2007 Grand Canyon History Symposium Stephen Hirst Hirst is author of the forthcoming GCA book I Am the Grand Canyon: The Story of the Havasupai People. He lived and worked among the Havasupai people for 11 years and continues a close relationship with them. Currently, Hirst works as a volunteer interpretive ranger for the US Forest Service. Presentation Abstract... A Canyon Homeland Becomes a Park:   For more than 800 years the Havasupai people lived along the south rim of the Grand Canyon. In 1893 President Harrison set aside much of their range as the Grand Canon Forest Preserve. The designation had little meaning to Havasupai people who continued their traditional winter hunting and gathering and summer agriculture there. In 1908 the government re-designated the forest preserve as the Grand Canyon National Monument and Coconino National Forest and began efforts to interdict further Havasupai use and occupation of the area. It marked one of the few occasions where establishing federal park land directly impinged upon ongoing Native American life patterns in this way. While several Havasupai families continued farming Indian Garden even after formal establishment of Grand Canyon National Park in 1919, their last presence was seemingly ended when the National Park Service acquired the holdings of Ralph Cameron in 1928 and drove the Havasupai out of the canyon. There is, however, another, lesser-known side of this story, for the fate of the Havasupai and Grand Canyon National Park continued an entwinement that continues even today. The Havasupai presence within the park has persisted and brought numerous contributions to the development of the park. Most of the trails off the South Rim now used by the public follow trails originally laid down by Havasupais. A crew of 42 Havasupais provided the labor for laying the cross-canyon water line and served as the crew for constructing the Grand Canyon Village sewer line. Emory Kolb's projectionist for many years was a Havasupai. Havasupai trackers have served the Park Service on search-and-rescue missions and as park rangers.