By Barbara Patton

The last article introduced the architect/designer Mary Colter, who, in the early 20th century, was designer/architect for the Fred Harvey Co. which built hotels and serviced train depots along the route of the Santa Fe Railroad from Chicago to Los Angeles.         
                      
In 1905, Mary designed the Hopi House next to the El Tovar Hotel. In 1914 the Harvey Co. built the scenic Hermit Rim Road from the Bright Angel trailhead along the edge of the Canyon. At the end of this eight-mile wagon road, they wanted a place where visitors could stop and refresh themselves. Hermit’s Rest was Mary’s next assignment.
 

There was some argument as to the design of the building - - Swiss Chalet style inspired by the El Tovar Hotel, or as Mary Colter wanted, a more rustic design that would blend into the earth. Colter’s vision prevailed. She wanted it to look like an old hermit had constructed a refuge of timber and stone. The building was constructed as a jumble of boulders with a slightly leaning pointed chimney rising from the back wall. From a distance the structure looked like a natural part of the landscape.
 

Inside the main room, a vaulted ceiling rose high above the flagstone floor. On the far side, through an enormous stone arch, was an alcove with a fireplace built into the back wall. The stones around the fireplace were purposely covered in soot to give it a used appearance. Sitting by the fire, one might ask “when will the hermit return?”
 

Her next project was Phantom Ranch, named after Phantom Creek. The collection of rustic cottages at the bottom of the Canyon was where the more adventurous tourists could spend a comfortable night and enjoy a hearty meal. After an eight-mile hike or mule ride down, visitors might wonder at the name of the lodge and what spirits might abide in the depths of the Canyon.
 

One of Mary’s last building projects at the Grand Canyon was the Desert Watchtower. By 1932 the National Park Service had built a road 22 miles to the east of the main Canyon Village.  Colter was given the task of building a rest stop and shopping station at this eastern end of the park.
 

To take advantage of the wide panorama of the Canyon from this vantage point, she conceived the idea of building a tower resembling towers she had seen in the ancient cliff dwellings throughout the Southwest. She spent six months studying these sights by air and land, gathering information on ancient building techniques.
 

Then, with meticulous care using what she had learned, she designed her tower to look ancient; however, beneath the stone and mortar was a steel frame to give it modern stability.
 

The main floor was modeled after a Hopi Kiva; only this room had large windows to take in the view. Along the circular walls was a stone staircase rising through four levels to a height of seventy feet. Small windows spaced along the walls allowed breathtaking glimpses of the Canyon.
 

The floor just above the main store/lobby was the Hopi Room where the Hopi artist Fred Kabotie painted the iconic Snake Legend design. This was a room of mystery where a visitor could sit on a low bench and contemplate the ancient legends and how they were connected to the land.
 

Today, Mary Colter’s buildings, built with reverence for the land and its native peoples, still stand so tourists might experience a little of the ancient mystery of the Grand Canyon.

“Days Past” is a collaborative project of the Sharlot Hall Museum and the Prescott Corral of Westerners International (www.prescottcorral.org). This and other Days Past articles are also available at https://www.sharlot.org/articles/days-past-articles.l. The public is encouraged to submit proposed articles and inquiries to dayspast@sharlothallmuseum.org. Please contact SHM Research Center reference desk at 928-445-3122 Ext. 2, or via email at archivesrequest@sharlothallmuseum.org for information or assistance with photo requests.