v) - « OVK>- BANCROFT LIBRARY A Plan for the Development of the Village of Grand Canyon, Ariz. FRANK AY^WAUGH Collaborator 1918 U. S Department of Agriculture Forest Service WASHINQTON : QOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE t I8I« \\ A Plan for the Development of the Village of Grand Canyon, Ariz. ON THE southern rim of the Grcnd Canyon of the Colorado in Arizona stands the little village of Grand Canyon, the terminus of the Grand Canyon Railway, a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway, and the main gateway to the wonderful scenery of the present National Monument. This village has grown up under severe physical handicaps, serving the single purpose of assisting tourists to reach the famous and unique scenery of the canyon below and beyond. Like most villages this has had a fortuitous and largely undi- rected growth. In the present instance, however, there have been causes operating to discourage the customary organization of local self-government, chief among them being the transient character of the local ties and interests of a constantly changing personnel. This lack of organization has kept away from Grand Canyon even that small measure of official influence which usually directs the affairs of new communities, including the problems of physical growth, such as the location and improvement of streets, the subdivision of land into building lots, etc. The case of Grand Canyon is in many ways abnormal. NOTE. — During the progress of this work I have received the most cordial assistance from many members of the Forest Service. My grateful acknowledgements are due to all. and especially to Assistant Forester E. A. Sherman, Assistant District Forester Frank C. W. Pooler, Assistant District Forester Don P. Johnston, Forester Examiner Aldo Leopold, Forest Examiner Harrison D. Burrall, and Forest Supervisor T. Earl Wylder in charge at Grand Canyon National Monument. Special mention should be made of the painstaking and illuminating study of Grand Canyon problems anbodied in the " Grand Canyon Working Plan" (revised to Mar. 17, 1917) by Forest Supervisor Don P. Johnston and Forest Examiner Aldo Leopold. I have found this report of substantial value in the prepa- ration of the present plans. A Plan for the Development of the The Problem HOWEVER, the territory in general, with certain material exceptions, belongs to the Government, has been erected into a National Monument by the President of the United State under the authority of an act of Congress, and is under adminis tration of the Forest Service. Thus the Forest Service become responsible in a large degree for the growth and welfare of th community. And in view of this responsibility the Forest Servic desires to provide for the community the best physical equipment within its power and the best form of administration available. The present study is, in short, an attempt to develop a workii plan for the physical growth of the village of Grand Canyon. Physical Conditions At present the village has a permanent population of 300 400, with an average visiting population of about 200 tourists. A schoolhouse has been built and a good school organi; with an average attendance of 30 pupils. There is a post offi< Religious services are held regularly, but there is no churcl building. There are no stores of the usual sort where househol supplies -can be bought. There is no recognized cemetery. L deed, the village lacks many of the physical and social orgj usually considered indispensable. The Santa Fe Railway with its station, the Hotel El Tovar and the Bright Angel Camp constitute the principal equipmem for the accommodation of visitors, and around these the whol( community revolves. A very few enterprises not under direc control of the railroad company cater to the individual needs o the tourists. The land on which this village has grown up is rolling am generally well timbered. In the ravines are many good specimen Village of Grand Canyon, Arizona of western yellow pine; on the higher portions is a heavy growth of pinon and juniper. Conditions of the Problem Certain quite unusual conditions enter into this problem. These may be stated as follows : The village is wholly dependent on the Grand Canyon and on the tourist traffic which it invites. Without the canyon there would be no tourists; without the tourists Purpose there would be no railroad entering here; without the tourists and the railroad there would not be a dozen permanent residents in the vicinity. This village has absolutely none of the usual business on which the growth of the ordinary town depends. The town site faces abruptly upon the colossal scenery of the Grand Canyon — a landscape of the most intoxicating sort. If landscape ever has any effect upon individuals Physical and communities, certainly such influences ought Character to be manifest here. It is worth noting that persons most familiar with the country all assert that these influences are powerful and effective. Usually they say that "the canyon gets on people's nerves." A more direct and practical control is exercised by the com- plete lack of water supply in the neighborhood. At the present time the entire ration of water for all purposes (with negligible exceptions) is hauled in by the railroad over a distance of 120 niles. It is doubtful if another example of this kind of water JUpply on the same scale exists anywhere in the world. The absence of running water naturally makes impossible the ntroduction of the usual sewerage system, thus presenting un- isual problems of sanitation. Another quite unusual condition is found in the Government itrol of the land. With certain exceptions, mentioned below, :ont A Plan for the Development of the the land belongs to the United States and can never become the property of the persons using it. On this territory official control is supreme, and may be extended to considerable Official lengths, as, for example, to the regulation of busi- Control ness and the censorship of architecture. This Government control is for the present exercised by the Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture; but there is a general expectation that the administration is soon to pass to the National Parks Service of the Department of the Interior. The imminence of this transfer has its own important bearing on the entire study, adding, as it does, an element of uncertainty to the whole situation. The most serious exception to the Government ownership of the land in this territory is the tract of about 20 acres included in the right of way for railway station grounds of the Railroad Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Co., and Holdings used by them chiefly for railway terminal and hotel purposes. Owing to the strategic location of this tract, and to the business advantages enjoyed by the railway com pany, the latter exercises a large control in the physical develop ment of the community as well as in all business and social deve opments. It is only fair to add that the Atchison Railway and it subsidiary organizations have shown a reasonably liberal tendenc in the management of their enterprises and, generally speaking an excellent spirit of cooperation in the plans of the Forest Service In the territory occupied by the village of Grand Canyon ther are several important tracts of land encumbered by unperfecte mining claims. For the present these claims cor Mining stitute a troublesome factor in the situation. 1 Claims *s hoped and expected that some or all of thes claims can be extinguished within the next fei months. Under the terms of the present congressional authorit constituting the Grand Canyon National Monument further minin claims can not be intruded into this territory. Village of Grand Canyon, Arizona Solution of the Problem General Principles 'N APPROACHING a solution of the problem, under the . conditions stated, it has been thought necessary to emphasize bur general principles, as follows: 1. We are providing for a small community — one which, so far as we can see, has no commercial or industrial future, and one which in all human probability, will never have any extended growth, and which will never assume the character of a normal town. 2. Existing social relationships are unsettled and abnormal, and svery endeavor should be made to introduce more natural social contacts, and especially to promote a social unity among the residents of the town. 3. The entire village, at its best, is merely an accessory to the canyon. It is only one, though the principal, entrance to the park )elow. It must therefore contribute chiefly to the needs of tour- sts, and must in all ways facilitate their acquaintance with the canyon itself. In particular it seems desirable that every endeavor hould be made to assist in the circulation of tourists into the :anyon and along the rim. 4. The village is there because of the visitors who are drawn to ee one of the wonders of the world, and it is the interests of the jublic, not the interests of this little local community, that must >e given primary consideration by the Government. For the same eason the village should not be planned on the supposition that it 5 to work out its own salvation. The Government is responsible the public, trustee for the public, in effective control of the ition through land ownership, and must decide, not advise. 8 A Plan for the Development of the The town is more of a public utility than a social group. There- fore every part of the village plan must first submit to the test of being consistent with the interests of the visiting public and must be limited by that requirement. The Physical Plan It is now possible to present the various items of the physical plan in the light of the conditions set forth and of the principles just stated. The present town is almost without form. The miscellaneous buildings are scattered at random over the land. There are no streets. Two country roads have wandered aim- The Plaza lessly into the territory, where they seem to have lost their way. They meander helplessly here and there without reaching any particular points and without serving as boundaries to any blocks of land. In order to secure a physical center of organization I have planned the plaza. This is to be an open public square, as near the natural physical center of the territory as it is possible to come. Around thi quadrangle there should eventually be grouped the princip public buildings. It should thus serve literally as a civic cent< since here the civic or community interests would center. If there should ever be a Federal building in the town (for whi a bill has already been introduced in Congress), it should stanc on the south side of the plaza. A post office there will certain be; and if this is accommodated in a separate building, it shou occupy a similar position. More probably it will be placed : one of the stores presently to be mentioned. A church will be needed by the town and can probably be pro vided within the next few years. It is much to be hoped tha this will be an interdenominational and genuine communil Village of Grand Canyon, Arizona enterprise, and that one church may be enough. Such a com- munity church should occupy a prominent place on the plaza, and a special .lot has been reserved for it. One of the most desirable articles of equipment at Grand Canyon is a community house or neighborhood building. Such a building should provide for a wide range of uses — the holding of public meetings, lectures, dances, movies, etc. It might serve as a public library, reading room, and clubroom. It might be equipped with billiard tables, bowling alleys, or other means of wholesome amusement. It should be provided by the coopera- tive effort of all interests at the canyon, being the genuine expres- sion of community endeavor. It is planned to place any stores, shops, and other business houses on the eastern and western sides of the plaza. A substan- tial and handsome garage already marks the northeast corner. In the rather improbable event that more stores and business houses are some time required than can be accommodated on the lots now assigned to this purpose, extension can be secured in the normal manner by bringing into use some of the residence lots in the immediate vicinity. On the north side the plaza will be faced by the railroad sta- tion. Along the south side of the railroad tracks, extending from the present garage westward to the company corrals and stables, runs a fringe of good timber, nearly all healthy young yellow pine. It is intended that this parking of natural timber shall be pre- served and protected. At the same time the present reservation of this strip will make it possible to secure a moderate increase of trackage for the railroad if such a need should become pressing at a future time. In its present estate the little square of land set aside for the plaza is dignified by the presence of a number of vigorous and beautiful yellow pines. The tract is typical of the best of this 75061°— 18 2 1 0 A Plan for the Development of the kind of forest scenery. It is hoped that this character may be indefinitely preserved, and that the village of Grand Canyon may ever bear at its heart the sunny pleasant picture of the Arizona forest rather than the commonplace " ornaments" of the ordi- nary town. A little sympathetic effort should protect the present pine trees and plant others to follow them. I would recommend that the undergrowth be cleared away, and that as far as possible a grassy parklike surface be maintained. Under no circumstances should any sort of building be per- mitted within the plaza; and this most positive recommendation is intended to cover every proposal, no matter how small. All monuments, band stands, fountains, and other structures of what- soever sort should be absolutely interdicted. Street Plan The village is entered from the east by Grand View Road. This road is considerably used by automobilists coming from the east and from Flagstaff, and still more by tourists visiting Grand View and Desert View. The roadway has benefited by considerable local work, mostly given by the railway company. From the west the Ash Fork Road enters, being joined at the outskirts of the village by the Rim Road. The latter road has been constructed by the railway company under Forest Service permit and is maintained by local cooperation. These existing roads have been adopted bodily into the plan; also a short link of road crossing from north to south at the end of the railroad trackage and running thence westerly to the com- pany stables. This latter section will supply the northern boun- dary of the plaza. New streets are to be laid out on the east, south, and west sides of the plaza; and these street lines will be continued to the east, south, and west, opening up the territory which seems to be most available for residences. Village of Grand Canyon, Arizona 1 1 Other details of the simple street plan will be better understood by reference to the accompanying map. It is the design to have these streets very simple and informal in character. For this reason the plan departs more or less from the usual straight lines. For the same reason the streets vary somewhat in width. The actual roadway should be much nar- rower than the allotted street space, and should in all cases be developed in a manner to save every likable tree. Yellow pines should be spared by preference, but no good pifion or cedar should be thfown away. These scattered trees will do more to preserve and accentuate the natural informality of the surroundings than any stately rows of street trees that could be grown beside full irrigating ditches. It should be clearly conceived that these streets together with the plaza are to give a distinctive character to this small village, and that that character is exemplified in the neigh- boring forests along the canyon rim and in the Tusayan National Forest through which we approach the town. Lot Subdivision In accordance with the primary intent toward informality of design, no rigid uniformity has been adopted in the subdivision of the space into blocks and lots. Rather has it been the desire to present a reasonable variety in size, form, and aspect of build- ing lots. In general the residence lots are comparatively large. Since land is abundant and cheap, and since it seems important to avoid all appearance of crowding, one-quarter acre has been adopted as the ideal size for residence lots, though considerable variations have been permitted. It is expected that these lots will never be sold, but will be leased under special-use permits by the Forest Service and its successors. 1 2 A Plan for the Development of the Yavapai Walk It has already been stated as a governing principle of our study that we should circulate tourist visitors as widely as pos- sible along the canyon rim. The opportunity for such dispersion of visitors seems to be more promising toward the eastward than in the opposite direction. Accordingly I have endeavored to present as many attractions as possible in this territory. The specific features incorporated in the plan are (a) Yavapai Walk, (b) Yavapai Point Outlook, (c) Government Park, (d) Tusayan Garden, and (e) the Automobile Outlook. A fairly good footpath to Yavapai Point already exists. This, however, should be considerably improved, and in some sections relocated. In its final location this walk should touch the rim in about ten points only. These points should be carefully chosen to give the best views of the canyon and to secure the greatest variety of prospect. The intervening sections of the walk should fall back from the rim, and should run on easier ground among the pinon and cedar trees, thus supplying desirable intervals of visual and emotional recovery between excessively stimulating views into the canyon. Cement walks should not be built, at least not beyond the sec- tion now occupied by Mr. Verkamp's store, but the footway should be cleared and smoothed just enough to make walking safe and easy for women and children. Rustic benches should be placed at convenient places along this walk, especially at Grandeur Point, where several good seats should be provided. Yavapai Point Shelter Yavapai Point is the most popular outlook within the reach o the average tourist. Women, children, and others for whom th other canyon trips are too strenuous, commonly walk out t( sier 2 the Village of Grand Canyon, Arizona 1 3 Yavapai Point. These excursions should be distinctly encour- aged ; and to this end the improvement of the walk will contribute. The needs of foot passengers will be further served in a very sub- stantial manner by the construction of a good shelter at the point. At present the point is much exposed. When the sun shines on the white limestone during the Arizona summer days the place is blinding, dazzling, burning hot. On days when the sun does not shine the visitor suffers the inclemencies of a driving wind or pos- sibly of rain or snow. Nearly all walkers who use this route wish to rest at the point, as well as to linger for the enjoyment of the view. An adequate shelter would certainly be much appreciated. In this particular spot I would recommend a treatment of the shelter building somewhat different from that wisely adopted at other points in this vicinity. Instead of trying to make the build- ing invisible I would make it enter frankly upon the view from the rim near El Tovar. Without being obtrusive it might be so plainly visible from the neighborhood of El Tovar that every visitor would notice it. Even at 'that distance it should present an attractive appearance. It should interest the visitor. It will thus appear to offer a natural objective for a walk, and should promptly inseminate the desire to make the excursion thither. The detailed design for such a structure can easily be provided whenever needed. Government Park For many reasons I have felt it necessary to provide a reserved zone in the territory designated on the maps as Government Park. Other sections of the canyon rim in the region where tourists foregather have been in various degrees alienated from Government control. There should be a substantial zone left free from all encumbrances upon which the public shall have 1 4 A Plan for the Development of the unlimited freedom of action and the administration an undi- minished jurisdiction. This tract will also constitute an " official" approach to the canyon. It offers a route by which the casual visitor may pass directly to the canyon rim without crossing restricted ground or becoming beholden to any persons or powers. While the value of this, consideration may seem more psychological than practical, some future shift of circumstance may raise it to 'a very serious level. I have had further in mind the possibility that this area might some day supply the opportunity for developing an artistically effective introduction for the canyon view. Such a stupendous landscape really requires some introduction. The approach now used by custom is wholly lacking in all the elements which any landscape architect or other artist might wish to bring to such an overture. I confess that I do not see my way clear to the devel- opment of this idea at the present time, but I sincerely trust that at some future day the purpose may be fully realized. For the immediate future I recommend that Government Par be very simply treated. The outlook along the rim will be p served and, as far as needful, protected by a rustic stone w The native timber back from the rim will be preserved and i proved, the dead trees being removed and the whole tract made clean and attractive. Seats will be provided, and any other simple features which may add interest to the space will be introduced.. The principal improvement proposed for immediate construction is a broad, straight walk — Tusayan Mall — rising by rustic stone steps from its junction with Grand View Road and running northward to the rim. This walk should be made dignified and inviting and of sufficient dimensions and importance to sugges that it leads to something worth while. Village of Grand Canyon, Arizona 1 5 On the general plan it may be observed that this Tusayan Mall is shown as continuing southward in a straight line across Grand View Road, Apache Street, and Navajo Street to the projected aviation field. The steepness of the slopes will naturally bar from this right of way everything but foot traffic. Even for this pur- pose that part of the mall lying south of Grand View Road will not be needed for some years to come. The time may easily arrive, however, should the aviation field develop into a center of considerable interest, when such a public way would be a substantial convenience. The proposition on the plan looks only to such a possible future. As it appears in black and white upon the map, this southern section of Tusayan Mall cuts in two the school grounds in an objec- tionable manner. Should the future development of the mall require it, the school ground and playground areas would have to be readjusted in accordance with the changed circumstances. Meantime present arrangements may remain undisturbed. Tusayan Garden Just to the eastward of the tract prescribed for Government Park and fronting southward upon Grand View Road is a warm, sunny slope now clothed principally with sagebrush. If the en- tire space is examined, from the road to the rim, there will be found a rather remarkable sampling of the native flora character- istic of the plateau throughout the neighboring districts of the Tusayan Forest. Early in September I counted over 50 recog- nizable species of flowering plants upon this area. I am confident that, with even a little trouble and expense, it would be easy to establish at least 100 native species. My recommendation is that this tract be developed as a very unpretentious botanic garden, devoted exclusively to the local flora. Some very slight pathways along the hillside should make 1 6 A Plan for the Development of the it accessible to all. The several species should be marked with neat and inconspicuous labels. Such a garden would require a certain amount of puttering care, but no heavy expense of maintenance should be expected. If some person connected with the local staff of the Forest Service will give the matter some personal and sympathetic attention the garden can be made a most attractive feature. Without such per- sonal and sympathetic care no appropriations of funds will save it. This garden, where visitors would be able to identify and to learn the correct names of interesting local trees, shrubs, and herbs, would certainly be of lively interest to many canyon visitors. The Tusayan Garden would very soon become one of the stock sights of the place. It would offer another interest to visitors, and would serve our fundamental purpose of dispersing them farther along the rim. Automobile Outlook Under present conditions the canyon rim can not be convei iently reached by automobiles except at a very few points, remedy this situation and thereby provide another feature oi interest along the rim eastward, I have proposed the development of the Automobile Outlook at a point somewhat northeast of the Tusayan Garden. At the point selected the canyon wall drops sheer for more than 1,000 feet, and through the resulting gorge the view opens unobstructed to the Indian Gardens below, wide reaches of the mesa and to the peaks and " temples" beyond. The view is one of the most impressive in this vicinity. The rim would require protection here by a suitable rustic wall and a few seats should be provided. Just back of the rim a large parking space is planned where the automobiles of a visiting excur- sion could be acccommodated. This parking space and the Automobile Outlook are easily reached by a spur road running u from Grand View Road along a small ravine. I Village of Grand Canyon, Arizona 1 7 Buttinski Mine Shaft Near the point where this automobile spur leaves Grand View Road, and at one corner of the Tusayan Garden, is the still open shaft of an unworked mine. It is hoped and expected that the mining claim will soon be invalidated; but it would be a wise con- servation of "local color" if the old shaft could be preserved. Attractions Westward Visitors should also be encouraged to perambulate the rim to the westward. Two specific attractions already exist in the ' ' Look- out" on the railway property and the Kolb Bros.' studio. The head of Bright Angel Trail also serves as a mild interest to some visitors, and might be made still more attractive by simple means. In part to emphasize the Bright Angel Trail and in part to pro- vide a permanent public right of way between it and the present highway, I have recommended in my plan the reservation of a strip, to be called Bright Angel Lane, approximately 50 feet wide, running along the western line of the railway property from Ash Fork Road to the head of the trail on the canyon rim. This land lies in the present Cape Horn claim, which claim it is hoped soon to extinguish in favor of the United States. By a small amount of work the Bright Angel Trail can be brought up over the rim at this point and its approach shifted to the proposed Bright Angel Lane. The whole idea of the Bright Angel Trail is alluring in the ex- treme. The reputation of the trail is widely spread, and visitors knowing of it come to the canyon with their imaginations full of poetry, romance, and adventure* Unfortunately the present approach to the trail is a rude shock to these valuable pre- possessions. Nothing could be less poetic or romantic than the path meandering between corrals, farm machinery, blackened incinerators, outbuildings, and through back yards. 1 8 A Plan for the Development of the I have personally urged upon the officers of the Santa Fe Railway and of the Fred Harvey Co. that they abandon this present approach and make the most of the new one which I hope will receive immediate development at the hands of the Forest Service. Interest in the Bright Angel Trail may be further fostered by a more extended use of the facilities afforded at Kolb Bros, studio. There is pending also an application from the Fred Harvey Co. for a permit to build a clubhouse and observatory near the head of the trail which would be kept open for public use. The same company proposes further to construct a number of small cottages near the rim to be rented to canyon visitors, and to develop a small and picturesque outdoor community in the vicinity of the projected clubhouse. Such a project has my approval in principle, both as supplying an additional interest farther westward and as meeting the practical needs of those who want to see the Grand Canyon. Even more interesting in its possibilities is the project of the Fred Harvey Co. in connection with the developments just men- tioned, to improve a considerable area contiguous to the club- house and cottages and lying immediately below the rim. Here it is possible to construct an extended series of paths, outlooks, and resting places, to be open to the public, which might supply extended entertainment to many visitors. These improvements should include the preservation and exhibition of the really beau- tiful Indian pictographs found in one of the caves under the rim; and I would especially recommend that the Forest Service and its successors take every care to preserve these ancient relics. Village of Grand Canyon, Arizona 1 9 Livery Offices At the present time one permit is pending for a permanent location for a livery office. Other liverymen have in the past desired such locations and similar applications may come for- ward in the future. The most usable spot for such offices is universally conceded to be the small triangle of land on which the tent office of the Forest Service recently stood, just east of the railway station and south of Grand View Road. I have accordingly set this aside for that purpose in my plan. I would insist that the offices be substantial permanent structures, agreeable to the eye, and that they front squarely westward upon the street, the fronts being carefully placed parallel with the street line, and the offices having an equal setback. The offices should further be carefully located so as to save as many as possible of the good yellow pines on the tract. The space in the rear of the offices may be used for loading passengers. Administrative Office The location already selected for the Forest Service office on which a small building has been constructed does not seem to me altogether satisfactory. At the same time I have not been able to find a better location under existing conditions. In case the proposed Government Park should be considerably developed at a future time, and in case the Verkamp location should revert to the Government, to be added to Government Park, it would seem likely that the administrative office and museum could be given a better position with special reference to this park area. The investment now proposed for the administrative buildings is so small that it does not promise to be impossible to remove or rebuild them on a new site if a commanding opportunity offers later. Or in case a Federal building should be erected as pro- 20 A Plan for the Development of the posed on the south side of the plaza, the administrative offices and museum would naturally be transferred to quarters there. Ranger Station The present ranger station, residence of the forest officer in charge, is at Rowe's well, 2^2 miles from the administrative office. The arrangement is a source of considerable inconvenience, and there has been much discussion of plans for another location nearer by. The best near-by location in my judgment is to be found on the area south of Grand View Road and just east of the present public camp ground. While I am by no means convinced that a change from Rowe's well to this locality is desirable, all things considered, I am clear that the transfer may be much more important under other circumstances at some future time. I would therefore recommend that the tract described be reserved for administrative purposes, having in mind the possibilities of a superintendent's residence and other con- ceivable contingencies. Automobile Parking Area There now exists an urgent demand for a small parking space in the near vicinity of the railway station, the hotel, and the rim where automobiles may be safely left for a few hours while visitors are taking meals or viewing the canyon. A convenient space for such parking is offered just south of Grand View Road, west of the public camp ground and east of the livery office area. Here automobiles would be safe because always in full view, and they would be convenient to the public garage. This assignment of space also has the advantage of quick convertibility, for the tract can readily be used for some other purpose when changing conditions bring new requirements to the fore. Village of Grand Canyon, Arizona 2 1 School Grounds In designing the new streets and subdivisions of lots I have had in mind the necessity of keeping ample space for the school grounds. While the space now allotted is enough for present needs, it may be desirable to allow for further school enterprises beyond the street to the southward. I have particularly in mind the possible need for a baseball diamond. Other requirements may be discovered at any time, and it would seem unfortunate for a school to be hampered for land in a territory where this commodity is so plentiful and cheap. Should the proposed Tusayan Mall develop into an important thoroughfare at some future time (see map facing page 3), the school grounds as at present laid out would suffer materially. As there would cer- tainly come at the same time the demand for a larger school building, it would seem that the best way to meet such a situa- tion would be to remove to a new site. As a better location can be found farther east, this contingency may be faced without misgivings. For the time being the pupils of the public school will probably be best served with a liberal supply of simple play apparatus, such as swings, teeters, slides, bars, giant stride, etc. These can be made by the pupils with the help perhaps of the forest ranger. I have discussed this matter with Mr. T. Earl Wylder, now in charge for the Forest Service, and believe that all requirements can be met. Livery Stable Zone The best predictions which we can now make give the livery service a large part in the accommodation of canyon tourists for many years to come. The stables now used by the Fred Harvey Co. are therefore regarded as a permanent feature of the com- munity equipment and are provided for in their present position with room for exoansion southward. 22 A Plan for the Development of the The possibility that other operators might need stables has also been kept in mind, and a space for such stables has been reserved west of the present railroad Y. Cemetery If Grand Canyon comes to be a town where people live, it is inevitable that they will also die there. And a cemetery is always a necessary item in a community plan. There have already been several scattered interments in the neighborhood, reminding us that we must not delay to make a more sober and civilized provi- sion against such contingencies. A pleasant, slightly secluded tract of land, bearing a number of dignified yellow pine trees, has been selected for the town ceme- tery. It lies to the eastward of the village and north of Grand View Road. It is my expectation to prepare a detailed plan for this tract in the near future. Aeroplane Landing It may sound visionary at this time to include an aeroplane station as a part of a community plan. Yet, unless all signs fail, the aeroplane is soon to be a common instrument of daily business and pleasure. My own prophecy is that this situation will soon be with us, and that the aeroplane will early come to play a con- siderable part in canyon service. Since a reservation for the accommodation of aeroplanes can be made without injustice to any current interest, we may hope that this part of the plan may be passed with nothing worse than a smile. Village of Grand Canyon, Arizona 23 Special Recommendations In conclusion, I have two special recommendations to make upon matters which will have a considerable influence on the future development of the village for which we are now making plans. The first of these is that immediate steps be taken by the Forest Service to secure an investigation by competent engineers of the possibilities of water supply, of sewerage, and of lighting for the town of Grand Canyon. The second recommendation is that the administration repre- senting the Federal Government facilitate in every way and at the earliest favorable moment the establishment of some form of self-government for the permanent residents of the town. Usually an American community can be relied upon to organize upon its own initiative, but in this case the individuals forming the community change so constantly that organized assistance appears necessary to facilitate growth and secure stability during the earlier stages of development. Immediate Improvements — Costs Some of the specific improvements which ought to be made at a very early date and their cost, as roughly estimated, are as follows : 1. Improvement of Yavapai Trail, station grounds to Yavapai Point, 2 miles. $300 2. Shelter at Yavapai Point (estimate low) 200 3. Seats at Grandeur Point 25 4. Seats, 120 feet of wall, and other improvements at Automobile Outlook 150 5. Construction of 600 feet of road from Grand View Road to Automobile Out- look, and of parking space 50 6. Grading grounds on automobile parking space 100 7. Clearing and grading streets about plaza, approximately 350 linear feet. ... 15 8. Clearing and rough grading other new streets, approximately one-half mile. 250 9. Re-forming entrance to Bright Angel Trail 200 10. Steps and path in Government Park 200 o