Grand Canyon Historical Society (formerly Grand Canyon Pioneers Society)

SYMPOSIUM FEEDBACK ! Article from Grand Canyon News
We appreciate receiving your kudos, comments or stories of renewed friendships. If you want to submit your comments, please send an email to Symposium@GrandCanyonHistory.org.

Again, thank you for supporting this historic event; and watch for news of the release of the Grand Canyon Association's publication of this second "Gathering of Historians."

I made to trip from the UK (sorry Rockwells) especially for the symposium for the second time. Each time it exceeded my expectations. Everything I heard was so interesting and enjoyable. I especially enjoyed the closing afternoon in Room A. As with other feedback, my only problem was wanting to go to presentations that shared the same time slots. I find all the subjects intriguing and didn't want to miss anything. It was also great to meet so many friendly people and hope to meet up again soon, if not at the next symposium hopefully at the Grand Canyon again. Thanks for everything.

Doug Bale -- Newbury, England

Hopefully, the Rockwells won the "came from farthest away" award (Baltimore!)

The Symposium was worth the trip, for sure!! Highlights were "the White debate," Kolb tour, and the "growing up on the Rim " panel. We do agree, however, re the remarks about Room B......way too small...food was "hearty American fare," good but not great, and certainly not "lite."

A great weekend....wouldn't have missed it for anything!

I thoroughly enjoyed the Grand Canyon History Symposium and am already looking forward to the next one. My only problem is that several times I wanted to go to presentations that were in the same time slot.

Betty Leavengood

I thought the symposium went off without a hitch! A big thank you and congratulations to all of the organizers whose hard work and dedication were evident throughout the event.

I thought many of the presentations were excellent! However, some seemed only to be avenues for speakers to hear themselves speak. These didn't really contribute to our knowledge of Grand Canyon history. Most were great however.

I think a future symposium could be held in Flagstaff or even Prescott or Sedona in the future. There are better venues there.

Thanks to all for making this possible!

Wayne Ranney -- Flagstaff, AZ

The symposium exceeded my expectations and provided a great opportunity for me to get back in touch with Canyon experts, a reunion so to speak. It was very well organized and I was most impressed by the high caliber of speakers. Donna (who volunteered for registration desk duty) and I are already looking forward to the next symposium. I would advocate more frequent symposia; maybe we could go bi-annual. I commend all those who worked so hard to put this symposium together. It was perfect! So was the weather!

Dick Brown -- Albuquerque, NM

My wife Gale and I came for the whole four days, and we were fortunate enough to take the tours and see most of the presentations. We felt, as spectators, the we had witnessed something truly special. Stew Fritts, er, Ellsworth was a great host. But after seeing the view of the Canyon out the big picture window, I think I would have held out for more than $150/month to leave town!

A great thing about Arizona is that this state is so relatively recent in so much of its history that you can still connect place names with the namesakes, and people who knew those names. You can see and hear the descendants. And so it was at the symposium. It wasn't stuffy, lists-of-facts presentations. It WAS living, breathing history as it was lived, written, speculated and disagreed upon. And it was all fascinating!

I have seen comments about the food and other items. I remember coming to the Canyon in the 1960s, and the food quality was somewhere between county fair and McDonald's. It is SO MUCH better now. And the lunch and dinner faire was fine. The entertainment was priceless - the food was icing on the cake.

For those of us that stayed at Yavapai Lodge . . . what a smokin' deal! (And we could even close our suitcases when we left!!) We could walk to the Shrine and the cafe or even the rim for under $50 a night! No crowds, no traffic. And if you got up at 2 in the morning and drove to Mather Point early Saturday, the unclouded view of the heavens was as overwhelming as seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time.

This was the best four days we could have ever imagined. Thank you.

Stu Stier, Phoenix

In the past, I have never considered myself to be a connoisseur of history or even one who would attend a history symposium. But now, as my passion for the Grand Canyon and its intricacies continues to engulf me, I find myself not only interested in the history, but I am enamored with it, and this function also enabled me to spend time with others who share the same passion. I am but one “Canyon Addict” who got his “fix” at the 2007 history symposium. Thank you for a well run symposium with top-notch presenters at a fine location. We are all very fortunate to be the beneficiaries of all the hard work of so many that made this possible.

Pete Borremans -- Green Bay, WI

It was PERFECT!

Your team did an excellent job and didn't forget a thing. You should be proud of the "history" you created last weekend.

Helen Thompson

I enjoyed the Symposium very much. It was wonderful to see Paul Schnur, Tee Cook, Susie, Steve, Mike Verkamp who were growing up at the Grand Canyon when Marvin Rowan, my brother and I were, who we hadn't seen for 57 years! There was just not enough time for visiting and catching up.

I considered it a real privilege to have been born in the Grand Canyon Hospital in 1938, and lived there until 1950. Navajo street (Harvey hill) was a great place to go sledding in the winter because it was blocked off for us kids!

I had many pictures from our Dad, Miles T. Rowan that I didn't know what they were until I heard some of the speakers explain the early days. Another interesting thing that happened while we were living there was that the Shaw of Iran visited and came into each classroom at school.

I thought the Symposium was very well put together and maintained. I was sorry to have missed the presentation on "Saving the Army Fliers" by John Azar. That happened while we lived there and I remember listening to their story at the El Tovar Hotel when they were rescued.

I especially enjoyed hearing from the Native Americans and would like to have heard from the Havasu people. Some of them were very loyal workers for our Dad who was a heavy equipment foreman for the National Park Service.

I have hiked different trails in the Grand Canyon 4 different times--the last time being 3 years ago with all my kids and grandkids, so they could see where I grew up. It is so neat that our house, hospital, school, community building, Verkamps, El Tovar, Hopi House, Bright Angel Lodge and others are still there and well maintained.

Thank you for all the effort, planning and hard work that went into the Symposium--it rekindled many good memories for me, Helen (Rowan) Lindeman

We thoroughly enjoyed the History Symposium. Over 200 like minded participants, perfect weather and the most beautiful setting on earth! The organizers are to be commended for keeping a smooth flow. The presentations were informative and interesting. Our regret is that we could not attend the simultaneous sessions, but we look forward to the publication of all the papers to catch the ones we missed.

Hopefully, we won't have to wait another five years for the next one. The only word of caution we offer is against the suggestion that the next symposium be expanded to include subjects beyond human history. From our point of view, the history of humans in the canyon, especially between 1880 and 1950, is the most fascinating of subjects and it would be a shame to dilute the symposium by expanding it into other areas.

Dave and Darlene Barnes -- Hebron, KY

As a recent attendee of the Grand Canyon History Symposium, I wanted to express how grateful I am that this organization put forth the dedication and effort to create such a fantastic event. I was enlightened by the range and depth of topics presented. I found it to be a very enriching experience. I hope that these symposiums can continue. Could I also be added to your email list for future newsletters, notices, etc? Thanks!

Catherine Schneider -- Page, AZ

It was a source of sincere gratification to me that so many symposium participants were interested in personal accounts of contemporary experiences with the Grand Canyon. The bonus day gave me and my daughter Melissa, also a writer and historian, an opportunity to spend a magical time at Hermit's Rest, see wild sheep, elk and many birds, including condors in flight. It was a grand and glorious visit with warm and appreciative fellow devotees of the canyon, hikers, walkers, speakers and wonderers, all.

Elisabeth F. Ruffner -- Prescott AZ

This was a great four days of fun, education and interesting people. To all who worked so hard to plan, facilitate and document this event – Thank You.

As a speaker I felt honored to be selected and I hope I was up to the high standard of all the others who did such interesting and entertaining presentations. The information and guidance provided to the speakers was very well done and session hosts kept everything on schedule. That’s a tough job when you have people like me who can talk too long and I felt the grouping of speakers worked well. I know it was a tough decision to have two sessions going at the same time but I think it was a wise call. It seemed both sessions were always well attended so people had choices.

One of the most interesting things that happened to me was the camaraderie available while standing in line, eating meals together or just running into other attendees as we moved about. It sure was a diverse group of very interesting people who all have passion and experiences adding much to the event. Bigger names printed on the name tags would have helped those of us who can no longer read fine print.

We all came together because of our common interest and love for the Grand Canyon. When I left and started my drive back to the Seattle area I was already looking forward to the next History Symposium. In the meantime, I now have many new contacts and friends who also share this life altering attraction to the Canyon.

Dave Mortenson

Folks, you should feel very proud of yourselves for putting together one of the most memorable experiences of a lifetime! I considered it an honor to be among the people attending , presenting, and organizing the Symposium. It was an experience I will always treasure. I wasn't at the first Symposium but after this experience, you can bet I'll be at every other.

The presenters were wonderful and my only regret is not being able to be at every one of the presentations. I also truly enjoyed being able to have all my GC books signed by the author and meeting the wonderful artists that were in attendance. The gathering was so special to me, I was moved to tears many times. Thank you again for such a great experience!

Michelle Haddy -- Orange, CA

The wide variety of presentations at the symposium was excellent. It was often difficult to decide which sessions to attend. I was very pleased that Native American perspectives were included. It is too easy to forget their long history with the Grand Canyon. Next time I hope to see more Native American presenters and attendees.

Lois Hirst -- Flagstaff, AZ

Thanks for making the comments available. Interesting.

I agree that the sound system in Room A made the speakers hard to understand. The food at Yavapai was mediocre and the service was excellent. I enjoyed all of the sessions I attended and wished I could have attended all of them. I just relaxed and enjoyed the stories.

I have to differ with Mr. Hirst who talked about the Havasupai: "partners" is the very last way I would charactarize the tribe and federal government agencies. Either he lacks an historical perspective or he doesn't want to offend feds--in my opinion.

The special programs with the meals were exceptionally good. I'm happy that you included Mr. Kabotie's spiritual presentation. Mr. Trimble's stories and songs were a delight.

I consider the symposium a gift from all those who worked to put it together and from each presenter! I'm glad I was there!

Keep up the good work!

Eve Watson

Here is a good story;

Marvin Rowan and I graduated together from 8th grade at the Grand Canyon Grammar School in 1950. Marvin and family left Grand Canyon in 1950 and moved to Iowa as Marvin's father retired from the Park Service. Marvin's sister was also at the Grand Canyon School in a lower grade. Marvin attended High School in Iowa. Marvin and Helen's father had come to Grand Canyon as a employee of the CCC and stayed with the Park Service when the CCC closed. Marvin and Helen were born in the Grand Canyon Hospital. I attended high school in Scottsdale and Wasatch Academy in Utah.

When Marvin saw that I had a presentation on the program he and Helen decided to attend the Symposium. Marvin and I then met at the Symposium. We had not seen each other for 57 years. It was great to get reacquainted. We also found out that there were 5 who attended the Symposium that where born at the Grand Canyon Hospital.

Grand Canyon Grammar School Graduating Class 1950, Marvin Rowan and Paul Schnur 6th and 7th from the left.

Marvin Rowan of Grand Canyon Grammar School graduating class 1950 on left. Paul Schnur of Grand Canyon Grammar School 1950 graduating class on the right. The center photo is Marvin Rowan on left, his sister Helen (Rowan) Lindeman (also a student at Grand Canyon Grammar School in 1950) in the middle and Paul Schnur on right. Photo taken at Grand Canyon Historical Symposium 2007, 57 years after Marvin and Paul graduated from Grand Canyon School.

Here is a photo of the five who attended the Symposium that were born at the Grand Canyon Hospital they are Marvin Rowan, Helen (Rowan) Lindeman, Sue Verkamp, Mike Verkamp, and Tee Cook.

Paul Schnur -- Scottsdale, AZ

It was fantastic. Perhaps you could work with the river outfitters to sponsor their guides. One outfitter attended with 3 guides. While $65 is fair it’s too much for some guides who’d like to attend. I’m looking forward to the next one already.

Thanks to all of you for your hard work and really well coordinated event.

Tim Whitney

I truly enjoyed the entire symposium, and look forward to the next one. It was obvious that a lot of work was involved in organizing it, and I commend all who participated to make it happen.

C. Penny Webster-Scholten -- Cedar City, UT

I have attended dozens of symposiums over the years, some professional and some related to my various hobbies. The 2007 Grand Canyon History Symposium was, bar none, the best by far. The topics were both varied and fascinating, and the presentations were of excellent quality. The presenters provided a delightful mix of interesting history and humor. But most of all, I enjoyed the people I met. Some special interest groups that I've been involved in are filled with large egos and celebrity wannabes - people that give off an aura of thinking they are better or more important than everyone else. Not so with the GCHS - everyone was friendly, excited, and sharing. And I was amazed at how many people ended a conversation with "I'd love to go hiking with you sometime." A marvelous experience.

Arnie Richards -- Downey, CA

PS: A suggestion for next time: Invest in a wireless PA system. Many speakers spoke with their mouths too far from the microphone - an understandable consequence of speaking while pointing to interesting things on the screen - and as a result, were difficult to hear. A clip-on microphone would solve this problem. And thanks for the opportunity to provide feedback.

The History Symposium was superbly orchestrated. It ended in a crescendo. Douglas Schwartz's presentation, the last presentation on the last day, received a standing ovation. Schwartz detailed his Canyon archaeological expeditions, which started back in 1949. He shared the epiphanies about Ancient Puebloans that occurred to him this past year. Bravo!

John Stark -- Flagstaff, AZ

What a magnificent gathering of Grand Canyon scholars! I'm ready for the next one in 2012!

Gale Stier -- Phoenix, AZ

The Grand Canyon History Symposium was enjoyable and educational. I learned a tremendous amount from thoughtful and well-presented papers and discussion. The conference was well designed and impeccably implemented, with lots of activities to keep everyone engaged. And having the Grand Canyon as a backdrop provided an incomparable experience.

anonymous

I have two suggestions for the next symposium.

1) Provide coffee in the mezzanine outside the conference rooms for the morning sessions. I am pretty sure there was morning coffee five years ago.
2) Have a block of time set aside for all the attendees who have written books, etc. to meet so people who would like to get copies of the books signed may do so. This was done five years ago, and I think it was very popular. I recommended this be done Friday afternoon, but nothing came of it.

Thanks for the opportunity to provide input.

Bill Bishop

I thought that the entire Symposium was well presented and worthy of my time and expenses to attend. For me the presentations on the role and history of Native Americans at the Grand Canyon and the archeological investigations of Ian Hough and the findings of Douglas Schwartz after many devoted years of studying ruins in the Canyon were the most valuable for new information. I was also partial to the cowboy culture presentations on the North Rim even though I have strong reservations about the subject of cattle grazing in marginal lands of the Southwest.

Glenn O. Clark

The Symposium was exceptional. My husband and daughter and I enjoyed ourselves immensely. I hate to even bring up negatives but I am going to in order to help with a future gathering.

We skipped both Thursday and Sunday so I have no comment on those. I felt the welcoming speeches on Friday morning were too long. Some topics overlapped a bunch. I could not hear in room A. The food Xanterra turned out was crappy and they way overcharged for it.

I did not agree that we should choose topics for the next gathering from any branch of science. There are infinite things to study about our canyon. If the same stuff seems to appear too often putting out suggestions might help.

Sincerely, Mary Simpson -- Flagstaff, AZ

Fantastic effort on your part, and a great credit to all involved, especially GCHS, GCA and Xanterra!!

The only three complaints (minor) I have are:

1. Brad's presentation on James White really needed different color contrasts for his textual slides, as even he was having trouble reading the screen.
2. The names on the plastic name tags need to be a bit larger, so people can actually see who it is they're talking to.
3. The tours that don't require entering buildings should be bumped up to a group size of 20-25, instead of the 15 alloted. The Kolb Studio tour should probably be held to 15 due to access and space limitations.

Also, a thought might be given to renting a couple porta-Johns for the next symposium, as the women's restroom was a real logjam at times.

Several presentations really stood out in my mind, namely those by Stephen Hirst (Havasupai), Diane Boyer (1923 Birdseye Expedition) and Douglas Schwartz (GC archaeology). I also got a kick out of the antics of Tom Myers and Brad Dimock, and all the more so because they both brought forth excellent data and reasonable rationales to support their opposing views.

So, when is the next symposium?

Jim and Janece

Wonderful. After 20 years of coming to the Canyon, what we learned made it seem so much more like "home". I suspect more than one of us would be interested in purchasing recordings of the lectures, should those ever become available. The lunch/dinner presentations were equally interesting. And we're going to have to reassess our opinion of the Yavapai cafeteria. The food and the service were both exceptional. Excellent job all around.

Mike and Carole Sheehan

Wow, that was one terrific 3 days! You all did a fantastic job. I cannot wait for the next one! Thank you to all who worked to make it so wonderful!!!!!

I have a few ideas that I made note of:

• It would be interesting to seek presentations on Law enforcement in the Grand Canyon. Control of site preservation and known violations. Confidentially of course unless someone has been convicted and that would be a matter of public record.
• Everett Ruess
• Mike Anderson and Brad Dimock on who killed the Howling brothers
• US Route 89 Appreciation Society (jim@us89society.org, www.us89society.org). This might be sort of a stretch but it does go by the GC.

Susan Golightly

In some ways I was disappointed with the symposium. I felt the first one reflected more history than the second. Since there are such a varied group (hikers, historians, pioneer families) and only two sessions at a time it is hard to specialize but having more options would be great. I especially was disappointed with the presentation on the Supai’s as I mentioned to Mike Anderson. Steve’s presentation was a distorted view of what happened. He failed to mention the actual condition of the Indians when early whites arrive, and that whites greatly help them with education, medicine, farming.

Reading the presentation was not the best way to present, it may be more factual but lacks much when it comes to the audience understanding and connection.

I might suggest such topics for next time as the interaction of the early pioneers with the Santa Fe and each other and how they worked to establish and maintain their presence at the Canyon. I know as a decedent of a pioneer family without their efforts what happened this week end would not be possible.

I did enjoy the Friday lunch presenter and the interaction with some participants at lunch and dinner. The Friday guest speaker was less than historic.

Robert M. Lauzon, CPA -- Flagstaff, AZ

Marvin and I (along with his sister, Helen Lindeman) attended this year's symposium and thought it to be near perfect. Marvin and and Helen were both born at the Grand Canyon Hospital in 1936 and 1938. Marvin graduated from 8th Grade in 1950, along with 7 others. At the symposium they were reunited with several classmates including Dr. Paul Schnur ( one of the presenters) Steve, Susie, and Mike Verkamp, and Tee Cook. Marvin and Helen were interviewed about their dad, Miles T. Rowan, who worked in the CCCs at GC and later hired by the National Park Service at GC. Many fond memories were rekindled!

Marvin and Merilyn Rowan -- Estes Park, CO

I enjoyed the symposium immensely. However, I have three suggestions for the future:

1. There is too big a difference in size between rooms A and B. It's like you're deciding ahead of time that one session is not going to be well-attended anyway. My suggestion: Is the auditorium in the old Visitors' Center available? Is it larger than room B? That building is just next door, so getting there shouldn't be a problem.
2. If room B didn't have to be used for meetings, hold the book sales there. That would reduce some of the congestion in the lobby.
3. Sell light refreshments (beverages anyway) in the lobby (or also in room B). Providing water was good, but people probably prefer hot drinks in winter.

Thank you for a great two days!

Brian Nordstrom