History of the Grand Canyon

	The most unique things about the Grand Canyon is the variety of rocks, the clarity of them, and the geologic story they tell. The only reason that the canyon exists is because of the erosion by the Colorado River. There are also more erosional forces that helped shape the Grand Canyon. Some of them include rain, snowmelt, and tributary streams. The rain normally comes in sudden violent storms, usually in the summer.
The shape of the Grand Canyon is also due to the different rock layers in the canyon walls. Each rock type responds to erosion in a different way. Some rocks form cliffs, some form slopes, and some rocks erode more quickly than others. The colors of the Grand Canyon are also because of the rocks and minerals. Most contain iron, which makes shades of red, yellow, and green.

The amount of precipitation effects the looks of the Grand Canyon. The more rain, the more the plants and trees grow. There are over 1,000 different flowering plants at the canyon. At the top of the Grand Canyon, there are a lot of ponderosa pine, spruce, and aspen trees. There are also many shrubs like cliff rose, fern bush, and serviceberry. At the bottom of the canyon, cacti is the plant you will mainly find.	Professional archaeologists believe that about 4,000 years ago, Dessert Archaic people lived in the Grand Canyon. Split twig figurines are the oldest and strongest evidence of their presence. The twigs were made as representations of animals. They are found mostly in the caves below the rim. Pictographs from many different culture were also found around the Grand Canyon.

	The Anasazi Indians started to move to the Grand Canyon in 500 A.D. By 800 A.D. the Anasazi were entering another phase. The phase was known as the Pueblo. The Grand Canyon has ruins of adobe houses showing Pueblo Indians once lived there, even as early as the 1200s. The first white men to discover the canyon were Spaniards from Francisco Vasquez de Coronado's expedition in 1540. Despite this, the Grand Canyon was still virtually unexplored.
In 1906, the Grand Canyon National Preserve was established. It wasn't until 1917 when the first tourist facility was set up. The tourists facility was on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. In 1919, Congress made the Grand Canyon Preserve a National Park. It established it's use for enjoyment in the future, as well as recognizing the region's scientific value.