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Grand Canyon
"IT IS BEYOND COMPARISON—BEYOND DESCRIPTION; ABSOLUTELY UNPARALLELED
THROUGHOUT THE WIDE WORLD."—Theodore Roosevelt
Photograph by George R. King
LEAVING EL TOVAR FOR A SCENIC TRIP
Photograph by Fred Harvey
COLOSSUS OF CANYONS
MORE mysterious in its depth than the Himalayas in their height," writes Professor John C. Van Dyke," the Grand Canyon remains not the eighth but the first wonder of the world. There is nothing like it."
Even the most superficial description of this enormous spectacle may not be put in words. The wanderer upon the rim overlooks a thousand square miles of pyramids and minarets carved from the painted depths. Many miles away and more than a mile below the level of his feet he sees a tiny silver thread which he knows is the giant Colorado.
He is numbed by the spectacle. At first he can not comprehend it. There is no measure, nothing which the eye can grasp, the mind fathom.
It may be hours before he can even slightly adjust himself to the titanic spectacle, before it ceases to be utter chaos; and not until then does he begin to exclaim in rapture.
And he never wholly adjusts himself, for with dawning appreciation comes growing wonder. Comprehension lies always just beyond his reach.
The Colorado River is formed by the confluence of the Grand and the Green Rivers. Together they gather the waters of three hundred thousand square miles. Their many canyons reach this magnificent climax in northern Arizona. The Grand Canyon became a national park in February, 1919.
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Last Modified: Mon, Oct 31, 2002 10:00:00 pm PDT
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