The Grand Canyon would not be seen as anything more than an obstacle to trailblazers and profiteers until after the Civil War, when a one-armed veteran of the Civil War took nine men down the Colorado River.  Major John Wesley Powell led the expedition of 1,000 miles of the Colorado River in four small wooden boats, after dangerous waters, devastating heat and the death of 3 of the 9 men they completed their expedition of one of the last unexplored areas of the United States.  This gave Powell credibility as an explorer and advocate of science.  He later created the US Geological Survey and the Bureau of American Ethnology.

Later it was found that the Grand Canyon was rich in mineral resources, such as asbestos, copper, lead and zinc.  However with the difficulties of extracting the minerals out of the nearly mile deep canyon, they decided to explore the safer and more lucrative business of tourism.  Some of the miners stayed however, protesting the areas elevation to National Monument status which prevented the extraction of the minerals.

The Grand Canyon achieved National Monument status in 1908, thanks to President Theodore Roosevelt, which led to its upgrade to a national park in 1919.  in 1975 Marble Canyon National Monument was combined with the Grand Canyon to create the boundaries of the park that exist today.  The Grand Canyon earned recognition as a World Heritage Site in 1979 due to the universal value of its exceptional natural and cultural features.