El Tovar Stables

 barn, stable, NRHP - National Register of Historic Places, historic district

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Pair of historic stable barns listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) as a historic district.

Built: c. 1904
Areas of significance: Architecture; Commerce; Transportation; Tourism
Area: 7 acres
Also known as: Stables-Blacksmith Shop Complex
Date added to NRHP: 9/6/1974
Other designations: U.S. Historic District
Notes: This historic district consists of a mule barn and a smaller horse barn. They house the mules (horses are no longer kept here) that carry visitors to Grand Canyon National Park into the canyon. Originally, the horses and mules were more numerous because they were used to transport visitors to various areas of the park, not just into the canyon. The advance of automobile transportation lessened the importance of these animals, so service was scaled back. Today the barns are important reminders of the ways in which transportation was utilized in the early days of America's national parks, and how it has changed in the modern age.