Historic Homestead Courtesy of GCT Archive

In 1985, the Grand Canyon Trust was created out of a desire by a small group of people to build an organization that was dedicated to protecting and restoring the Colorado Plateau—its spectacular landscapes, flowing rivers, clean air, diversity of plants and animals, and areas of beauty and solitude.

Originally set up in Washington, DC, the Trust’s early years were marked by political lobbying for restricted overflights in the Grand Canyon, behind the scenes negotiating for scrubbers on the Navajo generating station to cut down on air pollution in the region, and working with other groups to establish a Grand Canyon Management plan.

By 1989, our goals had expanded along with our organization and we moved into the MacMillan homestead on the Museum of Northern Arizona’s property in Flagstaff. Since then, we have worked on environmental issues in southern Utah such as grazing, national park expansion, national forest management, and ecological restoration of the Virgin River. We have also expanded our programs in the greater Grand Canyon region to include such projects as forest restoration, protecting seeps and springs in the Canyon, and Colorado River management.

Bursting out of the seams of the MacMillan homestead, we purchased the "Lockett House” in 1997. Homesteaded in the 1880’s by the Lockett family, this house was built in 1920 and still retains much of its original architectural style.  Early in 1881 the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad (A & P) engineers staked the line the tracks would follow through northern Arizona. Several hundred men quickly laid the line, cutting the ties, erecting bridges, and building grades with team driven scoops known as “fresnos”, the forerunner of the bulldozer. To provide the men with supplies, and equally important, entertainment, a settlement grew on the edge of the right-of-way near Antelope Spring, the beginning of “Old Town” on the southeast slope of what became known as Mars Hill. This settlement was eventually named Flagstaff, after the Fourth of July ceremony in 1876, celebrating the birth of the town.

This house is one of the oldest surviving homes from one of the original homesteaders. Sheepman Henry C. Lockett came to Flagstaff in 1881 and set up a substantial business in the county. He was one of the major investors in the construction of the Monte Vista Hotel, Flagstaff’s first major public lodging. Lockett Meadow on the northeast slope of the San Francisco Peaks is named for him. The Locketts owned this home and the surrounding land until the 1960’s when the house was sold to Marie and Louis Taney. They made several additions to the home, including a space for an art gallery.

Grand Canyon Trust Accomplishments

Since its inception in 1985, the Trust has made significant accomplishments on behalf of the native plants, animals, and people that reside on the Colorado Plateau, and has helped protect archeological treasures left behind by previous inhabitants.

Click on the link below to view a timeline that chronologically displays the Trust's most important work over the past two decades.

Trust History Timeline