Santa Fe, New Mexico, to the Grand Canyon Great American Railroad Journeys


Santa Fe, New Mexico, to the Grand Canyon

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LineFromTo

I have crossed the Atlantic to ride the railroads of North America

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with my reliable Appletons' Guide.

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Published in the late 19th century,

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Appletons' General Guide to North America will direct me to all that's

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novel, beautiful, memorable and striking in the United States.

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-ALL:

-Goed!

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As I journey across this vast continent,

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I'll discover how pioneers and cowboys conquered the West.

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MEDLEY OF GUNSHOTS

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And how the railroads tied this nation together,

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helping to create the global super-state of today.

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By the time of my guidebook,

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railroad tracks stretched across the continent,

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and Americans were using them to tour their land for pleasure.

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My rail journey westwards from St Louis to the Grand Canyon,

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covering maybe 1,700 miles, is reaching its climax.

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I've hugged the banks of the Missouri and Arkansas rivers.

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I've followed the wagons along the old Santa Fe Trail.

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And I've ridden on transcontinental tracks first laid in the 1870s.

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Now it's time to wallow in some of the luxury offered by the West today

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before witnessing one of the greatest sights on earth.

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I began my journey in St Louis, Missouri.

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Then headed to Kansas City.

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From there, I struck out west across the plains to gun-toting Dodge City

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before arriving in the Rocky Mountains at Colorado Springs.

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Now I'm heading south, through New Mexico,

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ending at the spectacular natural wonder of Arizona's Grand Canyon.

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Today, I explore historic Santa Fe, I visit New Mexico's largest city,

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Albuquerque, and the cross into Arizona to Williams,

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from where I'll end my trip at one of the world's most

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marvellous geological landmarks.

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I discover how the great outdoors adds to the drama of opera.

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It would be a shame to enclose the theatre

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when we are surrounded by such incredible natural beauty.

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I'm honoured to be invited to an ancient Native American pueblo.

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How long has there been a settlement up here?

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We've been here since the beginning of time.

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I'll marvel at American steam technology.

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HE LAUGHS My goodness, John,

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that is enormous!

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And I get a spectacular bird's eye view.

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Here we go, over the edge and the ground falls away beneath us.

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Amtrak's Southwest Chief service crosses eight states between Chicago

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and Los Angeles in three days.

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A full restaurant service means that hungry passengers

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can eat great food, as some of the world's

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most awesome landscape rolls by.

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-Your steak, sir.

-Thank you.

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Steak knife for you.

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Is there anything else I can bring you right now, Michael?

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Oh, Linda, it looks great.

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I'm going to be just fine.

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Thank you.

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Look at that - perfect.

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Mmm!

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My journey West has brought me into the state of New Mexico,

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which retains its Hispanic heritage dating back to the time

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before its conquest by the United States.

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After the rough-and-tumble of the Wild West,

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it's time for some luxury,

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and to discover how, in Santa Fe, there arose a biblical epic,

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appropriately, perhaps, since the city's name

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translates as "holy faith".

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Founded in 1607,

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Santa Fe was the capital of the Spanish kingdom of New Mexico,

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and is the state capital today.

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The city's distinctive low adobe buildings

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with their round walls and flat roofs

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are made from bricks formed of sun-dried earth and straw.

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The architecture of Santa Fe is delightfully dominated

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by the Spanish colonial period.

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We Europeans scoff at the Americans

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because they don't have many old buildings.

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Well, the mission of San Miguel was built at the beginning of

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the 17th century, which makes it older

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than London's St Paul's Cathedral,

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or France's Palace of Versailles.

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So perhaps we should show some humility.

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In the late 19th century,

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railroad refreshment was a much less leisurely experience

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than mine aboard the Southwest Chief.

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Passengers had to disembark and were given 15 minutes

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to eat and freshen up before re-boarding.

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Thanks to a British immigrant named Fred Harvey,

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arrangements began to improve.

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'I'm meeting Jenny Kimball at La Fonda Hotel.'

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Jenny, now, I believe it was once a Harvey hotel, what did that mean?

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Well, Fred Harvey operated hotels all along the railroad line.

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And the Fred Harvey Company bought it in the early '20s,

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which meant it was part of the Harvey chain.

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Fred Harvey had worked as a railroad caterer,

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which is how he spotted a gap in the market

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for good food on long journeys.

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In 1876, he struck out on his own

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and opened the first of his restaurants

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on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad.

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At its peak in 1928, Fred Harvey's empire

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comprised nearly 100 restaurants and 25 hotels known as Harvey Houses.

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Within his hotels and restaurants,

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tell me about the sort of service you could expect?

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Service was impeccable, only the best,

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white glove silver service.

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And it was mainly because of the Harvey Girls.

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The Harvey Girls were educated women, mainly from the East Coast,

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that wanted an adventure.

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They were trained in manners, service.

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They had impeccable starched uniforms.

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And they couldn't be married.

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They couldn't fraternise with the guests.

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So, I mean, they had a whole list of dos and don'ts.

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But they really elevated the service at all of the Harvey Hotels.

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The Santa Fe Railroad Company

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introduced Pullman dining cars in 1888.

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And Fred Harvey provided both the menu and the staff.

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What was served until then was what they called slop, the Western slop.

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He served lobster.

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He served very sophisticated European food on the train.

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May have been kind of the precursor to first class on an aeroplane.

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He didn't do badly for a lad from Lancashire, England.

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No, he did not do badly, yeah.

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With good quality food and impeccable service,

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the Fred Harvey Brand became widely known in America.

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And in 1946, Fred's Harvey Girls were immortalised in a film

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starring Judy Garland.

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'Bernette Jarvis and Beverly Ireland worked at La Fonda Hotel

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'in the 1950s.'

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How did you get the job of being a Harvey Girl?

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We moved here from Minnesota in 1955.

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We thought it was a temporary job.

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It turned out to be several years of a wonderful experience.

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What attracted you about the reputation of Harvey Girls?

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Fine service, elegant dishes, food was marvellous.

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It just was a prestige job.

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It was the only place in Santa Fe that was a nice hotel.

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And we worked breakfast and lunch

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only because we were 18 years old and couldn't serve liquor.

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Looking back, are you pleased that you were Harvey Girls?

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Absolutely.

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It was a hard job because of the standard,

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but it was a way to get ladies a job.

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To get away from home.

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And to be in the workforce.

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I wouldn't trade it for anything.

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I'm heading seven miles north of Santa Fe

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to an adobe building inspired by the high desert landscape

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which it inhabits.

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As though to symbolise the civilisation of the West,

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Santa Fe has an opera house of global renown,

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attracting the best talent.

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Audiences travel for thousands of miles.

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I made the pilgrimage myself some years ago.

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The auditorium is like no other.

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It has no sides.

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For many productions, the backdrop is provided by the mountains

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and the sunsets of New Mexico.

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What better place to perform Puccini's La Fancuilla del West -

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The Girl of the Golden West?

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The general director of the Santa Fe Opera is Charles MacKay.

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Charles, how and why did they think of building an opera house here?

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60 years ago John Crosby, the founder,

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had always had the dream of founding an opera company here.

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And so, lo and behold,

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he talked his parents into fronting the money

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to build the first theatre

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and persuaded a group of businessmen in Santa Fe to back it

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and the company got started.

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John Crosby was a New York musician with a passion for opera.

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Santa Fe had a long connection with visual artists and writers

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but little with musical life.

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Crosby set out to change that in 1957 by building

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a 480-seat wooden theatre

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and inaugurating a summer opera festival.

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He always had the idea of doing something that was very different,

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to combine standard, rarely performed and new works,

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and to create the first apprentice programme for singers

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in the United States.

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Fire destroyed Crosby's Theatre in 1967.

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Within a year, it was replaced with a larger structure.

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And in 1998, the present 2,000-seat auditorium opened.

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Was it always the idea from the beginning

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-to have a sideless and backless opera house?

-It was.

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John Crosby thought that it would be a shame to enclose the theatre

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when we are surrounded by such incredible natural beauty.

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And to have a beautiful sunset as the performance is beginning.

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And occasionally that the elements

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contribute to the telling of the story.

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So what happens when you get torrential rain?

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If the rain is coming down vertically, everything is fine.

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But when it's coming horizontally, that's a little bit of a problem.

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It can get a little bit dicey if the rain gets into the orchestra pit.

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Sometimes you might end up with a performance

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where there's just one first violin playing at the end of the opera.

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You do a whole range of opera and I'm wondering whether you feel

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there's a particular suitability

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to performing The Girl of the Golden West here.

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You better believe it. We have the mountains for Puccini's great opera.

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Do you know, it's so often the case

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that the scenery becomes part of the set

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so it is a very, very magical setting.

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Puccini's The Girl of the Golden West is a love story between Minnie,

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a saloon owner, and a bandit called Dick Johnson

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and is set during the California gold rush of 1849.

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Cooper Nolan is an apprentice singer at the opera.

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Cooper. Good to see you.

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-Good to see you, how's it going?

-Very well.

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I understand you're on the Santa Fe Opera apprenticeship programme.

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Yes, I am. This is my second year.

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Now you're studying the role of Dick Johnson?

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-Correct.

-In The Girl of the Golden West.

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Would you be so kind as to sing me a little bit?

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-Sure, absolutely.

-What are you going to sing?

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So this is the second act aria after she's discovered

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that Dick Johnson is not who he says he is.

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He still loves her, but he's been lying.

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He's actually the bandit that everyone's been looking for.

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# Or son sei mesi che mio padre mori

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# E il labbro mio mormoro un'ardente preghiera

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# Oh Dio!

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# Ch'ella non sappia mai

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# Non sappia mai la mia vergogna!

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# Non sappia mia!

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# Il sogno e stato vano!

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# Ora ho finito. #

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Well done. You've convinced me you're a good guy.

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Thank you very much. Appreciate it. Thanks for coming around.

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-And a very good singer.

-Thank you.

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NOTES ON XYLOPHONE RING OUT

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When the railroad arrived in 1880, it followed the route of the earlier

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Santa Fe Trail, which had brought pioneers from Missouri.

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As people in the eastern states grew wealthier,

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the more intrepid among them began to venture west as tourists.

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Appletons' quotes the writings of a Mrs Wallace, who was married

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to the United States Governor before New Mexico was a state.

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"The ancient governor's palace

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"extends along one whole side of the plaza,

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"a long low structure built of adobe.

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"Santa Fe was a stronghold before

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"the Spanish conquest and a town of some importance

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"to the white race when Pennsylvania was still a wilderness.

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"It is rich in historic interest."

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Time to discover more about the palace and about the Wallaces.

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'Meredith Davidson is curator at the Palace of the Governors,

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'a New Mexico history museum.'

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Meredith, I'm very struck by the depth of history here.

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The number of regimes that there have been in Santa Fe,

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and specifically in this governors palace.

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It was built in 1610.

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It's the longest continuously occupied public building

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in the whole United States.

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When the White House was built, it was 200 years old already.

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It's seen five separate governments across its history.

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Before it was cited in 1608,

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New Mexico was occupied by Native Americans.

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It was part of the Spanish Empire from 1610 on.

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After that it was briefly part of Mexico,

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when Mexico declared independence in 1821.

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And following that, it became a US territory

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and then later became a state in 1912.

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I'm in search of one particular governor mentioned in Appletons'.

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Governor Wallace.

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Yes, Governor Wallace was our governor from 1878 to 1881.

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And he was here at a really fascinating moment

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where the railroads were coming into New Mexico for the first time,

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where there was still quite an environment

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of what romantically is sort of called the Wild West.

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Lew Wallace was a Union general in the Civil War,

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a lawyer and diplomat.

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But his fame today largely rests on his work as a writer.

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So we've come down here to look at the chair

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that belonged to Governor Lew Wallace.

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It was from here that he wrote or presumably wrote the book that

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he became most well known for, Ben Hur, which came out in 1880.

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So, he would sit there, and this is his writing desk, his table.

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-He has it on his lap.

-Right.

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Exactly.

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Set in the Roman Empire,

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the novel tells the story of a young Jewish man of means who loses

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his family and freedom because of the injustice of a Roman officer.

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But eventually triumphs through his own determination

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and the intervention of Jesus Christ.

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Adaptations for stage and screen followed, most famously in 1959,

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starring Charlton Heston as Ben Hur.

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Was it a successful book?

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Ben Hur was really an instant success.

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It very quickly surpassed sales of Uncle Tom's Cabin,

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a book that had been, since the Civil War, really,

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one of the most purchased books in the nation.

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'A bestseller of biblical proportions!'

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I'm continuing my journey from Santa Fe south-west,

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on an excursion recommended by my Appletons'.

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My next destination will be Acoma.

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Appletons' says, "The towns of these Indians are similarly interesting

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"and well worth a visit, on an eminence commanding a view

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"so situated that they can be approached

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"only through a narrow defile.

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"The houses are two or three storeys,

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"ranged in the form of hollow squares.

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"Access can be had only by ladders to the second storeys.

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"The first being built solid without an opening."

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By the end of the 19th century,

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the Native American had become a curiosity,

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a tourist attraction.

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The Pueblo Indians of the south-west

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take their name from the Spanish word used by the first explorers

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to describe the apartment-like buildings in which they live.

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19 Pueblo communities remain in New Mexico.

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They welcome tourists to buy the pottery for which they're renowned,

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but filming is rarely allowed.

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It's a privilege for me to be invited to visit Acoma Pueblo

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on its sandstone bluff 367 feet high.

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'I'm meeting tribal secretary John Sims.'

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These houses are very much as described in my guidebook

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with the ladders.

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It says that in those days, there was no opening on the ground floor.

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Yes. You know, the ground floor was basically meant for storage

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and in case there was intruders or anything like that,

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you would pull the ladders up

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and the living quarters were on the second storey,

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so everybody was nice and safe.

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Some of these houses are quite tall, three storeys high.

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Is this a fine looking example?

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Yes, so the three-storey structures that you find in the pueblo

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are probably some of the older houses of the pueblo

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and they're all created out of adobe,

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which is the straw and mud mixture that you see here.

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-May we go inside?

-Yes, sir, follow me.

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-It's wonderfully cool in here.

-Yes, definitely keeps in the coolness

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during the summer and during the winter,

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it keeps it nice and warm in here, also,

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once you get the walls heated up.

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I notice it's got a wood stove.

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I don't see any sign of electric light or anything like that.

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No, and actually that's one thing

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that you'll find here in the pueblo -

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we still operate with no water or no electricity.

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People have hauled their water up, people are using wood stoves -

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the way our ancestors have done it for hundreds of years

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and we still do it today.

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The view from here is absolutely breathtaking.

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How long has there been a settlement up here?

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The way we describe it to ourselves

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is we've been here since the beginning of time,

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but in terms of anthropology, you can date us to 1500 AD.

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Did they settle here for defensive or religious reasons?

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The mesa top here was chosen, I think,

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more particularly for defence than anything else.

0:25:160:25:19

How did you fare with the Spanish when they arrived?

0:25:190:25:23

They originally came in

0:25:230:25:25

and, for the most part, the Pueblos welcomed them.

0:25:250:25:29

The Spanish had other things in mind,

0:25:290:25:31

which was to take over land and territories

0:25:310:25:34

and, for the most part, they were also looking for riches.

0:25:340:25:37

They were looking for gold and they didn't find them.

0:25:370:25:40

You know, the battle for Acoma is definitely a large one

0:25:400:25:44

in the context of the Pueblo world.

0:25:440:25:46

The battle of Acoma between the Spanish and the Pueblo Indians

0:25:480:25:52

in 1598 was devastating, with up to 1,500 Native Americans killed.

0:25:520:25:58

Over the following decades, the Spanish continued

0:25:580:26:02

to repress the Pueblos, until in 1680, the tribes united in revolt.

0:26:020:26:07

The Pueblos got together and through force,

0:26:070:26:11

drove the Spanish out of New Mexico

0:26:110:26:12

and the Spanish basically did not enter New Mexico territory

0:26:120:26:16

for about a decade, for almost ten years

0:26:160:26:19

and, in those ten years, it allowed the Pueblos to rebuild

0:26:190:26:23

and to basically bring back their traditions.

0:26:230:26:27

With regard to the present day,

0:26:270:26:29

do you think that the Pueblos have survived better

0:26:290:26:32

than some other tribe?

0:26:320:26:33

The Pueblos have survived a lot better

0:26:330:26:36

than our brother and sister tribes out in the rest of North America.

0:26:360:26:41

For one instance, a lot of us weren't pushed onto reservations.

0:26:410:26:45

We got to stay in our homeland, like you see us here today.

0:26:450:26:48

And, secondly, our culture and language survived.

0:26:490:26:53

When the railroad came through,

0:26:590:27:01

not only did it bring jobs,

0:27:010:27:03

but it brought commerce, it brought tourism.

0:27:030:27:06

Up to that point, our people were basically farmers, hunters,

0:27:060:27:10

but, with tourism, brought money.

0:27:100:27:13

We took an item that was traditionally used...

0:27:130:27:16

..in the homes and so our ladies started to make

0:27:170:27:20

pottery for these people that were coming through the railroads.

0:27:200:27:24

Later on, as the train kept building and the lines kept building,

0:27:240:27:29

our people found work with them and so to this day,

0:27:290:27:32

you find large numbers of Acoma people in places like Sacramento,

0:27:320:27:38

in places like Arizona and that was the total direct result of them

0:27:380:27:43

working for the railroad.

0:27:430:27:44

How would you say the United States treats the Pueblo people today?

0:28:070:28:11

The overall thing is that here in Acoma, we have been here

0:28:110:28:16

through the Spanish, we were part once of Mexico also, you know?

0:28:160:28:20

And then we're here through the American government

0:28:200:28:24

and as strong as America is, once the Spanish thought

0:28:240:28:28

they were just as strong and just as mighty, and so for Acoma people,

0:28:280:28:33

we're going to be here till the end of time.

0:28:330:28:36

TRAIN HORN BLARES

0:28:550:28:58

This morning, I'll embark on the final stage

0:29:030:29:06

of my 1,700 mile journey across the American West.

0:29:060:29:11

For the traveller who had seen the Missouri River,

0:29:140:29:16

the so-called Mighty Mo,

0:29:160:29:19

who had gasped at the Arkansas River's Royal Gorge,

0:29:190:29:23

who had marvelled at pueblo towns

0:29:230:29:26

perched on pillars of rock 300ft high,

0:29:260:29:30

the greatest, grandest wonder still lay ahead.

0:29:300:29:34

Starting in Albuquerque, I'll head west to Williams, Arizona

0:29:420:29:48

and finish at the Grand Canyon.

0:29:480:29:51

My next stop will be Albuquerque,

0:30:090:30:12

which Appletons' tells me, "has a population of about 6,000,

0:30:120:30:15

"situated on the Rio Grande river at an elevation of some 5,000 feet.

0:30:150:30:21

"Albuquerque is the eastern terminus

0:30:210:30:24

"of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad.

0:30:240:30:28

"The junction with the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad

0:30:280:30:30

"is just south of this point."

0:30:300:30:33

I've been wondering, in the old days,

0:30:330:30:35

what kind of locomotive was robust enough to haul a train

0:30:350:30:40

all the way from Chicago to Los Angeles?

0:30:400:30:43

BELL CHIMES

0:30:520:30:54

TRAIN WHISTLES

0:30:540:30:56

Downtown Albuquerque. Please watch your step.

0:30:580:31:00

Thank you for riding the New Mexico Rail Runner Express.

0:31:000:31:03

Like much of New Mexico, the city of Albuquerque

0:31:050:31:08

blends Native American and Spanish influences.

0:31:080:31:12

Founded by Spanish colonists in 1706,

0:31:120:31:15

it was laid out as a traditional village,

0:31:150:31:18

with a central plaza surrounded by public buildings,

0:31:180:31:21

homes and a church,

0:31:210:31:24

preserved today as the Old Town.

0:31:240:31:26

The arrival of the railroad in 1880 transformed Albuquerque.

0:31:290:31:34

It became home to the main locomotive works

0:31:340:31:36

for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad,

0:31:360:31:40

better known simply as the Santa Fe.

0:31:400:31:43

Albuquerque - former railway hub.

0:31:510:31:54

Choose your direction - west, north, east, south

0:31:540:31:59

and all points in between.

0:31:590:32:01

This enormous Albuquerque locomotive repair shed gives me an idea

0:32:220:32:27

of how important the railroads were in this city,

0:32:270:32:32

and it's as though they just left.

0:32:320:32:35

Here are the tracks where the engines were moved.

0:32:350:32:38

There are the cranes with which they were hoisted into the air.

0:32:380:32:41

There are the pits for the work underneath.

0:32:410:32:44

These vast buildings are often compared to cathedrals of steam,

0:32:440:32:50

and this one even has stained glass.

0:32:500:32:53

The glory days of the railroad in Albuquerque are long gone,

0:33:000:33:04

but thanks to a group of keen volunteers,

0:33:040:33:07

steam will soon make a comeback.

0:33:070:33:09

'John Taylor is a member of

0:33:120:33:14

'the New Mexico Steam Locomotive & Railroad Historical Society.'

0:33:140:33:19

John, what was the impact on Albuquerque

0:33:220:33:24

of the arrival of the railroad?

0:33:240:33:25

Well, it was enormous. Before the railroad arrived,

0:33:250:33:29

Albuquerque was a very small agricultural community,

0:33:290:33:32

largely Hispanic.

0:33:320:33:34

When the railroad came, it opened it up to the country

0:33:340:33:37

and in fact to the rest of the world.

0:33:370:33:39

People could come, goods could come, goods could go -

0:33:390:33:42

it really made a huge economic difference.

0:33:420:33:45

What kind of facilities had to be provided for the railroad

0:33:450:33:49

out here in the West?

0:33:490:33:50

Well, initially, of course, you had to provide stations,

0:33:500:33:54

sidings, water and fuel stops,

0:33:540:33:57

and then, eventually,

0:33:570:33:59

Albuquerque developed into the largest workshop complex

0:33:590:34:02

between Chicago and Los Angeles,

0:34:020:34:04

and it was one of the major employers in Albuquerque

0:34:040:34:07

for a number of years.

0:34:070:34:08

Is there any work going on here today?

0:34:080:34:09

Oh, yes, there is!

0:34:090:34:11

We've been talking about history -

0:34:110:34:13

let's go and see some living history.

0:34:130:34:15

Let's do that.

0:34:150:34:16

John and his colleagues are embarked on an ambitious restoration project.

0:34:210:34:26

Ha! My goodness, John, that is enormous.

0:34:300:34:33

What a whopper!

0:34:330:34:34

Isn't she wonderful?

0:34:340:34:35

Absolutely!

0:34:350:34:37

What is this locomotive?

0:34:390:34:40

This is the Santa Fe 2926.

0:34:400:34:43

It was built in 1944 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Pennsylvania.

0:34:430:34:48

It went 100mph,

0:34:480:34:50

weighs a million pounds,

0:34:500:34:53

and was built to pull freight and troop trains and passengers.

0:34:530:34:57

Why was it necessary to have such a big locomotive?

0:34:570:34:59

Well, this locomotive is actually equivalent in horsepower

0:34:590:35:03

to about a modern diesel engine.

0:35:030:35:04

So, if you're going to have...

0:35:040:35:06

pull a big train, you have to have to have a big locomotive.

0:35:060:35:10

The other thing about this is the combination of the size of

0:35:100:35:13

the locomotive and the size of the tender,

0:35:130:35:15

which holds 24,500 gallons of water,

0:35:150:35:19

was to get a greater distance between water stops.

0:35:190:35:22

This uses 100 gallons per mile of water.

0:35:220:35:26

Of course, in Europe, water is normally plentiful.

0:35:260:35:29

Here in the United States, it must be quite a big issue.

0:35:290:35:31

Well, in the desert and the south-west, of course.

0:35:310:35:34

-Wow. Fantastic.

-Yes.

0:35:340:35:36

Is it possible to get even closer to the locomotive?

0:35:360:35:38

Oh, we have something planned for you!

0:35:380:35:40

Let's go this way.

0:35:400:35:42

This locomotive is at the pinnacle of steam technology,

0:35:510:35:55

one of the last to be built burning oil rather than coal.

0:35:550:35:59

I can't think of anything more fun.

0:36:080:36:10

OK, come on down. Watch your head.

0:36:110:36:13

Oh, my word. I don't think I've ever seen such a huge locomotive

0:36:170:36:21

and now I'm underneath it.

0:36:210:36:22

And at the end here, that very American feature, the cowcatcher.

0:36:220:36:25

Indeed, sort of a reminiscence of the Old West.

0:36:250:36:28

-This is Pete Adair.

-Pete, hi. Michael.

0:36:280:36:31

Hi. Glad to meet you.

0:36:310:36:32

He's going to have you help us adjust part of the brake system.

0:36:320:36:34

So what do I do, Pete?

0:36:340:36:35

We need to twist this until it brings the brake shoes

0:36:350:36:39

up close enough to the drivers.

0:36:390:36:42

OK.

0:36:420:36:43

Right! Very large spanner, very large screw,

0:36:450:36:49

apply pressure.

0:36:490:36:51

Yay, it's moving.

0:36:510:36:52

How far do I need to take it, Pete?

0:36:530:36:55

That's about right. That looks like it's got the brake shoes just about

0:36:570:37:00

where they should be. Good.

0:37:000:37:02

OK, guys, any time you need a hand, you've got my cell number.

0:37:020:37:05

Absolutely.

0:37:050:37:06

'This magnificent engine had a relatively brief operational life.

0:37:090:37:14

'Introduced in 1944, she made her final journey only nine years later.

0:37:140:37:19

'For over 40 years, she was exhibited in an Albuquerque park

0:37:190:37:24

'before restoration began in 2000.'

0:37:240:37:28

Who are you, the guys who've come together to do this great work?

0:37:280:37:32

We're everything. I'm a nuclear engineer.

0:37:320:37:34

We have a physician.

0:37:340:37:35

We have a Lutheran minister.

0:37:350:37:37

We have welders, we have police officers...

0:37:370:37:40

It's a very, very diverse group.

0:37:400:37:42

It looks like you've done

0:37:420:37:43

an enormous amount of work on it already.

0:37:430:37:45

Are you getting towards the end?

0:37:450:37:46

It probably is, within six to eight months,

0:37:460:37:49

actually having it running.

0:37:490:37:51

It's just going to be an unbelievable experience.

0:37:510:37:54

TRAIN WHISTLES

0:37:540:37:56

'Here in New Mexico, it's hard to avoid the chilli.

0:38:060:38:10

'New Mexicans are so proud of their 8,000-acre annual harvest

0:38:100:38:15

'that they've designated the potent pepper their state vegetable -

0:38:150:38:20

'an opportunity for me to test my mettle.

0:38:200:38:23

'Brothers John and Jim Thomas have been running El Pinto restaurant

0:38:260:38:31

'since 1994.'

0:38:310:38:32

What a fantastic, beautiful garden restaurant this is.

0:38:330:38:37

How did it get started?

0:38:370:38:39

Back in 1962, our folks started the El Pinto restaurant,

0:38:390:38:43

and John and I were three years old at the time.

0:38:430:38:45

We grew up on the premises and we've been enjoying it ever since.

0:38:450:38:49

'El Pinto began as one room with a handful of tables.

0:38:530:38:57

'Now it seats over 1,200 diners

0:38:570:39:00

'and once played host to President Obama.'

0:39:000:39:03

New Mexico is just, kind of, famed for chilli, isn't that right?

0:39:040:39:08

That's it.

0:39:080:39:09

What are the influences that come together in New Mexican cuisine?

0:39:090:39:12

Well, it's the Hispanic, it's the Indian culture, the Pueblo Indian,

0:39:120:39:16

and the Spanish came in and they collaborated

0:39:160:39:19

and they developed recipes like enchiladas,

0:39:190:39:21

chillies, beans and corn.

0:39:210:39:24

I have no idea, because I'm a foreigner.

0:39:240:39:26

What is the difference between the red and the green chilli?

0:39:260:39:29

-Well, Michael, actually, they're the same plant.

-Are they?

0:39:290:39:32

It's just that the green is not matured and the red is matured.

0:39:320:39:35

What is the difference in the flavour?

0:39:350:39:37

The red chilli has been ripened, so it has a sweeter flavour.

0:39:370:39:40

-Yeah?

-And then the green chilli has less sweet of a flavour,

0:39:400:39:43

but we roast it and it gives a really nice, distinct flavour.

0:39:430:39:46

You can smell it. The way they smell is so good.

0:39:460:39:48

There's nothing like chillies.

0:39:480:39:50

Chilli goes with everything.

0:39:500:39:52

Michael, come along. We're going to show you how to make

0:39:540:39:56

a red chilli and chicken enchilada.

0:39:560:39:58

I don't even know what an enchilada is!

0:39:580:40:00

You start off with the blue corn tortilla.

0:40:000:40:02

Go ahead and just lay it in the chilli there.

0:40:020:40:05

Flip it on one side, and then flip it on the other side.

0:40:050:40:07

-Coat it all the way, Michael.

-That's it.

0:40:070:40:09

There we go. What do we to add to that?

0:40:090:40:11

Now, we're going to put some onions first -

0:40:110:40:13

just a sprinkle, like a light dusting.

0:40:130:40:14

Then we go ahead and sprinkle some cheese.

0:40:140:40:16

Not too much cheese. This is not a pizza, this is an enchilada.

0:40:160:40:19

Give another tortilla a drench. Another tortilla.

0:40:190:40:22

-Flip it in there.

-There you go.

0:40:220:40:23

-You got the hang of it after that.

-Perfect. Lay it right on top.

0:40:230:40:26

-You've got a job, dude.

-There we go. THEY LAUGH

0:40:260:40:29

Now we want to put a little chicken on there.

0:40:290:40:31

-Layer it right on there.

-Then you've got to put another tortilla on top,

0:40:310:40:34

that's going to cover it.

0:40:340:40:37

More chilli on top.

0:40:370:40:40

-We're going to put an egg on top.

-Put an egg on there.

0:40:400:40:42

Now it all looks good and ready to me.

0:40:420:40:45

You've got it. Let's go and grab a margarita and have a meal.

0:40:480:40:51

I tell you what amazes me is how much of the chilli sauce you use.

0:40:570:41:02

You guys really like your chilli, don't you?

0:41:020:41:05

Like our grandmother used to say, "Panza llena, corazon contento" -

0:41:050:41:08

"Full stomach - happy heart."

0:41:080:41:11

So, chicken, cheese, onion, tortilla and chilli.

0:41:110:41:18

Wow!

0:41:190:41:21

That's great.

0:41:210:41:23

Mmm.

0:41:230:41:24

That fills your mouth and fills the stomach, doesn't it?

0:41:240:41:27

Yes.

0:41:270:41:29

-Salud.

-Salud!

0:41:300:41:31

I'm leaving Albuquerque and rejoining Amtrak's Southwest Chief

0:41:360:41:41

for a really long journey, close to 400 miles west

0:41:410:41:46

to Williams Junction in Arizona. TRAIN WHISTLES

0:41:460:41:48

On the long rail journey from Chicago to Los Angeles,

0:41:540:41:58

a lot of people invest in a sleeping compartment,

0:41:580:42:01

and I thought I would take a look.

0:42:010:42:03

Come on in.

0:42:030:42:04

It is very luxurious.

0:42:070:42:08

Look at this lovely sofa.

0:42:080:42:11

I'm guessing that this comes down so that this makes two beds.

0:42:110:42:16

Aha! A lovely armchair,

0:42:160:42:19

so that I can face the direction of travel

0:42:190:42:21

and see this beautiful scenery.

0:42:210:42:23

The private facilities must be this.

0:42:230:42:26

Ooh.

0:42:270:42:28

Ah! Very small, but it does the job.

0:42:320:42:36

And then the surprise is this -

0:42:360:42:38

that it's also a shower.

0:42:380:42:41

Every mod con.

0:42:440:42:46

-Hello!

-Good evening, folks. My name is Milton.

0:42:480:42:50

-Very good to see you, Milton.

-I'm you car attendant

0:42:500:42:53

and I'm here to take care of your bed and put it down and put it up.

0:42:530:42:57

-Can you show me how this works, then?

-OK.

0:42:570:43:00

First, you push this.

0:43:000:43:02

-Aha!

-This is totally going to be your bed and bunk.

0:43:050:43:09

Heavens, Milton, that's virtually a double bed. That's very generous.

0:43:100:43:14

Yes, this actually could sleep two.

0:43:150:43:19

How many people are you looking after in the sleeping car?

0:43:190:43:21

-Over 40.

-Over 40?

-Over 40.

0:43:210:43:23

Do you get a lot of people

0:43:230:43:25

-travelling all the way from Chicago to Los Angeles?

-Yes, a lot.

0:43:250:43:28

Why do you think they're travelling by train,

0:43:280:43:30

as opposed to a plane?

0:43:300:43:32

Well, travelling because most of them have a disability is one.

0:43:320:43:37

-A lot of people are scared to fly.

-Yes.

0:43:370:43:40

That's two and I guess it's the best scenery you could see.

0:43:400:43:47

You can't see that out the plane!

0:43:470:43:49

Before air travel became commonplace,

0:43:530:43:56

railroads competed for long-distance passengers.

0:43:560:43:58

The Santa Fe launched its Super Chief service,

0:43:580:44:01

between Los Angeles and Chicago, in 1936.

0:44:010:44:05

Exclusively first-class, the train had three lounges,

0:44:050:44:10

a five-star dining carriage and Pullman sleeping accommodation.

0:44:100:44:15

It became the transport of stars during Hollywood's golden age.

0:44:180:44:22

Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton,

0:44:220:44:25

Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland were just some of those who enjoyed

0:44:250:44:29

the luxury of the Super Chief.

0:44:290:44:30

I've arrived in the Arizona town of Williams.

0:44:530:44:56

I'm heading to the town's old train depot,

0:45:060:45:08

built in 1908 by the Santa Fe Railroad.

0:45:080:45:12

The Amtrak train delivered me in the dead of night to the truly remote

0:45:170:45:21

Williams Junction, in a forest which is a great habitat for bears.

0:45:210:45:26

At the time of my guidebook,

0:45:260:45:28

you would leave the train at Peach Springs and take a stagecoach,

0:45:280:45:31

but for the last century and more, there has been a train,

0:45:310:45:34

and so, now, this is what Appletons' calls "the departure point

0:45:340:45:39

"for one of the greatest wonders of nature in the world".

0:45:390:45:44

TRAIN WHISTLES

0:45:540:45:57

TRAIN WHISTLES AGAIN

0:45:580:46:00

'I'm thrilled to be on my way to one of the greatest sights on earth,

0:46:040:46:08

'and it seems that I'm not alone.'

0:46:080:46:11

-Hello.

-Hi.

-May I join you a moment?

0:46:130:46:17

-Sure.

-Are you visiting the Grand Canyon for the first time?

0:46:170:46:19

-Yes, we are.

-We are, we are. We're very excited.

0:46:190:46:21

I'm very excited. I'm visiting for the first time.

0:46:210:46:24

-Oh, really?

-Yeah, it's a great feeling, isn't it?

-It is.

0:46:240:46:27

Do you like rail travel?

0:46:270:46:28

I love rail travel.

0:46:280:46:29

It brings back the sense of history,

0:46:290:46:32

and it allows you to see the whole of the scenery

0:46:320:46:36

in a very relaxing way.

0:46:360:46:37

Have you been to the Grand Canyon before?

0:46:370:46:39

-Yes.

-Oh, many times, yes.

0:46:390:46:41

As many times as you go out there,

0:46:410:46:43

you look at it and you go, "This is not real!"

0:46:430:46:45

-Get over there...

-Oh, go on, then.

0:46:450:46:47

-This'll be the highlight of their trip.

-Oh!

0:46:470:46:50

-Thank you.

-Oh, brilliant. Thank you very much.

0:46:530:46:56

The Grand Canyon Railway stretches 65 miles

0:47:040:47:07

from Williams to the south rim of the canyon.

0:47:070:47:10

It opened in 1901,

0:47:100:47:12

cutting the journey time from three days in a stagecoach

0:47:120:47:16

to a mere three hours.

0:47:160:47:18

America's love affair with the automobile

0:47:190:47:22

meant that the line closed to passengers in 1968.

0:47:220:47:26

It was a close shave, but luckily the tracks weren't scrapped,

0:47:260:47:30

and on the 17th of September 1989,

0:47:300:47:34

88 years to the day since the first train ran to the south rim,

0:47:340:47:38

the Grand Canyon Railway reopened.

0:47:380:47:40

Appletons' is ecstatic.

0:47:490:47:52

"The Grand Canyon of the Colorado was made known to the world

0:47:520:47:55

"in detail only a few years ago by the adventurous voyage of

0:47:550:47:59

"Major John Wesley Powell down the river.

0:47:590:48:02

"The Colorado River passes through a succession of remarkable canyons,

0:48:020:48:06

"but all sink into insignificance before the Grand Canyon,

0:48:060:48:10

"which is more than 300 miles long.

0:48:100:48:13

"This canyon opens all the series of geological strata.

0:48:130:48:17

"The walls are from 3,000 to 7,000 in height."

0:48:170:48:21

And I'm prepared for much of what I've seen in my life

0:48:210:48:24

to sink into insignificance today.

0:48:240:48:27

Ha...

0:49:000:49:02

Oh.

0:49:020:49:04

Now, that really is... That is a great...

0:49:040:49:07

That is a great moment of my life.

0:49:070:49:10

It's almost like being punched, it is such a surprise.

0:49:100:49:13

It's like...

0:49:130:49:15

It's like a glimpse of the infinite.

0:49:150:49:17

I had no idea it was going to be so multicoloured,

0:49:190:49:22

so multi-layered, so...

0:49:220:49:24

so wide.

0:49:240:49:26

It just is the most...

0:49:270:49:30

the most wonderful thing.

0:49:300:49:32

Literally, literally awe-inspiring.

0:49:320:49:34

Absolutely extraordinary.

0:49:340:49:36

'The United States acquired the territory in which

0:50:080:50:10

'the Grand Canyon sits from Mexico in 1848.

0:50:100:50:15

'Emily Davis works for the National Park Service.'

0:50:150:50:19

I'm seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time, and it's like seeing

0:50:270:50:31

a compendium of infinite time,

0:50:310:50:33

all the layers of rock built up, upon each other,

0:50:330:50:36

and then eroded by the river, the Colorado.

0:50:360:50:38

Over what period was the Grand Canyon formed?

0:50:380:50:41

So, according to geologists,

0:50:410:50:44

the Grand Canyon formed about seven million years ago

0:50:440:50:47

and that's when the Colorado River took its present-day course.

0:50:470:50:51

What we often say is we have a very young canyon, but very old rocks.

0:50:510:50:54

The rocks that we're standing on right now,

0:50:540:50:57

the youngest is about 270 million years old

0:50:570:51:01

and the rocks get progressively younger

0:51:010:51:03

as you make your way down into the canyon.

0:51:030:51:05

My guidebook talks about Powell setting out in detail

0:51:050:51:08

the Grand Canyon.

0:51:080:51:09

What was it that John Wesley Powell did?

0:51:090:51:11

In 1869, John Wesley Powell became the first European American

0:51:110:51:15

to raft down the Colorado River to challenge the white-water rapids.

0:51:150:51:20

While doing so, he basically made the first map of the Grand Canyon,

0:51:200:51:23

and, in a way, he really opened the West to exploration, to study,

0:51:230:51:27

and exploitation as well.

0:51:270:51:30

During the American Civil War,

0:51:320:51:34

John Wesley Powell had lost his right arm in battle.

0:51:340:51:38

At the time of his expedition,

0:51:380:51:40

much of the West had still not been mapped.

0:51:400:51:43

His group of ten set off along a tributary of the Colorado River

0:51:430:51:47

in Wyoming in May 1869.

0:51:470:51:51

Three months and 1,000 miles later,

0:51:510:51:53

six emaciated survivors arrived in Nevada.

0:51:530:51:57

So, when the detail of the Grand Canyon had been revealed by Powell,

0:52:000:52:03

did Americans want to exploit it or to treasure it?

0:52:030:52:06

Most people back in the late 1800s did want to come to exploit it,

0:52:060:52:10

so the earliest people after Powell were the miners, looking for,

0:52:100:52:14

of course, gold or silver.

0:52:140:52:16

They didn't find any of that, but mostly, once they got here,

0:52:160:52:19

they realised it's better to mine the pockets of tourists

0:52:190:52:23

rather than to mine the rocks themselves.

0:52:230:52:25

To preserve the Grand Canyon for the nation,

0:52:280:52:31

President Teddy Roosevelt designated it a national monument in 1908.

0:52:310:52:37

11 years later, it was further protected

0:52:370:52:39

when Congress made this area a national park.

0:52:390:52:43

Roosevelt visited here as early as 1901,

0:52:430:52:46

took one look at this place and was utterly inspired, and said,

0:52:460:52:50

"This is the one great sight that every American should see."

0:52:500:52:55

And now about five and a half million visitors

0:52:550:52:57

come to the Grand Canyon to see the grandeur that Teddy Roosevelt

0:52:570:53:00

spoke and wrote about, and the very place that Teddy Roosevelt helped

0:53:000:53:04

to set aside for our children and our children's children.

0:53:040:53:08

At 277 miles long, ten miles wide and over one mile deep,

0:53:120:53:19

the scale of the Grand Canyon is hard to grasp.

0:53:190:53:23

-Hello, guys.

-Hi!

-How do you feel about what you're seeing here?

0:53:410:53:44

-Great.

-It's amazing.

-Yeah.

0:53:440:53:47

-First visit to the Grand Canyon?

-Yes, yep.

0:53:470:53:49

-Where have you come from?

-New York.

0:53:490:53:52

-Has it lived up to expectations?

-Yeah, and beyond, yeah.

0:53:520:53:56

-Why so?

-It's just so much bigger

0:53:560:53:59

and the magnitude is just so much more than we thought coming here.

0:53:590:54:04

-And how are you going to explore it?

-We're doing both extremes.

0:54:040:54:06

Today was the top and tomorrow we're going to go to the bottom

0:54:060:54:09

and we're going to do a raft ride

0:54:090:54:10

and be on the Colorado River.

0:54:100:54:12

Go on enjoying the views. It's a lovely evening.

0:54:120:54:14

-Thank you so much.

-Bye-bye.

0:54:140:54:17

Having seen the Grand Canyon from the ground,

0:54:220:54:24

I'm convinced that I will get an altogether different image

0:54:240:54:28

from the air.

0:54:280:54:30

One of the things I noticed on the train,

0:55:000:55:02

and it's apparent again from the plane,

0:55:020:55:04

is how the Grand Canyon takes you by surprise.

0:55:040:55:07

Below me is this rather unimpressive scrubby plain,

0:55:070:55:12

and then, suddenly, you reach the edge of the Grand Canyon,

0:55:120:55:16

which maybe explains why, for so many years,

0:55:160:55:18

European Americans didn't know where it was.

0:55:180:55:22

Here we go, over the edge,

0:55:240:55:26

and the ground falls away beneath us.

0:55:260:55:29

And now, for the first time,

0:55:370:55:38

I see into the depths of the Grand Canyon,

0:55:380:55:42

the River Colorado appearing like a muddy brown stream

0:55:420:55:46

from this height -

0:55:460:55:47

it's difficult to believe that it has eroded this vast landscape.

0:55:470:55:53

If you want to think of a hero, think of John Wesley Powell,

0:56:140:56:17

down there in the Colorado River, that one-armed army veteran,

0:56:170:56:22

paddling, determined to map the Grand Canyon,

0:56:220:56:25

to bring its wonder to the attention of others.

0:56:250:56:28

Covering 1,700 miles since I left St Louis,

0:56:580:57:02

I've crossed plains and mountains.

0:57:020:57:05

This vast continent was once home to millions

0:57:050:57:08

of Native Americans and buffalo.

0:57:080:57:10

I've travelled along the valleys of the Missouri and the Arkansas,

0:57:100:57:14

the route once taken by the wagon trains,

0:57:140:57:17

and later by the railroads.

0:57:170:57:19

The trains transformed this land

0:57:190:57:21

and sealed the fate of its original inhabitants.

0:57:210:57:25

When the settlers arrived with their European religions,

0:57:250:57:28

they must have looked upon this landscape as a gift from God -

0:57:280:57:33

proof that the United States was entitled to enjoy

0:57:330:57:36

the wonders of nature from ocean to ocean.

0:57:360:57:40

That was its manifest destiny.

0:57:400:57:43

Next time, I begin a 1,000-mile journey from Minnesota's Twin Cities

0:57:480:57:54

to Memphis, Tennessee,

0:57:540:57:56

starting and finishing on the mighty Mississippi River.

0:57:560:58:00

You'll be riding as my bitch!

0:58:030:58:06

-It's a privilege.

-Yes!

-THEY LAUGH

0:58:060:58:08

-There they go. Don't let them get away!

-Oh!

0:58:120:58:14

-I enjoyed the ride. Thank you so much.

-I thank you!

0:58:160:58:18

2-58, your train's never late!

0:58:180:58:21

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