GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) - A watchtower on the eastern entrance to Grand Canyon National Park is reopening as a cultural heritage site.
The Desert View Watchtower had been managed by a park concessionaire as a gift shop until last year.
The Grand Canyon then started working with nearly a dozen tribes to turn it into a place where visitors could learn more about the tribes’ histories, cultures and traditions.
The 70-foot watchtower was built in the early 1930s by famed architect Mary Colter, who drew influence from pueblo people on the Colorado Plateau. The stone that covers the building named as a National Historic Landmark hides its steel frame.
A ceremony Sunday will feature Hopi musician and artist Ed Kabotie, Navajo moccasin maker Bill Thomas Jr., and other tribal artists and storytellers.
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