Santa Fe – A Legacy at the Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon Railway is carrying on a long and treasured railroad tradition in Northern Arizona. The Santa Fe Railway was one of the first railroads to stretch into the Southwest from the East – bringing passengers, tourists, supplies, and civilization to the "Wild West." The Santa Fe was the first railway to build a track north from Williams to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, and the company also helped develop Grand Canyon Village. They built the Grand Canyon Depot, the El Tovar Hotel, and many other buildings. In fact, all the materials used to construct the village came to the rim by train, and all the water used in the park came by train until 1926. The Santa Fe was the first to really promote the canyon as a tourist destination too; so much of the canyon's history traces back to a railroad and the development it provided.