Ruffner, as a resident of Prescott since 1940, has spent part of her wedding trip at the Canyon in August of that year and has been there many times since, as well as traveling on the River.
Presentation Abstract...
Encounters with Grand Canyon, 1940-2006 (...Not a Pioneer...I came on the Train!) :
After arriving in Arizona on the Santa Fe Chief in August 1940, Ruffner was married on August 10 in Prescott to Lester Ward "Budge" Ruffner, a native of the town. They drove to the Canyon where Budge had spent many boyhood and young manhood sojourns, and the two of them spent the better part of a week in a cabin at Bright Angel, rode mules, hiked trails and partook of superb meals at El Tovar. In the years following, Ruffner has visited many times, has been a guest of park service employees in the Village; received the Governor's Award for Historic Preservation during an annual meeting of the Arizona Preservation Foundation, and attended many meetings in the park buildings; stayed numerous times in the same Bright Angel cabin as her 1940 sojourn thanks to the information gleaned from the architect for the renovation, James Garrison (who is now Arizona Historic Preservation Officer); booked numerous visitors to various accommodates as a travel agent; attended Arizona Town Hall as a delegate; attended the dedication of the Greenway Trail system with First Lady Hillary Clinton; and enjoyed various other events and adventures in and around the canyon. This is a social history of selected personal encounters and experiences over the years.
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