Note: This class is currently full. Please contact us to be placed on the waiting list.

Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter, a maverick architect in a male-dominated industry, planned and constructed a number of her signature structures while employed by the Fred Harvey Company and Santa Fe Railway from 1902 to 1948. During her tenure, Colter built a tourist facility at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. She called this quaint complex of rustic buildings in the most unlikely of settings Phantom Ranch.

This class will examine the legacy of Colter, the construction of Phantom Ranch and the long cultural history of Bright Angel Canyon that extends for millennia before the arrival of the modern tourist. No visit to the canyon floor would be complete without a discussion of the geology and ecology of this popular destination, and this class will address these topics as well. Participants will hike down the South Kaibab Trail and exit via the Bright Angel Trail. Group accommodations and meals at Phantom Ranch are included.