By Kristen Kauffman
The tragedy occurred on the night of Sunday, July 13, 2025. The Dragon Bravo Fire was ignited by lightning on July 4, 2025, on the Kaibab Plateau within the Grand Canyon National Park, and that fire burned 149,399 acres, including 71,129 acres of Grand Canyon National Park-managed lands. The blaze swallowed 24 buildings (11 of which were historic), including 16 Deluxe cabins, 64 Budget cabins and an historic linen cabin (a cabin for storage of household fabric goods), along with damage to 73 miles of trail. While none of these losses were insignificant, we remember the most poignant loss on the one-year anniversary of the fire: The Grand Canyon Lodge, of which only 15% survives. 

The original Grand Canyon Lodge was built in late 1928 by Gilbert Stanley Underwood at the direction of Steven Mather, Director of the National Park Service. The 8,000 square-foot building featured a Spanish façade, much like Mission Revival style buildings in California, and was meant  as luxury on the frontier, hosting travelers riding the Union Pacific Railroad. This Northern Arizona monument also burned down in 1932. Starting from a kitchen fire, the only inhabitants (the manager, his wife and the maids) were able to escape in the early morning. They watched in horror as it burned down, along with many surrounding cabins. With 100 rangers and volunteer firefighters, the fire was put out before it could turn into the kind of wildfire we saw in 2025. 

The structure that many have known and loved as the Grand Canyon Lodge was erected in 1937. It featured a sloped roof with ponderosa beams anchored by a limestone foundation, two lounging decks, a restaurant and a sun room with an impressive view. Much of the stonework from 1928 was reused on the same floor plan. What changed was the slope of the roof, which was made steeper to shed deep snow drifts. The North Rim gets so much snow that opening that part of the park in May can be delayed due to residual snow. But even constructing this replacement lodge was tenuous, as the construction workers’ temporary lodge nearly burned down in 1936, cause unknown. Perhaps this National Park proves the Wild West is still unpredictably wild, and perhaps this wild unpredictability is one of the enchantments President Theodore Roosevelt was drawn to when he visited the North Rim in 1913. Roosevelt loved the Grand Canyon, and one of the losses suffered at the Grand Canyon Lodge in 2025 was the Roughrider Saloon, a small bar housing Roosevelt memorabilia, established in 1960 between the gift shop and the entrance to the lodge . 

Another historical point of interest at the North Rim was the statue, Brighty. Named after a real burro who wandered the park in the early 1900s, this bronze statue featured a polished nose from countless visitors who touched it since its casting in 1966. The character has been immortalized in a children’s book, a feature film starring Joseph Cotten, National Geographic Magazine and Arizona Highways. This story is the living symbol of the canyon’s wild, resilient and stubborn spirit, now more so than ever, as wildland firefighters made national news by rescuing the statue. Though both front legs and one ear were severely damaged, the National Park Service has announced that Brighty is currently undergoing evaluation for repair.

While losing the lodge was tragic, the National Park Service also announced that the Grand Canyon Lodge will be rebuilt. If its history has taught us anything, it’s that the wild and resilient spirit of the Grand Canyon lives on, and the lodge will rise out of its ashes once again so that more generations of Americans may enjoy its splendor. 
 

“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 www.archives.sharlothallmuseum.org/articles/days-past-articles/1. The public is encouraged to submit proposed articles and inquiries to dayspast@sharlothallmuseum.org Please contact SHM Research Center reference desk at 928-277-2003, or via email at archivesrequest@sharlothallmuseum.org for information or assistance with photo requests.