But, you ask, what is the Canyon for? The answer is simple, and reveals a
very humble task as the main work of this vast and gorgeously-colored
abyss. It merely acts as the home of a great river, that for hundreds of
miles does not serve a single useful purpose to man.
Yet purely material uses are of the lowest kind. The Grand Canyon has a far
higher mission than that I have spoken of, and others that are suggested in
various chapters of this book. The Grand Canyon is God's greatest gift of
His material handiwork in visible form on our earth. It is an expression of
His divine thought; it is a manifestation of His divine love. It is a link,
a wonderful connecting link, between the human and the Divine, between man
and his Great Creator, his Loving Father, Almighty God.
CHAPTER II. On The Grand Canyon Railway To El Tovar
History of the Grand Canyon Railway. The Grand Canyon Railway leaves the
main line of the Santa Fe at Williams, Arizona. It is an integral part of
the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway System, that operates its own
lines between Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Though surveys had been made years ago from Ash Fork, Williams and
Flagstaff, it was left for the Tusayan Development Company of New York, who
owned a group of copper mines located twenty miles south of the head of
Bright Angel Trail, actually to build the railway part way to the Canyon.
It was later extended to the rim by the Santa Fe, and afterwards
practically rebuilt. The original purpose was to reach the mines referred
to and convey the ore to Williams, where the smelter then erected is to be
seen on the hillside east of the town.
The promoter of the mines and railway was "Bucky" O'Neill, a prominent
Arizona citizen, at one time mayor of Prescott, who became world-famous by
his tragic death during the charge of the Rough Riders at San Juan Hill.
The First Four Miles. Striking due north, the railway passes over masses of
malapais, or lava float, until, four miles out, it crosses Havasu
(Cataract) Creek. If the rains are just over, the rough rocks will be
entirely covered and hidden by a gorgeous growth of sunflowers and lupines,
the yellows and purples making a carpet that, in the brilliant sunlight,
fairly dazzles the eye. Here and there a band of sheep may be seen, with
straggling herds of cattle and horses. In the winter time it is not unusual
to find snow covering the plateau, for it must not be forgotten that it has
an elevation of nearly seven thousand feet.
