TellUs: The Grand Canyon - Creation and Inhabitants

The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is an absolute awe-inspiring, natural site. Its vastness spreads over an area of 4,926 km². There is such a long history to the Canyon, dating back millions of years. Throughout this length of time a lot has happened, including the Canyons initial creation which is still up for debate and the various tribes that have inhabited the area. 

This blog will give you some background information on the Grand Canyon and some facts you may not be aware of!

Panoramic view of The Grand Canyon West (Source: myself)

How was it created?

The formation of the Grand Canyon is still debated between geologists and scientists to this day. The creation of this natural mega-structure is hard to determine, so there are disputes about time periods of when certain events took place. I will be writing about the most repeated timezones I have researched.

The story begins around 2 billion years ago when igneous and metamorphic rocks were formed. This started the formation of layers and layers of sedimentary rock that were laid on top of basement rocks that the canyon winds through.

The general scientific consensus, that was last updated in 2010, states that the Colorado River carved the Grand Canyon at approximately 5 million to 6 million years ago. The main cause of the erosion that formed the canyon and how we see it together is thought to be from water erosion, carving through the layers of volcanic and sediment rocks.

Geologists use a diagram called a stratigraphic column to look at the rock layers that form the Canyon. The diagram shows the oldest layers of rocks at the bottle and the youngest at the top. This means the bottom layer was formed first, the subsequent layers later.

Stratigraphic coloum (Source: nps.gov)

The uppermost layer of rock was formed at the bottom of the ocean. Today this is found at elevations of up to 9,000 feet. The uplift of the Colorado Plateau was a key event in the formation of the Grand Canyon. Plate tectonics lifted the rocks high and flat, creating a plateau in which the Colorado River cut through. Geologists would expect this event to have caused deformation of the rocks, however they aren’t altered significantly at all.

The uplift is still unknown entirely by geologists and scientists. Two hypotheses are suggested: shallow-angle subduction or isostacy. 

Who first inhabited the Grand Canyon?

The Grand Canyon (Source: myself)

Archeological evidence implies humans have been living around the Grand Canyon for around 10,000 years, however these were not permanent civilisations. Scientists believe this was due to people passing through due to hunting and/or migration. 

Archeological evidence found small, split-twig figurines made from willow and cottonwood deep within limestone caves, providing evidence of the first year-around civilisations occurring approximately 4,000 years ago.

200 B.C to 1300 A.D

200 B.C the Ancestral Puebloan people migrated towards the Canyon. The Anasazi people did also. They built abode (a type of clay) houses along the Canyon’s rim. These structures can still be seen today, however they are slowly deteriorating due to the harsh desert climates.

The Anasazi lived near the canyon until approximately 1,500 A.D. It’s thought that they suddenly abandoned their settlements and fled the Grand Canyon. It’s still debated as to why the Anasazi left, however it’s widely believed to have been either from drought or conflicts with other groups of people.

1250 A.D to current day

Eagle point, Grand Canyon West. A symbolic sight for the Native Americans
that inhabit the Canyon. Eagles symbolise strength and power.
(Source: myself)

The Puebloan people began migrating away from the Grand Canyon meaning new groups of Native Americans moved in. The two largest tribes, who still reside on reservations there today, are the Hualapai and the Havasupai.

They were and still remain extremely clever, they would migrate between the Canyon’s inner and upper plateau throughout the year. During the summer they used complex irrigation systems in order to farm. When winter came around they would move up the plateau in order to hunt for food instead.

The tribe thrived in the Canyon until the mid 1800’s when settlers arrived and began their interest in the pursuit of land, gold and riches. In 1866 Wauba Yoman, the Hualapai chief, was murdered causing the tribe to wage a three-year war against the U.S. Upon losing, the tribe were forcefully moved to a reservation, in which many died due to lack of food and diseases spread from colonisers. Those that survived planned an escape, which was successful but their freedom was short-lived. President Chester Arthur again forcefully moved the tribe to another location, south of the Grand Canyon where they still reside today.

The Havasupai during this uncertain time period escaped the brutal wars fought by the Hualapai. They did lose their land in 1880 when President Rutherford Hayes created a small reservation for the tribe that was 12 miles long and 5 miles wide. The reservation was nowhere near enough the size for the tribe to live on and was eventually expanded to its current size of over 150,000 acres.

Today both tribes rely heavily on tourist money. However make sure you research which parts of the Grand Canyon are theirs so that you’re money can go to them.

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