By: HISTORY.com Editors

1919

Grand Canyon is designated a national park

HISTORY.com Editors

Published: November 24, 2009Last Updated: January 31, 2025

On this day in 1919, President Woodrow Wilson officially designated the Grand Canyon as a national park. The geological wonder would go on to become one of America's most popular tourist attractions.

Grand Canyon

Explore the geological history of the Grand Canyon, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

Located in northwestern Arizona, the Grand Canyon is the product of millions of years of excavation by the mighty Colorado River. The chasm runs exceptionally deep, dropping more than a mile into the earth, and is 15 miles across at its widest point. The canyon is home to more than 1,500 plant species and over 500 animal species, many of them endangered or unique to the area, and its steep, multi-colored walls tell the story of two billion years of Earth’s history.

In 1540, members of an expedition sent by the Spanish explorer Coronado became the first Europeans to discover the canyon—though because of its remoteness, the area was not further explored until 300 years later. American geologist John Wesley Powell, who popularized the term “Grand Canyon” in the 1870s, became the first person to lead a journey across the entire length of the gorge in 1869. The harrowing voyage was made in four rowboats.

In January 1908, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt designated more than 800,000 acres of the Grand Canyon a national monument. It took more than a decade for it to gain full national park status.

Timeline

Also on This Day in History

Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on February 26th

Christopher Marlowe is baptized

On February 26, poet and playwright Christopher Marlowe is baptized in Canterbury, England, two months before the birth of his fellow playwright William Shakespeare. Marlowe, the son of a Canterbury shoemaker, was a bright student. He won scholarships to prestigious schools and earned his B.A. from Cambridge in 1584. Historians believe Marlowe served as a […]

1:00m read read

Robert R. Livingston, a.k.a. “The Chancellor,” dies

On February 26, 1813, New York Patriot Robert R. Livingston dies. Robert R. (or R.R.) Livingston was the eldest of nine children born to Judge Robert Livingston and Margaret Beekman Livingston in their family seat, Clermont, on the Hudson River in upstate New York. The Livingston family were proprietors of large land claims in the […]

1:36m read read

President Wilson learns of Zimmermann Telegram

In a crucial step toward U.S. entry into World War I, President Woodrow Wilson learns of the so-called Zimmermann Telegram, a message from German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmermann to the German ambassador to Mexico proposing a Mexican-German alliance in the event of a war between the U.S. and Germany. On February 24, 1917, British authorities […]

Grand Teton National Park is established

In a controversial move that inspires charges of eastern domination of the West, Congress establishes Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Home to some of the most stunning alpine scenery in the United States, the territory in and around Grand Teton National Park also has a colorful human history. The first Anglo-American to see the […]

2:42m read read

Hitler authorizes the founding of the Reich Luftwaffe

On February 26, 1935, Nazi leader Adolf Hitler signs a secret decree authorizing the founding of the Reich Luftwaffe as a third German military service to join the Reich army and navy. In the same decree, Hitler appointed Hermann Goering, a German air hero from World War I and high-ranking Nazi, as commander in chief […]

3:04m read read

National Dollar Stores Strike of 1938 begins in San Francisco’s Chinatown

The National Dollar Stores Strike begins in San Francisco’s Chinatown on February 26, 1938. The three-month strike delivered a win for workers and became the neighborhood’s first major organized labor dispute. In 1938, the garment industry was the largest employer in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Chinatown’s garment factories were not unionized, in part because of the […]

1:58m read read

U.S. troops recapture Philippine island of Corregidor

On February 26, an ammunition dump on the Philippine island of Corregidor is blown up by a remnant of the Japanese garrison, causing more American casualties on the eve of U.S. victory there. In May 1942, Corregidor, a small rock island at the mouth of Manila Bay, remained one of the last Allied strongholds in […]

2:16m read read

Mass graves discovered in Hue

Allied troops who had recaptured the imperial capital of Hue from the North Vietnamese during the Tet Offensive discover the first mass graves in Hue. It was discovered that communist troops who had held the city for 25 days had massacred about 2,800 civilians whom they had identified as sympathizers with the government in Saigon. […]

1:10m read read

Nike receives patent for waffle-soled trainers—invented in a waffle iron

On February 26, 1974, Nike receives a U.S. patent for its waffle trainer running shoes. Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman invented the now-iconic soles in a waffle iron over breakfast. Before Air Jordans and “Just do it,” Nike was a small sneaker company founded at the University of Oregon. Bill Bowerman, the coach of the Oregon […]

2:20m read read

Last U.S. Marines leave Beirut

The last U.S. Marines sent to Lebanon as part of a multinational peacekeeping force leave Beirut, the war-torn Lebanese capital where some 250 of the original 800 Marines lost their lives during the problem-plagued 18-month mission. In 1975, a bloody civil war erupted in Lebanon, with Palestinian and leftist Muslim guerrillas battling militias of the […]

1:48m read read

Sandinistas are defeated in Nicaraguan elections

A year after agreeing to free elections, Nicaragua’s leftist Sandinista government loses at the polls. The elections brought an end to more than a decade of U.S. efforts to unseat the Sandinista government. The Sandinistas came to power when they overthrew long-time dictator Anastacio Somoza in 1979. From the outset, U.S. officials opposed the new […]

2:04m read read

World Trade Center is bombed

At 12:18 p.m., a terrorist bomb explodes in a parking garage of the World Trade Center in New York City, leaving a massive, multi-story crater and causing the collapse of several steel-reinforced concrete floors in the vicinity of the blast. Although the terrorist bomb failed to critically damage the main structure of the skyscrapers, six […]

3:34m read read

World Trade Center bombing, 1993.

Florida teen Trayvon Martin is shot and killed

Trayvon Martin, an African American teen walking home from a trip to a convenience store, is fatally shot by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer patrolling the townhouse community of the Retreat at Twin Lakes in Sanford, Florida.

3:12m read read

Related Articles

What Is the U.S. National Guard?

U.S. Government and Politics

What Are the Origins of the US National Guard?

The reserve force of men and women traces its roots to Colonial America.

Troops Enforcing Desegregation in Little Rock

U.S. Government and Politics

7 Times Presidents Have Activated US Troops on American Soil

From desegregation at Little Rock to MLK's Selma-to-Montgomery march to the Cuban refugee crisis, these are major moments when U.S. presidents have deployed troops in America.

How Gerrymandering Began

U.S. Government and Politics

How Gerrymandering Began in the US

Long before it got its name, Gerrymandering was already happening in the United States.

A tow truck pulling Senator Edward Kennedy's car out of Poucha Pond after the accident on Chappaquiddick Island that killed Mary Jo Kopechne. (Credit: Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)

U.S. Government and Politics

Ted Kennedy’s Chappaquiddick Incident: What Really Happened

The fateful events at Chappaquiddick ended Mary Jo Kopechne’s life and derailed Ted Kennedy’s presidential ambitions for good.

See All Articles

About the author

HISTORY.com Editors

HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Articles with the “HISTORY.com Editors” byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan, Matt Mullen, Christian Zapata and Cristiana Lombardo.

Fact Check

We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate.

Citation Information

Article title: Grand Canyon is designated a national park
Author: HISTORY.com Editors
Website Name: History
URL: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/february-26/grand-canyon-designated-a-national-park

Date Accessed: August 20, 2025
Publisher: A&E Television Networks
Last Updated: January 31, 2025
Original Published Date: November 24, 2009

History Every Day

Sign Up for "This Day in History"

Uncover fascinating moments from the past every day! Learn something new with key events in history, from the American Revolution to pop culture, crime and more.

By submitting your information, you agree to receive emails from HISTORY and A+E Global Media. You can opt out at any time. You must be 16 years or older and a resident of the United States.More details: Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Contact Us