Grand Canyon Becomes a National Park

Without the support of several presidents Grand Canyon National Park would never have been created. After Teddy Roosevelt made Grand Canyon a National Monument in 1908, President Woodrow Wilson followed 11 years later by signing Senate Bill 390 into law, ultimately upgrading Grand Canyon to a National Park.

Wilson, who is also responsible for creating the National Park Service in 1916, was a strong believer in protecting America’s natural wonders. Wilson visited several of the Parks, including Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. Without Wilson’s contributions to the idea of National Parks, the Grand Canyon may have still remained only a National Monument.