Teddy Roosevelt Declares Grand Canyon a National Monument

Native Americans are known to have lived in the area now known as the Grand Canyon as far back as the 13th Century. The first European sightings of the area were not until 1540, by Spanish explorers.

By the late 1800's, much activity, including mining, was happening in the Canyon. President Benjamin Harrison made several attempts to declare the Grand Canyon a National Monument, but failed to do so during his presidency.

Theodore Roosevelt first visited the park in 1903, and was very impressed. He wanted to preserve the area, and  after five years of effort, on this day in history, the Grand Canyon National Park came to be.

For more information about the Grand Canyon, check out this site.