The Railway: Tourism Replaces Mining as the Better Business
Listen at the stop, then read the transcript and follow the sources behind the story.
Listen
Transcript
The railroad reached Grand Canyon in 1901.
Its arrival changed the economics of the rim.
Before rail, travelers endured long stagecoach journeys over rough roads.
Rail service made the canyon accessible to a much larger and wealthier tourist market.
The line was connected to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe system.
The Fred Harvey Company supplied food, hotels and organized tourism.
Together, railroad and concessioner created a vertically integrated travel experience decades before anybody used that business phrase.
Buy a rail ticket.
Stay at the company's hotel.
Eat at its dining room.
Purchase souvenirs in its shops.
Take guided excursions.
That commercial network also helped shift the region's dominant value.
Prospectors and entrepreneurs had looked at the canyon for minerals, grazing and development opportunity.
Tourism demonstrated that scenery itself could produce recurring revenue if the landscape remained visually spectacular.
Preservation and business could align.
The railway later lost passengers as automobiles became dominant and regular service ended in the twentieth century.
Tourist rail operations eventually revived the route.
That revival is heritage transport, not restoration of the original transportation economy.
For visitors arriving by car, the depot can look like a quaint accessory.
Historically, it was transformational.
The national park model required access.
Too little access and the public could not experience the place.
Too much infrastructure and the experience risked being overwhelmed.
Grand Canyon has been negotiating that balance since the first train reached the rim.