been Republicans instead of Democrats, since the Dems then were far more like the repubs now. Teddy Roosevelt may not have been a flaming liberal, but he sure as hell would be thoroughly disgusted with Bush and what he and his party are attempting to do to the national park system, one of our greatest national treasures. Remember that the next time Bush or another repub invokes Roosevelt's name, how much they "revere" him and how they hope to carry on his legacy!

[Renew Deal]

1. It will be named a holy site this year.

O8)

[liberalhistorian]

3. LOL!

I'm afraid, though, that the "holy sites" to Bush and company are oil fields and strip mines!

[FormerDittoHead]

2. Teddy Roosevelt? That PINKO COMMIE!!!??? n/t

[rzemanfl]

4. And now they sell books in the bookstore that say the canyon

is 8,000 years old and was caused by the Biblical flood. How's that for progress?

[liberalhistorian]

5. OMG, no way???

PLEASE tell me you're kidding, right? I may be a Christian, but I, and my pastor, know that that's total bullshit! AARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!

[rzemanfl]

8. Way...

It is sold in the NPS bookstore as "an alternative viewpoint." It was on one of the major media websites a while back.

How much of a historian are you? I have a Master's I earned in mid-life crisis that I never used for anything but a wall decoration.

Folks like that are giving Christians a bad name. I have been in churches and synagogues only rarely for unavoidable weddings and funerals during my 57 years, and never was bothered by Christians before Bush took office. Now I have issues...

[liberalhistorian]

9. I have a bachelor's degree

in history, with a minor in sociology, and a paralegal certificate. I've been considering graduate school in history, but I have to wonder what the hell the point would be since there aren't any jobs available, either in college teaching or other areas (museums, archives, etc.). Seems to me it would be a waste of time, money, and effort. And I don't have any of those to waste, being a single parent.

People like that are, indeed, giving Christians a bad name, please don't think that all of us are like that because that's definitely not true. And I hope that, since they're selling it as an "alternative viewpoint", that they have standard scientific books for sale there as well.

[rzemanfl]

11. Degree stuff

besides there being no jobs you need to be able to read two foreign languages to get into most Ph.D. programs in history. We have remarkably similar backgrounds I have a B.A. in Sociology, a M.A. in history and a J.D. but I work as a paralegal because I gave up practicing law and moved to Florida in another (later) mid-life crisis.

You are correct that they have normal explanations for the canyon's formation for sale, this book was forced on them by the powers that be. Part of this country's problem is that there are so many old farts like me who are just worried about their pensions and no longer have the courage to stand up to anybody or blow the whistle about anything.

I worry for your children and my grandchildren having to grow up in Bushworld. Best of luck to you.

[sweetheart]

6. Good thing they screwed up the borders of the park

If they were realistic about the grandeur of the river basin, they
should have extended the park to incorporate the entire san juan
and colorado river basins up to colorado. As it stands, the existing
park is overbuilt and overtravelled... but one need only drive up
stream a bit to visit a much more pristine area not marked on the map
as "grand canyon".

It seems that parks of convenience have become less than preserves...
and that were we interested in preservation, another kind of park
system s necessary that reduces the traveller footprint.

[liberalhistorian]

7. I believe they're finally

beginning to recognize the danger of too many people visiting the park at one time and are trying to develop ways to deal with that. I've never been to the Grand Canyon myself, although I've been to many other national parks. I desperately hope to make it there someday.

[sweetheart]

10. cars, noise, airplanes and tourist buses

I really think zermatt, switzerland has figured it out right proper.
There, you must park at a big parking lot down the valley about 3-5
miles or so... and once you get to zermatt, city code is that ALL
vehicles are electric.. like golf carts. The noise is peaceful and
there is a sense of peace.

This in contrast to yosemite, grand canyon or other national monuments
and whatnot.... the cars, and noise are incredible. Walking down the
bright angel trail (main trail down the canyon from the tourist area
of grand canyon) is like walking down a crowded bike path, walking
through puddles of mule piss from the rich tourists who ride down in
to the canyon on mule trains, too lazy to use their legs.

THe rule with US tourist places is to go where the average tourist
does not go, for time-travel reasons. The north rim of the canyon is
much more pristine. The areas along the san juan river that have no
park status whatsoever are very pristine... and canyonlands, upstream
by a few hundred miles is really sublime.

I prefer going to the indian nation areas, as the local folks fill the
void that is soooo empty of feeling the land people of north america and
and their goodwill. I've nothing but respect for the hopi, navaho,
ramah, and acinto peoples amongst many, who have their own places
and gentle culture.

Marble canyon and the areas above the dam... at page...name!!! what
is that dam.. that creates lake powell... well, whaever, bullfrog,
ticaboo and the less travelled area roundabouts is relatively quiet
if you go off season and miss the water skiing and noise crap from
the salt lake water sports crowd....

Frankly, i have to wonder whether that whole region is not endangered
by too much tourism.... the easy access, 4x4 offroading in utah and
the whole mess needs to be cut back before the concept of pristine is
relegated beyond US borders.

You have no excuse for not visiting the grand canyon. You can fly
to phoenix tomorrow, rent a car, and be at the south rim tomorrow.
You can drive from there to "mexican hat" and head up highway 261 to
naturall bridges national monument and up to hanksville where you
can cut through capitol reef national monument and make your way down
the aspen glens thereabouts towards bryce canyon... down towards
kanab and marble canyon, the area clinton made in to a national
preserve as the one honourable legacy he's left us besides his dick.
;-)

If you've more time, canyon de chelley and mesa verde are not to be
missed, and as well, canyonlands and arches national monument.

There is a map you can get from the AAA called "Indian Country" that is
an excellent guidance. The winter is the best time to visit, as i've
been the ONLY visitor in monument valley on a winters day... something
that the summer cacaphony can only aspire to... and those desert
vistas are pretty much the same winter or summer, truth be told...
even more pristine in the winter for a real nature lover.

[liberalhistorian]

12. Actually, I do have an excuse, since

I lost my job last month and don't have the money right now, much as I wish I did. SIGH.

I think they were trying to develop something like what you say Switzerland has for their parks, but the public outcry was against it (of course!). They're going to have to do something and soon, though.

I've visited the Black Hills of South Dakota for over thirty years, now, since I was a small child, and I see the same thing beginning to happen there, too, unfortunately. It's the most beautiful, majestic spot on earth, and I'd hate to see it happen. The native American spirit there is very strong, and I know more about the Lakota Sioux than any other tribe; so I try to go to the areas that are less well-known and less bothered by hordes of noise-and-pollution-and-trash-causing tourists. That's getting harder and harder to find, there, though.

[sweetheart]

13. Economic reasons respected

The economic downward pressure of the bush administration to push
the middle classes in to poverty affects us all... and your excuse is
very impeccable indeed.

Yosemite and Sequoia are suffering terribly from the "camper synrome"
where parks are rather areas that have inherited even the crime and
trash of american cities... preservation indeed....

Glacier national park is more remote and pristine... and as the whole
country tries to progressively discover more pristine areas driving
over dirt tracks with biggggger and more powerful SUV's, what can
be done? The repuke mentality of destroying nature as if it were
a free resource is leaving nothing left.

[liberalhistorian]

14. The current repuke mentality regarding

the environment is, indeed, disgusting and depressing, considering their party was the party responsible for creating the national parks system in the first place. I often wish the ghost of Teddy Roosevelt would visit Shrub and his party's leaders and smack some sense into them, as he would no doubt be extremely appalled at what his party is doing today.

[sweetheart]

15. Teddy Roosevelt was an accident

Were it not for the death of McKinley, he never would have been
president... the republicans have hated him all along. We must accept
that TR was really a democrat (what we call in modern day terms)
secreted on to the republican throne.

In all honesty, it is both parties that treat nature as a commodity to
be bulldozed and razed at will. Hollywood and the mentality that all
of life is just a movie set is clearly partly responsible. It
perpetuates the mistaken myth that nature is contrived, and easily
re-made by simply visiting the local nursery.... The concept of man
as an alien, roads cutting natural unity in to duality, fails to
register with these oilmen... who see the feminie earth as only a
resource to be drilled, probed and impregnated with their dreams.

[idiosyncratic]

17. You do know your way around. I used to live in Kanab

and my memories of the scenery of Utah are indelible. How I wish I still lived amidst those beautiful red and vanilla-colored rocks.

I bet you have a copy of Desert Solitaire on a shelf in your house.

[sweetheart]

18. I like Kanab...

It seemed relatively remote enough to avoid the tourist crush, as
is evident on the road from las vegas towards zion national park,
where the buildup is unfortunate.

I almost bought a place in kanab, and i was very happy that clinton
made the reservation round there. I can't find it, but i've a copy
of a lovely photo book of those red rock vistas... they are really
stunning... to me, the romantic heart of the real america.

The difficulty with kanab, was either i brought a ton of cash with me
and lived there without working local, or tried to run a business from
there ... and then i'd need a kind of business on the internet perhaps
where i could work from home, as i really would have loved to just
hang and chill in such a laid back place.

You're very fortunate to have lived there. You're the first person
i've really "met" from kanab... its a pleasure. :-)

[idiosyncratic]

25. My "work" when I was there was taking people for horseback rides

through the gorgeous scenery in Kanab Canyon. It was a wonderful few years.

[theresistance]

16. When does Bush start drilling there?

[liberalhistorian]

24. Oh, God, I can't even

imagine it! Unfortunately, I have no doubt that it will become a real possiblity. We're just going to have to fight harder than ever to keep that from happening. And if one more anti-environmentalist, in-the-pocket-of-corporations-and-the-energy-lobby repub invokes TR Roosevelt's name and legacy, I swear to Christ I'm going to lose it!

[janx]

19. That can't be emphasized enough!

Thanks, liberalhistorian. It's amazing how things have changed, isn't it?

[Arkana]

20. Ah, Teddy Roosevelt...the last good Republican.

[wicket]

21. Amen to that

[Vidar]

22. I'd put in Eisenhower, but TR was the last great one.

[catmandu57]

23. We stood at Roosevelt point last September

admiring the view, it was my wife's first look at the wonder of the canyon, while we were there a deer came from out of nowhere and posed for us to take pictures of.
We went in september and went to the North rim to avoid the crowds, we came down through Zion, or rather came up from there, the view of the red cliffs on the way to mount carmel was spectacular.
We stayed over in kanab, and the ride down to the canyon was great.
Thank you Teddy.