Desert View Watchtower
Although easily mistaken for an ancient Native American structure, the Watchtower at Desert View overlook on the edge of the Grand Canyon's south rim is a twentieth century creation constructed as a reminder of the Canyon's first native residents.
In 1932, the Fred Harvey Company contracted female architect Mary Colter to design a rest area for the Desert View area. Colter conceptualized the Watchtower to blend into the scenery, utilizing both Pueblo and romanticized western architectural themes.
Engineered with steel girders, provided by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, and covered with uncut weathered stones on the outside, the tower's exterior and interior also showcase multiple Native American designs and markings.
Inside of the tower, Colter included a replicated Native American ceremonial Kiva, which is a subterranean circular structure found in many ancestral Puebloan sites. Hopi native Fred Kabotie, served as the primary designer for the interior, painting many traditional images throughout the structure.
After the National Park Service assumed control of the property, some debated whether the tower mislead visitors, many of whom believed the structure was actually a Native American site. Despite their initial concerns, the National Park Service maintained control of the Desert View Watchtower conducting major exterior renovations in 2010.
The Watchtower, while not an authentic Native American structure, is a combination of Hopi and ancient Pueblo cultural symbols mixed with Euro-American design and is a distinctive representation of the Grand Canyon's unique and diverse history.
