Ultrarunning History

By Davy Crockett

New Book, containing the early history of The Barkley Marathons

Watching sports on Christmas Day is enjoyed by millions of sporting fans. But it also is probably despised by even more of those sporting fans’ families who have other priorities on that special day. While today the events watched are primarily basketball and football, back 144 years ago in 1879, the most popular sport taking place in America on Christmas Day was ultra-distance running, called Pedestrianism. Why would thousands leave their festive holiday celebrations to go many miles by horse carriage to smoke-filled arenas to watch skinny guys walk and run in circles for hours?

1914 Christmas match

In America, on Christmas Day, the NBA basketball games have become a tradition (more than 75 years) and increasingly NFL football games are being played. What about soccer (football) in Europe? The most famous Christmas Day game took place during World War I in 1914 between British and German soldiers in No Man’s Land in Flanders, Belgium. Soccer leagues played on Christmas well into the 1980s before they stopped.

Back in 1879, the featured Christmas Day sports event was ultrarunning/pedestrianism. That day, at least four ultramarathons were taking place. The largest six-day race in history, “The Rose Belt.” with 65 starters, held in Madison Square Garden in New York City, in front of thousands of spectators. In Chicago, at McCormick Hall, four pedestrians were competing in another six-day race, more crowded facilities. Probably the most unusual ultramarathon in history was also taking place in the Red Sea aboard the steamer “Duke of Devonshire.”

Pedestrianism and Six-Day Races

A British long-distance walker, Foster Powell (1734-1793) started a focus on walking/running for six days and is recognized as the “Father of the Six-Day Race.” In 1773, Powell caused a great stir when he walked and ran about 400 miles from London to York and back in less than six days. “Walking” in those very early days was a general term. These pioneer ultrarunners of the late 1700s and early 1800s actually performed a “jog-trot,” or a mixture of walking and running. There was no emphasis yet on “fair heel-toe” walking.

Powell established a six-day standard that would be remembered for decades. Nearly all six-day attempts in the decades that followed pointed their efforts to Powell’s previous accomplishments. Dozens attempted to match or improve on his feat. By 1779, Powell was the first long-distance runner who was referred to as a “pedestrian” performing the art of “pedestrianism.” That term took hold in England and eventually referenced competitions on foot for all distances, even sprints.

Pedestrianism came into the American public eye as Edward Payson Weston (1839-1929) of Providence, Rhode Island, made several attempts in 1874 to walk 500 miles in six days. P. T. Barnum (1810-1891), of circus fame, had the brilliant idea to move such attempts indoors for vast audiences to watch, in his massive Hippodrome in New York City. In 1875, Barnum put on the first six-day race in history, won by Weston with 431 miles. In these races, the winner was the athlete who reached the furthest distance within six days.

During the late 1870s, this new reality show of indoor six-day races exploded across America. People of all classes became fascinated by the competition, drama, and human tragedy that could be witnessed during these events. Spectators would usually pay 25 cents per day to enter smoke-filled arenas and city halls to cheer and wager on their favorite runner. In only a few years, pedestrianism became the number one spectator sport in America. Onlookers would watch walkers and runners circle indoor tracks for days, secretly hoping to witness suffering, fainting, and even fistfights like modern-day hockey matches. Indeed, pedestrianism was like the modern-day reality shows that addicts television viewers today,

By Davy Crockett

New Book, containing the early history of The Barkley. Get it in your country's Amazon site

Gary Cantrell (a.k.a. Lazarus Lake), of Tennessee, was recently inducted into the American Ultrarunning Hall of Fame. Most people recognize him for creating the legendary Barkley Marathons, arguably the toughest trail race in the world. But few understand that he once was a talented runner during the 1970s and early 1980s. His running exploits when he was in his 20s and 30s groomed his experience into the most famous extreme sports race director in the world, and into an encyclopedia of ultrarunning wisdom. To understand the complexities of the man, Gary Cantrell, before he became Lazarus Lake, one must learn about his background and experiences that led up to the birth of the Barkley.

Gary Duane Cantrell was born in 1954, in Texas. His parents were Franklin Delano Cantrell (1933-2012) and Florence Earlene (Dishman) Cantrell (1933-2022) both of Tulsa, Oklahoma. They were childhood sweethearts and married young in 1952. Their first child, a daughter, died as in infant. In 1954, his father joined the army and went to Fort Bliss, in El Paso, Texas, for basic training. His mother went to live with her family. Gary arrived four months later in Caldwell, Texas, but the family still claimed Tulsa, Oklahoma, to be their home. His brother Douglas arrived a few years later. A sister, Lisa, was born years later.

Gary's Ancestry

Gary’s ancestral roots were solidly southern. His Cantrells lived in Tennessee and Arkansas for generations. He had ancestors who were among the early Colonial American settlers.

First Brick House

His first Cantrell ancestor in America was his 7th Great-grandfather, Richard Cantrell (1666-1753) who emigrated from England to Colonial America in 1682 to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was at first a servant to another man, probably serving an apprentice learning to be a brickmaker. It is believed that he made the bricks for the first two brick homes built in Philadelphia. Gary’s 4th Great-Grandfather, Thomas J. Cantrell (1761-1830) fought in the Revolutionary War for North Carolina and was the first Cantrell ancestor to settle in Tennessee. He operated “Old Forge” in Sink, Creek, Tennessee.

On Gary’s mother’s side, the Dishmans lived for generations in Missouri and Kentucky. His first Dishman ancestor in America was his 6th Great-Grandfather, Samuel Duchemin (1640-1727) from France. He came to America in about 1693, settled in Virginia, and Anglicized his name to Dishman. His grandsons fought in the Revolutionary War, including Gary’s 4th Great-Grandfather, Jeremiah Dishman (1752-1841).

Civil War Ancestors

Nearly all of Gary’s ancestral families were deeply impacted by the Civil War. His 3rd-great grandfather, Ransom Blades (1821-1901), who Gary must have patterned his beard after, was an outspoken Union sympathizer living in Missouri, favoring the Northern causes. During the war, fearing for his life, Ransom, a father of eleven, had to flee Missouri and went to Kansas. Other ancestors fought on the side of the Confederacy, including 2nd-great-grandfather, James Brashears (1846-1935) for Missouri, 3rd-great-grandfather Hamp Martin (1820-1902), for Arkansas, 2nd great-grandfather, and Clement Hunt (1839-1913), for Arkansas. Most of Gary's ancestors were not enlisted in the conflict but affected by the battles, lost brothers or sons, and had troops raid their towns.

Childhood

Gary's Grandparents and family

Gary’s grandparents were James Allen Cantrell (1896-1983) and Lucy Cordelia Wilson (1899-1985) of Arkansas. In about 1918, they moved to Oklahoma, in a covered wagon and raised their family there, where James worked as a laborer on an oil rig and then farmed.

Andy Payne

Gary's father, Franklin, grew up working hard in the fields using mules to plow. as a child, he attened school in a one-room schoolhouse that he rode a horse to and from.

By Davy Crockett

Get this history in my new book

Trail 100-milers started to be held in Great Britain in 1973, four years before the Western States 100 was established in America. This piece of ultrarunning history is largely unknown to Americans who have been told for decades that trail 100-milers began first in the U.S. In reality, trail 100s were also known to be held in Mexico among the Tarahumara as early as 1867. Thus, recognition is deserved among several cultures and countries to those who dared to head out into the rural wilderness to achieve the distance of 100 miles on foot. See the new book:  Running 100 Miles Part One: A History (1729-1960).

The Long Distance Walkers Association (LDWA)

In 1972, a British association was founded named The Long Distance Walkers Association (LDWA). The LDWA started with 355 members. Eventually, the organization grew to more than 9,000 members.

The LDWA defined a “long distance walk” as any walk of 20 miles or more. They wanted to concentrate on rural walks. Local groups were created, a journal eventually called Strider was published, and group walking events were established, referred to as “social events.” In the very first issue in 1972, it was written, “Although our title includes the word ‘walkers,’ this is not intended to preclude those who trot around the course of an organized walk. Some organizers specifically say that competitors must not run, but there can be no real check when most walks go over remote areas and of course when going down a 30% gradient, it is often impossible not to run.”

The LDWA 100-Milers

Formal “challenge events” were established that were up to 100 miles. These trail and cross-country events were marshaled with checkpoints to ensure walkers followed the route. Finish times were published and ordered by finish time. Finishes under a "first-class time" were recognized, but “winners” were not emphasized or awarded. They were not called “races,” but had nearly every attribute of a race. Competitive athletes quickly treated them like races. During 1973, at least 20 ultra-distance trail events were held, supported or publicized by the LDWA.

Sandra Brown (1949-) from England, who by 2020 had finished more than 200 100-milers and dozens of LDWA walks commented, “Some of these LDWA runners and walkers are, year after year, completing 100 miles or more, largely off-road, usually with thousands of feet of climbing over quite remote hills and mountains, and with route-finding on the UK’s quite complex historic footpaths network, in around 24 hours. Events like the LDWA’s annual 100 and other distances (50 miles, 100 km) have since the 1970s been the precursor of today’s popular trail runs.”

Starting in 1973, annual LDWA trail 100-mile events were hosted each year at different locations on the Spring Bank Holiday weekend. These trail 100s, could be classified as mountain trail 100s. They were mostly off-road hikes that did not have to walked according to racewalking rules. Running or jogging was permitted, so they were not Centurion walking events. Finish cutoff times for the 100-milers were eventually established at 48 hours. Some elite British ultrarunners would take part running, seeking to be the first to the finish line.

Each walker (or runner) was required to walk with small packs containing certain items, such as the course description, maps, waterproof jacket, clothing layers, hat, gloves, compass, whistle, flashlight, bivi bag, and a first aid kit. Many checkpoints (aid stations) were set up with food and drink between about 5-10 miles apart. At the checkpoints along the course, marshals checked the walkers and could pull out anyone over-fatigued or behind schedule. Medical staff were at checkpoints to evaluate runners and help them fix their feet. All such conventions were devised years before the Americans established their trail 100-milers and aid stations.

The founders of the LDWA were Alan Blatchford (1...

By Davy Crockett

Get this history in my new book

The first certified 100 km race in America was held at Lake Waramaug, Connecticut, in 1974. Today it remains as the oldest 100 km race in the country and the second oldest American ultra still held. For many years in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, it was the unofficial national championship for the 100 km distance and the best ultrarunners in the U.S. made their pilgrimage to Lake Waramaug to test their abilities on the 7.59-mile paved road loop around the lake.

Before 1974, the 50-mile or 100-mile distances had been the America's “standard” ultra distances. But most of the ultras held during the 1970s were of odd lengths. There were a few road 50 kms, such as those put on by the AAU in Sacramento. But in the New York City area, the hotspot for ultramarathons put on by Ted Corbitt (1919-2007), of the New York Road Runners, had a large variety of ultra distances during the 1960s and early 1970s. San Francisco had been the scene of multiple 32 milers. Racing around Lake Tahoe for 72 miles would become popular starting in 1975. No one had yet thought to put on a race that was exactly 100 km.

The Great Tarahumara 100 km of 1926

We must give credit to Mexico and the Tarahumara for the earliest known running race that was strictly 100 km long. With the Central American Games coming to Mexico in 1926, Jesus Antonio Almeida (1885-1957), the governor of the State of Chihuahua, and the President of Mexico, Plutarco Elias Calles (1877-1945) wanted to showcase the newly discovered Tarahumara distance running talent on this world stage. They arranged for an exhibition 100 km race to be held.

It was called La carrera Tarahumara, or the “Great Tarahumaran Race,” and was held five days after the games. It was hoped with the attention to this race, that the 100 km would be adopted by the upcoming Olympic Games. “They dreamed that their Tarahumaran countrymen would win honor for Mexico by thrilling the world at Amsterdam in 1928.” With Mexican victories, they hoped that it would help drive away racial lies about the Mexican people.

The 100 km race was held on a highway from the silver mining center Pachuca to the stadium in Mexico City. Tarahumaras, Tomas Zafiro ran along with Leoncio San Miguel. A third Tarahumara, Virgillo Espinoza, also competed but did not finish. The race began in the dark at 3:05 a.m. The people in the villages along the highway to Mexico City lined the road to cheer them on to the city. They shot off firecrackers, cheered, and some joined in to run with them for short distances. Church bells tolled, bringing out more spectators.

Zafiro and San Miguel entered the stadium packed with thousands of spectators at about 12:35 p.m. and ran three laps around the track, finishing tied for the win of 9:37. College athletes at the games were astonished. Zafiro and San Miguel became national heroes.

100 km Races Begin in Europe

George Perdon

100 km races began to be held in Europe as early as 1959 with the Lauf Biel 100K that was competed on a long road loop in Biel, Switzerland. Most of these European 100 km events started as hikes but opened up to runners. In 1974, nearly 2,500 runners and walkers finished the very popular European race. At least 14 100 km races were held that year in Europe. The fastest recorded 100 km times were usually split times accomplished by runners trying to achieve longer distances, such as 100 miles. In 1974, before America had a 100 km race, the world record of 6:42:53, was held by Ensio Tanninen (1936-) of Finland, who set that mark on an uncertified road course in 1972 at Järvenpää, Finland. The record on a certified track was 7:26:14, set by George Perdon (1924-1993) of Australia, in 1970, at Olympic Park in Melbourne, Australia.

America Was Slow to Adopt the 100 km Ultra

America, of course, was not on the metric system, although there was increased discussion in the 1970s to start using it.

By Davy Crockett

This part will cover additional stories found through deeper research, adding to the history shared in found in the new book, Grand Canyon Rim to Rim History. Grand Canyon rim to rim hikes and runs become very popular as thousands descend into the Canyon each year. Fastest known times for R2R and R2R2R runs are broken.

In 1991, Jerry Chavez, a Vietnam veteran of Leadville, Colorado, worked for the NPS. He operated the pump station at Indian Garden, which pumped water up to the South Rim. He lived year-round at a nice residence down at Indian Garden. Chavez was also a member of the park’s 20-member rescue team and kept in shape by running rim-to-rim.

Chavez said that the “dumbest thing” he saw was people hiking without food or water. “Chavez had seen a lot of weird things in the Canyon, including a guy hiking in a dusty tuxedo and women in high-heel shoes.” Often, he would rescue hikers suffering from heatstroke. One recent case was particularly bad. He remembered, “When I saw that man, he looked like death. We had to carry him up a mile. His temperature was 109. We were running water from a creek and kept pouring it on him. When they flew him to Flagstaff, he still had a temperature of 105. The doctor called and said whoever worked on him saved his life. The guy walked out of the hospital as normal as can be.” Chavez was awarded a National Park Service achievement award.

Out-of-shape parents were often seen bringing down small children. On a winter day in 1989, Chavez was out for a run and found parents with two small children and heavy packs. “The kids were lying in the snow and crying. I told them, ‘You’re going to have to carry those kids out.’” He offered to help, but the father refused and yelled at the kids about 2-3 years old. Finally, Chavez got permission to rescue the kids and carry them out.

Amphitheater High School Double Cross

During the summer of 1991, cross-country runner Virginia Hope Pedersoli (1974-) and others from Amphitheater High School in Tucson, Arizona, achieved a double-crossing giving publicity to the feat to other high schools. The group went down South Kaibab at dawn and reached the North Rim in ten hours. They ate lunch and headed back, finishing in the early morning at about 3 a.m. for a 21.5-hour double cross. Pedersoli said, “It was awesome. Walk until you are dead and then walk some more. It’s hard to explain. While I was doing it, I wanted to quit, but after I was done, I wanted to do it again.” She went on to win five state championships in track and cross-country and competed in track and cross-country at the University of Arizona.

President Bush on South Kaibab Trail

On September 18, 1991, South Kaibab Trail was totally shut down with federal agents crawling around it with rifles and large binoculars. President George H. W. Bush (1924-2018), visited the Canyon and descended down the trail with a group that included Interior Secretary Manuel Lujan (1928-2019). The president wore loafers that became coated with dust and sweat drenched the back of his shirt. He chatted quite a bit about the views and the fishing in the Colorado River and at Phantom Ranch.  He really wanted to get to the bottom, but they turned around after going down 685 feet to Ooh Ahh Point. After they turned around, Bush left most of his group behind and powered up the trail. His hike lasted about an hour and covered 1.8 miles.

Major Destruction of the Kaibab Trail in 1992

During February 1992, a major rockslide destroyed a large portion of the North Kaibab Trail between Supai Tunnel and the bridge across the ravine below. It took out nearly 9,000 feet of switchbacks. The slopes had been soaked by early winter rains, became very muddy, and then crashed down into the canyon. Bruce Aiken at Roaring Springs reported, “Rebuilding the trail is going to be very difficult. It will take at least two months, maybe longer.” Hikers were given directions to use the Old Br...

By Davy Crockett

This part will cover additional stories found through deeper research, adding to the history shared in found in the new book, Grand Canyon Rim to Rim History.

Overcrowding Concerns

In 1971, because of overcrowding in the inner Canyon, the Park Service started to implement a reservation system for camping. They shared a situation on the Easter weekend when 800 people tried to camp at Phantom Ranch, which only handled 75. Park Superintendent Robert Lovegren (1926-2010), said, “We readily accept quotas on tickets to a theater or sports event. If the performance is sold out, we wait for the next one or the next season. We don’t insist on crowding in to sit on someone’s lap.” Reservations requests were made by mail. In the first month of the system, 1,463 people wanted to reserve 100 camping spots for Easter weekend. They used a lottery system for that weekend.

Get Davy Crockett's new book, Grand Canyon Rim to Rim History. Read more than a century of the history of crossing the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim. 295 pages, 400+ photos. Paperback, hardcover, Kindle, and Audible.

Phantom Ranch Chef

John Boggess worked as the chef at Phantom Ranch for ten months and was ready for a new assignment in 1971. But there was a problem, and it looked like he would be trapped at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. “When Boggess showed up here for his cooking job, he weighed 216 pounds. There’s a rigid rule that no one over 200 pounds could ride the mules down the walls of the canyon. Boggess went on a diet, shed 16 pounds and rode down to his job.” But during his ten months down there, he ballooned well above the 200-pound limit. He paid a helicopter pilot to bring him out of the canyon.

1971 Flood Damage

In July 1971, a wall of water washed down Bright Angel Creek and stranded eleven hikers at Phantom Ranch who were on the wrong side of a washout area. They had to spend the night out in the canyon. Rangers came to the rescue the next day, strung ropes across the rain-swollen creek, and helped the hikers on their way.

The washout exposed a 60-foot section of the new trans-canyon water line about a mile above Phantom Ranch. Major breakage points required tools and a giant welder to be brought in by helicopter. The North Kaibab Trail was closed for more than a week to make repairs. Then just a month later, a two-hour storm dumped 1.34 inches on the South Rim and washed out a portion of Bright Angel Trail near Indian Garden and left an inch of water in the Ranger Cabin. Thirty hikers had to go across the Tonto Trail and exit using the Kaibab Trail.

Grand Canyon Noise Pollution

“Noise levels at this once tranquil vacation spot have risen steadily over the years and now rival levels on a busy downtown street, two Northern Arizona University researchers reported.” The 1971 test was conducted on Labor Day weekend and measurements reached as high as 90 decibels in tests on the South Rim, the inner trails and at Phantom Ranch. Most of the noise came from air traffic which was not yet restricted over the corridor region.

Hump to Hole Attempt

On October 26, 1973, Ross Hardwick, age 20, of Anaheim, California, and Scott Baxter, age 27, of San Diego, California, both students at Northern Arizona University started a run from the high point in Arizona, the summit of Mr. Humphreys (12,633 feet) to Phantom Ranch (2,546 feet). They were attempting to complete the run of about 80 miles in less than 24 hours. They didn’t carry food or water, but placed caches along the way and had a support crew on U.S. 180. Unfortunately, they quit less than halfway. Later in 1982, Baxter and Alan Williams accomplished the reverse direction which became known as “Hole to Hump” in 21:26.

Runaway From Inner Canyon

On February 6, 1974, a group of troubled youth from a Texas school went on a hike down Bright Angel Trail, turned west on the Tonto Trail at Indian Garden and camped at Salt Creek three days later.

By Davy Crockett

This is an encore episode. Spartathlon, an ultra of 246 km (153 miles), takes place each September in Greece, running from Athens to Sparta and with its 36-hour cutoff. It is one of the toughest ultramarathons to finish.

In Part 1 of this series, episode 88, the story was told how Spartathlon was born in 1982, the brainchild of an officer in the Royal Air Force, John Foden. Three servicemen successfully covered a route that was believed to have been taken in 490 B.C., by the Greek messenger, Pheidippides. The 1982 trial run set the stage for the establishment of the Spartathlon race. The race's 1983 inaugural year is covered in this part won by Yiannis Kouros of Greece.

Read the rest of this episode here.

Help is needed to continue the Ultrarunning History Podcast and website. Please consider becoming a patron of ultrarunning history. Help to preserve this history by signing up to contribute a few dollars each month through Patreon. Visit https://ultrarunninghistory.com/member

By Davy Crockett. Read, listen, or watch

This part will cover additional stories found through deeper research, adding to the history shared in found in the new book, Grand Canyon Rim to Rim History.

Rim To Rim in the 1950s

In 1950, two 15-year-old boys from Los Angeles discovered that hiking rim-to-rim was a lot harder than they thought. While resting down at Phantom Ranch, they ran up an $8 unpaid bill and then decided that there was no way that they were going to hike back up.

“So, the two youths ‘borrowed’ a pair of mules at the ranch and rode to the top, tethering the mules at the head of Bright Angel Trail. The boys next headed south, stopping en-route to Williams, Arizona, at a service station where they pilfered $20 from the station’s cash drawer.” Their trip ended there after some officers arrested them.

Get Davy Crockett's new book, Grand Canyon Rim to Rim History. Read more than a century of the history of crossing the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim. 290 pages, 400+ photos. Paperback, hardcover, Kindle, and Audible.

Phantom Ranch Guests Arrive by Helicopter

On October 29, 1950, Mae (Keeler) Malone (1911-1986), of Bisbee, Arizona, Phantom Ranch caretaker with her husband Willis David Malone Jr. (1895-1972), received a telephone call from Mrs. Jerry Evans of Cody, Wyoming in the afternoon requesting dinner and overnight accommodations for three people calling from the gauging station on the Colorado River, near Black Bridge.

“There was nothing unusual in this, as late hikers often showed up at Phantom Ranch about dinner time. But when Mrs. Evans walked up to the ranch attractively attired in a fresh green silk dress complete with matching handbag, and of all things, high-heeled pumps, Mrs. Malone did a double take. ‘We’re the folks that landed on the sandbar in the helicopter a little while ago.’” The pilot, Edwin Jones Montgomery (1912-1990), who established the first commercial helicopter operation in the country, in Tucson, Arizona, walked in and explained that his helicopter’s motor had conked out over the canyon, but he had glided to a sandbar, and they walked a half mile to Black Bridge. “They established a record as the first Phantom Ranch guests to arrive by helicopter.” The next day, the three rode out of the canyon on mules.

A few days later, Montgomery and two of his employees made repairs. “When they attempted to fly out, they flew only about a mile and one half downstream before the motor stopped and the plane dropped into the water. A team of mules pulled the craft out of the water.” There it sat near the bottom of the Bright Angel Trail. The machine had to be dismantled and packed out of the canyon by mule.

Maintenance Needed

Neglect was noticed in 1950 because the federal government had cut back on Grand Canyon funding for eight years, starting with World War II. Appropriations to the Park were only 50 cents per park visitor. Rotting benches were seen and trails were in poor shape. Rangers were only paid $1.50 per hour and could not work overtime. The old CCC barracks on the South Rim was being used as housing for employees.

Some new projects were started, a water storage system was built at Cottonwood Campground to help deal with occasional water outages. A crew of eight worked there for three months. The water tank can still be seen.

In 1951, about 8,000 people rode the mule train to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, and about 1,000 stayed overnight at Phantom Ranch. Hundreds of additional people descended on foot.

The 1952 winter snowfall was so severe that in January, the Kaibab Trail was closed for the winter. Two employees of Utah Parks Co. rode a snow cat to the North Rim to repair the telephone line. “But they found the wires broken by so many fallen trees and in such a tangled condition that the repair work was abandoned.”

Black Bridge finally received a new coat of paint. The last time it was painted was in 1934 by the CCC.

Recently I went on the "Ultra Running Guys Podcast" with Jeremy Reynolds and Jeff Winchester. This will be a slimmed-down version of their interview with me. Their excellent podcast has also been doing a series interviewing race directors of some of the classic ultras.

The Ultra Running Guys said, "Not only was Davy Crockett the 15th person to complete 100-hundred-mile races, but as the Director of the American Ultrarunning Hall of Fame, and the host of the Ultrarunning History Podcast. He has contributed more to the world of Ultra than just about anybody we know. Take us on your long run to hear about his personal running history, and what inspired him to write his newest book, Grand Canyon Rim to Rim History."

By Davy Crockett. Read, listen, or watch

This part will cover additional stories found through deeper research, adding to the history shared in Part 2 of this Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim History. These stories can also be found in the new book, Grand Canyon Rim to Rim History. By 1927, Phantom Ranch was well-established at the bottom of the Canyon. The new South Kaibab trail was complete, and the Black Bridge was nearing completion. On the North side, the North Kaibab trail up Roaring Springs Canyon was also nearing completion, which would make the rim-to-rim hiking experience much easier instead of using the "Old Bright Angel Trail" that went steeply up to the North Rim. During the early 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) had a camp across from Phantom Ranch and worked on many significant projects, including the River Trail along the Colorado River. Their story can also be found in Part 2.

Get Davy Crockett's new book, Grand Canyon Rim to Rim History. Read more than a century of the history of crossing the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim. 290 pages, 400+ photos. Paperback, hardcover, Kindle, and Audible.

Power and Pump Stations at Roaring Springs

A hydroelectric plant below Roaring Springs was completed in 1927 to pump water up to the North Rim. The plant comprised two turbines connected to generators, powered by water from a small diversion dam on Bright Angel Creek, that was brought a half mile through amazing wooden tubes/troughs. Power was then generated for the pump house, to lift water 3,870 feet to the North Rim through 12,700 feet of three-inch steel pipe which can still be seen today. Water was stored in a 50,000-gallon reservoir on the Rim.

The heavy machinery to construct the plant and pump station had been lowered on a special tramway that was constructed. “It had to have angle stations in it to get around high cliffs. There were two cables to the tram, one to carry the load, and the other moved by a big steam engine which furnished the power to haul the loads along on the big cable. The tramway worked exceptionally well and added its own new chapter to engineering history. It was two miles in length, but its lower end was 4,000 feet below its head-house where was located the big engine that operated it.”

Grand Canyon Lodge at the North Rim

In 1927, construction began on a large hotel, camp, and related facilities on the North Rim. “This will contain large lounging rooms, recreation hall, storeroom, dining room that will seat 200 persons, kitchen with cold storage plant, shower, baths, and accessories. Sixty-two two-room guest lodges of log construction will be provided.” The Utah Parks Company agreed to develop a water supply and establish electric lighting and sewer systems, and telephone lines. They hoped to have everything complete in fifteen months.

The Grand Canyon Lodge, finished in 1928, became a special place to escape the summer heat in the days before air conditioning. It was designed by architect, Gilbert Stanley Underwood (1890-1960) with a Spanish-style exterior and an observation tower. On the top floor, employees stayed in a dorm. Underwood also designed the original lodges at Bryce Canyon and Cedar Breaks.

In 1930, the new National Park Service Director Horace Marden Albright (1890-1987) said, “The Grand Canyon lodge, including the housekeeping units, employees’ quarters, and other facilities is the finest tourist development in the national park system. The availability of water through the hydroelectric power and pumping plant constructed at Roaring Springs is an outstanding factor in the general development.”

The help at the Lodge were young men and women from colleges, recommended by their faculty. “The students did all the work, acting as clerks, porters, chambermaids, waiters and waitresses, chauffeurs, and guides. They acted also as entertainers, capable of putting on a musical or literary program of good quality. Moreover,