On This Date

On January 11, 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt ended debates in Congress about whether the Grand Canyon should be preserved or developed (for hydro-power and minerals) by declaring it a National Monument, under authority granted by Congress in the Antiquities Act of 1906. This move, controversial at the time, protected what has become the most popular natural tourist attraction in the United States against the designs of developers, while Congress dithered. It was not until 1919 that Congress finally designated the Grand Canyon as a National Park.