The Ol’ Pioneer The Magazine of the Grand Canyon Historical Society Volume 21 : Number 2 www.GrandCanyonHistory.org Spring 2010 In This Issue Mules: A Dying Species at Grand Canyon ........ 3 The Yellow Brick Road ....... 6 President’s Letter The Ol’ Pioneer The Magazine of the After one of the snowiest winters in recent memory, signs of spring are fi- Grand Canyon Historical Society nally appearing in northern Arizona. It is a time when hikers and tourists alike Volume 21 : Number 2 begin to return to the canyon in droves like the swallows returning to Capist- Spring 2010 rano and the latest Phantom Ranch t-shirt designs make their appearance along with the new wildflowers along I-17. Old camping gear gets aired out, new gear u gets bought and plans get made for the year’s big adventures. Spring is a time The Historical Society was established of growth and renewal and new things. in July 1984 as a non-profit corporation Keeping in tune with the season and the times, we are going to be starting to develop and promote appreciation, some new things with the Grand Canyon Historical Society this year. One is under-standing and education of the the board’s recent decision to start posting old back issues of the Ol’ Pioneer earlier history of the inhabitants and and bulletin on the GCHS website for access by members and researchers. It is important events of the Grand Canyon. a good way to quickly find old articles or peruse early issues and we hope that The Ol’ Pioneer is published by the it will expand awareness and appreciation of the society’s work and research. GRAND CANYON HISTORICAL You can find an initial posting of older issues under the Publications section and SOCIETY in conjunction with The more will be added later. Be aware that the online copies will be for archival Bulletin, an informational newsletter. purposes only… printed hard-copies of the latest Ol’Pioneer will continue to be Both publications are a benefit of membership. Membership in the Society mailed to members only and will not be posted online until at least a year after is open to any person interested in the publication. We are also looking into ways of allowing members to join, pay historical, educational, and charitable their dues and share other information online… so keep an eye on the website purposes of the Society. Membership is (www.grandcanyonhistory.org). on an annual basis using the standard Spring is also a time for looking forward. It is hard to believe that it has been calendar; and dues of $20 are payable on the 1st of January each year, and more than three years since the last popular Grand Canyon History Sympo- mailed to the GCHS Treasurer, PO Box sium. There is a lot of interest in having another symposium in 2012 to coin- 31405 Flagstaff, AZ 86002. The Ol’ Pioneer cide with the Arizona statehood centennial. The tremendous success of the last magazine is copyrighted by the Grand symposium was due in large part to the efforts of numerous volunteers and Canyon Historical Society, Inc. All rights supporters. Planning and preparing for a third symposium will also require reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form significant time and resources and so a call goes out for volunteers who would without permission of the publisher. like to contribute to the effort. Even if you don’t live near the canyon, there will likely be opportunities to help remotely. If you are interested, please contact Lee Editor: Mary Williams Albertson (see contact info on the GCHS website). See you in the canyon! Submit photos and stories to the editor of The Ol’ Pioneer at: mary@ marywilliamsdesign.com or 4880 N Erik Berg Weatherford Road, Flagstaff, AZ 86001. GCHS President (928) 779-3377. Please submit written articles and photos electronically on CD or via email if possible. You may mail photos or slides for scanning if needed. Submissions to The Bulletin should be sent to Karen Greig, [email protected] GCHS Officers Erik Berg, President John Azar, Vice President Cover: A wrangler and his mule string descend through the Tapeats sandstone Keith Green, Treasurer enroute to Phantom Ranch. Photo courtesy of : Tom Brownold. Amy Horn, Secretary Kirsten Heins, Pioneer Award Al Richmond, Awards Chair Photographer extraordinairre Tom Brownold has a portfolio of photos about Paul Schnur, Membership Committee the Grand Canyon mules and wranglers. You can see some of them ond order John Azar, Outings Coordinator prints at www.tombrownold.com. Board of Directors Karen Greig Howard Asaki Kristin Heins John Azar Mona McCroskey The Ol’ Pioneer submission deadlines are going to be roughly January, April, Erik Berg Carol Naille July and October and we will publish either three or four issues a year, de- Jackie Brown Adair Peterson Keith Green Paul Schnur pending on content volume. 2 : Grand Canyon Historical Society www.GrandCanyonHistory.org Mules : A Dying Species at Grand Canyon by Keith Green I’ve witnessed the trail crew for more money to increase funding for decades as they have tried different trail maintenance through higher he National Park Service is methods to keep the trail ditches from user fees. Maybe then mule riders considering severely limit- happening. Awhile back they actually would still be able to ride more places ing the historically significant widened the trail and created a place in the canyon. Tmule rides at Grand Canyon. An for rainwater to run alongside the trail The Park Service also mentions Environmental Assess- other reasons for re- ment seeking to do so is stricting mule traffic. out for public review and Thousands of hik- comment until the end of ers have complained April. The preferred al- about road apples ternative calls for elimi- (mule droppings) and nation of the day trips to pee on the trail. All Plateau Point and Roaring those complaints have Springs. It would decrease finally resulted in ac- the number of mule rides tion. The Park Service to Phantom Ranch from also mentions un- twenty to ten mules. There pleasant interactions would still be the half-day between hikers and trips to Supai tunnel. Ten Mule trains have been riding into the canyon sincethe trails were built mule trips. Whenev- mule rides would go to Photo: National Park Service. er hikers and mules Uncle Jim’s Point. Private meet, unsafe things stock owners could take can happen unless the up to 12 animals into the canyon for with occasional wooden waterbars to mules are given the right-of-way. Ap- day trips presumably to Plateau Point push it across the trail into the can- parently this is not well understood or Roaring Springs; six could do an yon. I’ve seen trail crews laboriously especially by foreign hikers. Bud overnight at Phantom. The rules for replacing the trail foundation with Rippy, who once was a mule guide, concessionaire pack mules and Park various sizes of gravel or creating a told me the story of riding up the trail Service mules remain the same. cobblestone surface by setting slabs when a group of Germans were strid- The plan actually increases the of rock on end. The latest strategy has ing down the trail. total number of mule rides on both been to make a stair-step effect when- “Yer gonna have to stand along- rims, but it does this by creating mule ever the trail gets steep. Nothing has side the trail, or yer gonna get rides that stay out of the canyon. lasted more than a few years. The kicked,” Bud said. Forty mule riders per day could ride trails are subject to significant erosion The hikers kept coming; so bud from Yaki Point to somewhere near due to flooding, rockslides, and more said it again, (you’ll get kicked.”) Shoshone Point, and forty riders per or less continuous use. Limited fund- Up they came trying to squeeze by day could take a one-hour ride along ing has caused the corridor trails to the mules; so Bud kicked them! the Ken Patrick Trail (North Rim). fall into disrepair. The Bright Angel Mules have been a part of Grand The preferred alternative propos- and Kaibab Trails have become diffi- Canyon for more than 130 years. es an adaptive management strategy cult to navigate for hikers and mules. Prospectors used them, John Hance whereby managers would monitor In some areas, alternative trails have used them, Francois Matthes used the trails and possibly further restrict been formed because the real trail is mules and horses to map the canyon. trail use according to trail conditions. rutted or indistinguishable. Support In 1903, Dee Woolley, Dave Rust, et al The Park Service wants to limit walls and structures need repair. The began to improve the route from the the number of mule rides inside the Park Service claims they need $3 mil- South Rim to the North Rim so that it canyon mostly because of the dam- lion per year just to maintain these was suitable for mules. The idea was age they do to the trails. Mules almost trails and they’ve only been getting to get tourists from the South Rim always walk in a line on the same half that. In addition deferred main- to the North Rim and beyond into part of the trails width. This eventu- tenance costs are up to $24 million Southern Utah, and this had to be ally causes a ditch down the middle just to get the trails back to their origi- done by horses or mules.