In the meantime, interest in conservation was growing on a national level. The Forest Reserve Act passed in 1891. As a senator, Benjamin Harrison had unsuccessfully tried to preserve Grand Canyon as a public park. In 1893, as president, Harrison was able to establish the Grand Canyon Forest Reserve. Theodore Roosevelt visited the canyon in 1903, making his famous speech urging its protection for future generations.

After becoming president, Roosevelt signed the 1906 Act for the Preservation of American Antiquities, which led to the establishment of several national monuments, including Grand Canyon National Monument in 1908. With this act, the canyon was protected from further private development.

The Santa Fe Railway was content to lease rather than own land, partnering with the Fred Harvey Company to negotiate contracts with the government to build and maintain attractions and lodging. They hired Mary Colter and other professional architects to build tourist facilities that were interesting and attractive. In 1913, they built the Hermit Trail and camp to compete with Bright Angel Trail, still a county toll road surrounded by Ralph Cameron’s mining claims.

Focused on rail travel, the Santa Fe did little to improve roads or accommodate the growing number of tourists arriving by automobile. Nor was the Forest Service, with its mandate of resource management, equipped to manage rising levels of tourism. In 1916, growing public sentiment and congressional support led to the establishment of the National Park Service. Its first director, Stephen Mather, supported transferring Grand Canyon to the Park Service, and three years later, President Woodrow Wilson signed the bill proclaiming Grand Canyon the nation’s 17th park.