The Associated Press has a story about the Grand Canyon celebrating its 90th anniversary as a national park. Some highlights of the article:
- The park was declared several years before Arizona became a state.
- About 44,000 visited it the first year.
- Now, 4.5 million visit annually.
- The Grand Canyon isn’t on Route 66, but is inextricably linked to it because so many travelers took that road to see it — and still do.
And this quote from a park superintendent about the canyon resonates with Route 66 as well:
“As loved and appreciated as the Grand Canyon is now, I think if you peer into the next 100 years, I think it’s going to be a greater value for the United States and people of the world,” park Superintendent Steve Martin said. “Having these places are going to be rarer and rarer.”