North Rim in Coconino County, Arizona — The American Mountains (Southwest)

Grand Canyon Lodge

Grand Canyon National Park

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 11, 2016

1. Grand Canyon Lodge Marker

Inscription. When Grand Canyon became a national park in 1919, the North Rim was scarcely developed. While the South Rim had grand hotels and many visitor programs and services, the hard-to-reach North Rim had only rustic tent cabins for 40 guests.

The National Park Service's first Director, Stephen T. Mather, urged the Union Pacific Railroad to improve access to the North Rim and build a rustic lodge with cabins. During 1927-1928, architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood designed and built a lodge using local Kaibab Limestone and ponderosa pine logs taken from the site. Just four years after completion, the new lodge and four cabins burned to the ground.

So cunningly have the architects planned this remarkable building that it seems to have sprung full-grown from the canyon wall itself.
—Union Pacific Railroad, 1929

Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Disasters • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical date for this entry is September 1, 1932.

Location. 36° 11.85′ N, 112° 3.174′ W. Marker is in North Rim, Arizona, in Coconino County. Marker can be reached from Grand Canyon Highway (Arizona Route 67) 43 miles south

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of U.S. 89A. Marker is located in the courtyard directly in front of the subject Grand Canyon Lodge, inside Grand Canyon National Park (North Rim). Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: North Rim AZ 86052, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 10 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Grand Canyon Lodge, A Legacy Rebuilt (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Grand Canyon Lodge, 1928-1932 (about 400 feet away); From Canvas to Castles (about 500 feet away); Summer Home (approx. ¼ mile away); Kaibab Trail Suspension Bridge (approx. 9.8 miles away); How's the View? (approx. 9.8 miles away); The Mighty Colorado? (approx. 9.8 miles away); Stephen Tyng Mather (approx. 9.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in North Rim.

Regarding Grand Canyon Lodge. National Register of Historic Places #82001721. Grand Canyon Lodge was declared a National Historic Landmark on May 28, 1987.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Grand Canyon Lodge

Also see . . .
1. History of Grand Canyon National Park: The Lodge. The beautiful Grand Canyon Lodge at the North Rim was built by architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood and was finished in 1928. Native stone and timber were used to make the lodge with much of the main lodge featuring Kaibab limestone that makes

Marker detail: Grand Canyon Lodge, circa 1930 image. Click for full size.

2. Marker detail: Grand Canyon Lodge, circa 1930

Lodge employees, in 1930, “sing away” departing guests in front of the first Grand Canyon Lodge.

up the cliff at Bright Angel Point. Underwood built 120 cabins surrounding the main lodge then later added 20 more in 1928. The lodge has been in operation since it reopened in 1936. (Submitted on December 28, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Grand Canyon Lodge (Wikipedia). The rebuilt lodge maintained the same general outline, but was simplified and strengthened against the severe winter snow loads of the North Rim. Compared with the original there was greater use of stone throughout the lodge. The overall effect of the reconstructed lodge was one of more strongly expressed rustic character. (Submitted on December 28, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Marker detail: Original Lodge Drawing image. Click for full size.

3. Marker detail: Original Lodge Drawing

Architect Underwood's rendering of the original lodge shows its second story level and a three-story observation tower, both eliminated in the lodge's reconstruction in 1937.

Marker detail: September 1, 1932 Fire image. Click for full size.

4. Marker detail: September 1, 1932 Fire

On September 1, 1932, fire left only the foundations and walls of the first lodge. The present-day lodge, rebuilt on the old foundation, features more stone and less timber to make it more fire resistant. The steeper roof sheds snow more efficiently.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 11, 2016

5. Grand Canyon Lodge Marker

(Grand Canyon Lodge in background)

Grand Canyon Lodge (<i>north elevation</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 11, 2016

6. Grand Canyon Lodge (north elevation)

(marker visible just left of flag pole)

Grand Canyon Lodge (<i>south elevation</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 11, 2016

7. Grand Canyon Lodge (south elevation)

(looking up from the lodge nature trail)

Grand Canyon Lodge image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 11, 2016

8. Grand Canyon Lodge

(looking west across canyon from Bridge Angel Point Trail)

Credits. This page was last revised on December 28, 2020. It was originally submitted on December 25, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 207 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. submitted on December 28, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.