Out Of The Past

On or about the 15th of June, Phantom Ranch, a new development in Grand Canyon National Park, will be opened to visitors.

The original Parks Store and Cabins has been a staple in the Parks, Arizona community since 1906.

The Red Lake area encompasses about 40,000 acres, 9 miles north of Williams, with several thousand residents spread across the high desert.

Ninety-three years ago, groundbreaking progress was made in the role women play at Grand Canyon National Park.

The junction to Grand Canyon National Park from Route 66 looked a lot different before Interstate 40.

The Emperor Waltz was being shown at the Sultana Theatre in Williams in this 1940's photo.

An early gas station after a snowfall on Historic Route 66 in 1936.

Geologist, writer and river guide Wayne Ranney shares the following story he wrote in 2016 on the 50th anniversary of the 1966 Grand Canyon flood. This month marks 55 years since the flood roared through the Canyon

The Grand Canyon airport near Tusayan, Arizona.

The site is anticipated to open in 2022 with the start of a U.S. Forest Service “Passport in Time” program, where the general public can sign up to be volunteer tour guides at the site.

On the morning of June 30, 1956, two airliners took off from Los Angeles International Airport, both aircraft were modern airliners for the time, and flown by experienced crew. But neither would make it to their destination.

Students lead a parade through the back streets of Williams in the 1940s.

On this week in 1929, a dedication ceremony officially opened the Grand Canyon Bridge at Marble Canyon.

Santa Fe Workers prepare a float for a parade in Williams circa 1930s. Alfonso G. Martinez, a railway worker, is second from the right. (

An employee works the counter at the Bright Angel Soda Fountain in 1959.

A couple poses with their vehicle following a wreck on Ash Fork Hill circa 1947.

Hallie Daggett, the first female fire lookout with her horse and dog, Eddy.

The Drum Majorette in 1950 was Marjorie McDowell.

On the north side of the Colorado River, between the Black Bridge and the mouth of Bright Angel Canyon, the gravesite of Rees Griffiths can be found by hikers, and many wonder of his story.

The Chimney, Ooo-Ahh Point, Windy Ridge, the Red & Whites, the Tip-Off, the Train Wreck. For those who know and love the Kaibab Trail, the recitation of these names conjures up images that are the stuff of longing, wonder and enchantment.

Trails leading into the canyon have a way of giving folks a false sense of security.

The Grand Canyon Airport near Tusayan, Arizona. Sight-seeing tours of the Grand Canyon were conducted from the location and continue from there today.

The 1921 bridge danced in the winds that regularly came roaring through the inner gorge and on at least one occasion it was reported to have capsized.

One-hundred years ago, Williams was a bustling community whose economic vitality was based on agriculture, logging and the railroad.

The fire also damaged adjacent businesses.