WILLIAM WALLACE BASS... FATHER OF GRAND CANYON TOURISM!
Go West!
William Wallace Bass headed west, not knowing what Arizona’s great terrain had in store for him. Once he made his way through Williams, Arizona, he found himself staring over the edge and across the deep plunging of the wide expanse of the Grand Canyon. It was love at first sight.
His introduction led to the establishment of his Grand Canyon tourism business. W.W.’s entrepreneurial spirit was set ablaze and for the next fifty years of his life, he would give guided tours down dusty paths and rocky slopes, engaging audiences with stories of nature’s majestic Grand Canyon. He would also become an avid miner, dabble in politics, travel the country giving speeches, and befriend intellectuals, presidents and artists including some of the most prolific writers and painters of the time.
But in the beginning, he would meet and marry Ada Diefendorf-Bass, a classically trained pianist, violinist and music teacher from Worcester, New York. While on a visit to see her aunt in Prescott, she was intrigued by a tour advertisement where days later, she met Bass at the train station in Williams and by wagon, made the trip to Bass Camp. Little did she know, that curiosity on her part would change the course of her existence forever.
Bass’ namesake resides calmly but proudly at the Canyon as Bass Beach, Bass Rapid and North and South Bass Trails are all still alive and well at the Grand Canyon. Rancher and miner, Bert Lauzon, also holds a well-respected place in Grand Canyon history. With nerves of steel and will as hearty as they come, he joined the Kolb Brothers on the last leg of their expedition. Bert would then go on to become a constable and later a Park Ranger at the Grand Canyon.
W.W. and Ada were Meagan's great-great-grandparents and Bert Lauzon would come to meet their daughter, Edith. They were Meagan's great-grandparents. Today, Pioneer Cemetery at the Grand Canyon quietly and sacredly holds the stories of prominent individuals that lived at, worked in, and loved the Canyon.
Go West!
William Wallace Bass headed west, not knowing what Arizona’s great terrain had in store for him. Once he made his way through Williams, Arizona, he found himself staring over the edge and across the deep plunging of the wide expanse of the Grand Canyon. It was love at first sight.
His introduction led to the establishment of his Grand Canyon tourism business. W.W.’s entrepreneurial spirit was set ablaze and for the next fifty years of his life, he would give guided tours down dusty paths and rocky slopes, engaging audiences with stories of nature’s majestic Grand Canyon. He would also become an avid miner, dabble in politics, travel the country giving speeches, and befriend intellectuals, presidents and artists including some of the most prolific writers and painters of the time.
But in the beginning, he would meet and marry Ada Diefendorf-Bass, a classically trained pianist, violinist and music teacher from Worcester, New York. While on a visit to see her aunt in Prescott, she was intrigued by a tour advertisement where days later, she met Bass at the train station in Williams and by wagon, made the trip to Bass Camp. Little did she know, that curiosity on her part would change the course of her existence forever.
Bass’ namesake resides calmly but proudly at the Canyon as Bass Beach, Bass Rapid and North and South Bass Trails are all still alive and well at the Grand Canyon. Rancher and miner, Bert Lauzon, also holds a well-respected place in Grand Canyon history. With nerves of steel and will as hearty as they come, he joined the Kolb Brothers on the last leg of their expedition. Bert would then go on to become a constable and later a Park Ranger at the Grand Canyon.
W.W. and Ada were Meagan's great-great-grandparents and Bert Lauzon would come to meet their daughter, Edith. They were Meagan's great-grandparents. Today, Pioneer Cemetery at the Grand Canyon quietly and sacredly holds the stories of prominent individuals that lived at, worked in, and loved the Canyon.