The known history of the Grand Canyon area stretches back 10,500 years when the first evidence for human presence in the area started. The Paiutes call the plateau that the canyon cuts through Kaibab, or "Mountain Lying Down." John Wesley Powell was the first to consistently use and publish the name "Grand Canyon" in the 1870s. No matter what name it is known by, the Grand Canyon is ever awe-inspiring.

The 1906 Act for the Preservation of American Antiquities paved the way for President Theodore Roosevelt, a devoted outdoorsman and park supporter, to change Grand Canyon's status from national forest and game reserve to national monument in 1908. Congress authorized the expansion and upgrading of the monument to a national park in 1919. The new Skywalk will give tourists a breathtaking canyon view through a glass-bottom observation deck.