As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Affiliate disclosure.

Home / Periods / Progressive Era America / Grand Canyon Tourism and El Tovar

Phase

Grand Canyon Tourism and El Tovar

1905–1920 CE

The El Tovar Hotel opened on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in 1905 as part of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway’s tourist network. Its architecture and services presented the canyon as an accessible destination for affluent travellers arriving by rail.

Fred Harvey Company employees, including the women widely known as Harvey Girls, worked under detailed standards governing service, dress and conduct. Their employment offered wages and mobility while exposing them to demanding labour and close public scrutiny.

Kimberley Woodhouse’s Secrets of the Canyon trilogy follows hotel workers confronting crime and concealed identities.

Books

6 Best Novels About Grand Canyon Tourism and El Tovar