So much of railroad advertising was exaggerated: claims that railroads that never went south of Portland could take people to California; claims that particular trains were the fastest way between two points when in fact others were just as fast; and so forth. But Santa Fe’s claim that it could take passengers directly to the rim of the Grand Canyon was perfectly appropriate.

Click image to download a 16.2-MB PDF of this 32-page booklet.

Strictly speaking, passengers had to walk about 500 feet to see the rim. But no other railroad brought passengers so close to such a natural wonder: Gardiner was 5 miles from Mammoth Hot Springs; West Yellowstone was more than 20 miles from the nearest geysers; Glacier Park Station was at least 20 miles from the nearest glaciers; and so forth. Santa Fe showed incredible foresight in building to the Grand Canyon six years before it was made into a national monument and 17 years before it was made into a national park.

By 1934, when this booklet was issued, people could drive to the rim, but many of them would still stay in Santa Fe lodging and eat in Santa Fe restaurants managed by Fred Harvey. As this booklet shows, they could hike, go on horseback riding trips, or drive or take auto trips along the rim. They could also shop in Fred Harvey Indian stores. Indeed, just as Glacier National Park was effectively managed by the Great Northern Railway, it is not to much to say that the Santa Fe was as much the manager of the Grand Canyon as the Park Service.

We’ve previously seen Grand Canyon outings booklets from 1923, 1925, and 1941. Although the 1925 edition had a four-color cover, the others, like this one, were printed in black-and-white with orange tints and highlights.