Upon seeing one of our beautiful National Parks for the first time, many of us dreamed of finding a way to live and work in these places of boundless vistas – places with the delicate natural sounds of insects, birds, flowing water, and occasional silence – places that are steeped in human and natural history. Those dreams have become a reality for people working for the National Park Service whose 100th anniversary was celebrated on August 25th of this year.

To celebrate that milestone, the Grand Canyon Historical Society sponsored a special, condensed, history symposium November 4-6, 2016, with a focus on the National Park Service and its role at Grand Canyon National Park. the 2016 symposium brought together historians, witnesses to history, park employees, and others with a passion for Grand Canyon history. The symposium was designated as an official Centennial Event, as sanctioned by the National Park Service Centennial Committee.