El Tovar Hotel on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon has seen its share of history.
El Tovar Hotel opened in 1905, 14 years before the Grand Canyon became a national park and seven years before Arizona became a state. But the giant chasm was already a popular destination among tourists — and presidents. In the early 20th century, President Theodore Roosevelt made a trip to the Canyon.
Seizing an opportunity, many entrepreneurs vied for a way to capitalize on the Canyon’s growing popularity. According to El Tovar’s website, that included leaders of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. The railway began construction on a route to bring more visitors to the Canyon, creating the Grand Canyon Railway.
Once the railway was completed, the Atchison,
Topeka and Santa Fe Railway brought on the Fred Harvey Co. to build a hotel with a $250,000 budget — about $9.5 million today.
El Tovar officially opened on Jan. 1, 1905. According to the Historic Hotels of America website, “The Railway chose to name the building as the ‘El Tovar Hotel’ after one of the first people to inspire the exploration of the Grand Canyon.” Pedro de Tovar was a 16th-century Spanish adventurer.
In an ad that ran in The Arizona Republican, now The Arizona Republic, on Jan. 2, 1905, the hotel advertised its opening with a daily room rate of $3 — about $113 today.
The hotel quickly became a success and a popular tourist destination. An enthusiastic President Roosevelt stayed at El Tovar on multiple return trips.
In an August 1905 article in The Republican, a correspondent described El Tovar as “one of the finest hotels in the west.”
El Tovar Hotel was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark on May 28, 1987.
Katherine Chircus was born and raised in Scottsdale and is a digital operations manager for The Arizona Republic. Send tips on Arizona history items to kfritcke@azcentral.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Grand Canyon's El Tovar Hotel is 121 years old and still going strong
