0:00:02 > 0:00:05I have crossed the Atlantic to ride
0:00:05 > 0:00:07the railroads of North America... BELL CHIMES
0:00:07 > 0:00:09..with my reliable Appletons' Guide.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12HORN BEEPS
0:00:12 > 0:00:14Published in the late 19th century,
0:00:14 > 0:00:19Appletons' General Guide To North America will direct me to all
0:00:19 > 0:00:26that's novel, beautiful, memorable and striking in the United States.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28THEY SHOUT
0:00:28 > 0:00:30As I journey across this vast continent,
0:00:30 > 0:00:36I'll discover how pioneers and cowboys conquered the West,
0:00:36 > 0:00:39and how the railroads tied this nation together,
0:00:39 > 0:00:43helping to create the global superstate of today.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12Late-19th-century railroad companies were quick to spot
0:01:12 > 0:01:16that the grand scenery of the West would be a powerful draw
0:01:16 > 0:01:20for wealthy tourists, who would pay to enjoy the sights
0:01:20 > 0:01:23from the comfort and safety of a luxury train.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29TRAIN WHISTLES
0:01:29 > 0:01:33My long rail journey through the American West has brought me
0:01:33 > 0:01:34to the state of New Mexico,
0:01:34 > 0:01:38and will soon reach its conclusion in Arizona.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41For the traveller who had seen the Missouri River,
0:01:41 > 0:01:43the so-called Mighty Mo,
0:01:43 > 0:01:48who had gasped at the Arkansas River's Royal Gorge,
0:01:48 > 0:01:51who had marvelled at Pueblo towns
0:01:51 > 0:01:54perched on pillars of rock 300 feet high,
0:01:54 > 0:01:58the greatest, grandest wonder still lay ahead.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00TRAIN WHISTLES
0:02:07 > 0:02:10I began my journey in St Louis, Missouri,
0:02:10 > 0:02:12then headed to Kansas City.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15From there, I continued west across the plains
0:02:15 > 0:02:18to cowboy town, Dodge City,
0:02:18 > 0:02:23before arriving in the Rocky Mountains at Colorado Springs.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26Now I'll press on south-west, through New Mexico,
0:02:26 > 0:02:31and end at an awe-inspiring natural wonder in Arizona.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37I'll start this last leg in Albuquerque, New Mexico,
0:02:37 > 0:02:39then travel to Williams, Arizona,
0:02:39 > 0:02:41and finish at the Grand Canyon.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48'During my travels, I'll marvel at American steam technology...'
0:02:49 > 0:02:53Ha! My goodness, John, that is enormous.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57'..discover the flavours of New Mexico...'
0:02:57 > 0:02:59That's perfect. Excellent.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01More chilli on top.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06'..and see the earth open up below me.'
0:03:06 > 0:03:08Here we go, over the edge,
0:03:08 > 0:03:10and the ground falls away beneath us.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19TRAIN WHISTLES
0:03:32 > 0:03:34My next stop will be Albuquerque,
0:03:34 > 0:03:38which Appletons' tells me has a population of about 6,000,
0:03:38 > 0:03:44situated on the Rio Grande river at an elevation of some 5,000 feet.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47Albuquerque is the eastern terminus of
0:03:47 > 0:03:50the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53The junction with the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad
0:03:53 > 0:03:55is just south of this point.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57I've been wondering, in the old days,
0:03:57 > 0:04:02what kind of locomotive was robust enough to haul a train
0:04:02 > 0:04:06all the way from Chicago to Los Angeles?
0:04:14 > 0:04:16BELL CHIMES
0:04:16 > 0:04:18TRAIN WHISTLES
0:04:20 > 0:04:22Downtown Albuquerque. Please watch your step.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25Thank you for riding the New Mexico Rail Runner Express.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30Like much of New Mexico, the city of Albuquerque
0:04:30 > 0:04:34blends Native American and Spanish influences.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38Founded by Spanish colonists in 1706,
0:04:38 > 0:04:40it was laid out as a traditional village,
0:04:40 > 0:04:43with a central plaza surrounded by public buildings,
0:04:43 > 0:04:46homes and a church,
0:04:46 > 0:04:48preserved today as the Old Town.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56The arrival of the railroad in 1880 transformed Albuquerque.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59It became home to the main locomotive works for
0:04:59 > 0:05:02the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad,
0:05:02 > 0:05:05better known simply as the Santa Fe.
0:05:23 > 0:05:29This enormous Albuquerque locomotive repair shed gives me an idea of
0:05:29 > 0:05:33how important the railroads were in this city,
0:05:33 > 0:05:36and it's as though they just left.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40Here are the tracks where the engines were moved.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43There are the cranes with which they were hoisted into the air.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46There are the pits for the work underneath.
0:05:46 > 0:05:51These vast buildings are often compared to cathedrals of steam,
0:05:51 > 0:05:54and this one even has stained glass.
0:06:01 > 0:06:06The glory days of the railroad in Albuquerque are long gone,
0:06:06 > 0:06:08but thanks to a group of keen volunteers,
0:06:08 > 0:06:10steam will soon make a comeback.
0:06:14 > 0:06:15'John Taylor is a member of
0:06:15 > 0:06:21'the New Mexico Steam Locomotive & Railroad Historical Society.'
0:06:21 > 0:06:24John, what kind of facilities had to be provided for the railroad
0:06:24 > 0:06:25out here in the West?
0:06:25 > 0:06:29Well, initially, of course, you had to provide stations,
0:06:29 > 0:06:32sidings, water and fuel stops,
0:06:32 > 0:06:34and then, eventually,
0:06:34 > 0:06:37Albuquerque developed into the largest workshop complex
0:06:37 > 0:06:39between Chicago and Los Angeles,
0:06:39 > 0:06:42and it was one of the major employers in Albuquerque
0:06:42 > 0:06:43for a number of years.
0:06:43 > 0:06:44Is there any work going on here today?
0:06:44 > 0:06:46Oh, yes, there is!
0:06:46 > 0:06:47We've been talking about history -
0:06:47 > 0:06:49let's go and see some living history.
0:06:49 > 0:06:50Let's do that.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00John and his colleagues are embarked on an ambitious restoration project.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08Ha! My goodness, John, that is enormous.
0:07:08 > 0:07:09What a whopper!
0:07:09 > 0:07:10Isn't she wonderful?
0:07:10 > 0:07:11Absolutely!
0:07:14 > 0:07:15What is this locomotive?
0:07:15 > 0:07:18This is the Santa Fe 2926.
0:07:18 > 0:07:23It was built in 1944 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Pennsylvania.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25It went 100mph,
0:07:25 > 0:07:28weighs a million pounds,
0:07:28 > 0:07:32and was built to pull freight and troop trains and passengers.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34Why was it necessary to have such a big locomotive?
0:07:34 > 0:07:37Well, this locomotive is actually equivalent in horsepower
0:07:37 > 0:07:39to about a modern diesel engine.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41So, if you're going to have...
0:07:41 > 0:07:45pull a big train, you have to have to have a big locomotive.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48The other thing about this is the combination of the size of
0:07:48 > 0:07:50the locomotive and the size of the tender,
0:07:50 > 0:07:54which holds 24,500 gallons of water,
0:07:54 > 0:07:57was to get a greater distance between water stops.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01This uses 100 gallons per mile of water.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04Of course, in Europe, water is normally plentiful.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06Here in the United States, it must be quite a big issue.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08Well, in the desert and the south-west, of course.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11- Wow. Fantastic.- Yes.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13Is it possible to get even closer to the locomotive?
0:08:13 > 0:08:15Oh, we have something planned for you!
0:08:15 > 0:08:16Let's go this way.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29This locomotive is at the pinnacle of steam technology,
0:08:29 > 0:08:33one of the last to be built burning oil rather than coal.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45I can't think of anything more fun.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48OK, come on down. Watch your head.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55Oh, my word. I don't think I've ever seen such a huge locomotive
0:08:55 > 0:08:57and now I'm underneath it.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00And at the end here, that very American feature, the cowcatcher.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03Indeed, sort of a reminiscence of the Old West.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05- This is Pete Adair. - Pete, hi. Michael.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07Hi. Glad to meet you.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09He's going to have you help us adjust part of the brake system.
0:09:09 > 0:09:10So what do I do, Pete?
0:09:10 > 0:09:14We need to twist this until it brings the brake shoes
0:09:14 > 0:09:16up close enough to the drivers.
0:09:16 > 0:09:17OK.
0:09:19 > 0:09:24Right! Very large spanner, very large screw,
0:09:24 > 0:09:26apply pressure.
0:09:26 > 0:09:27Yay, it's moving.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30How far do I need to take it, Pete?
0:09:31 > 0:09:35That's about right. That looks like it's got the brake shoes just about
0:09:35 > 0:09:37where they should be. Good.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40OK, guys, any time you need a hand, you've got my cell number.
0:09:40 > 0:09:41Absolutely.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48'This magnificent engine had a relatively brief operational life.
0:09:48 > 0:09:54'Introduced in 1944, she made her final journey only nine years later.
0:09:54 > 0:09:59'For over 40 years, she was exhibited in an Albuquerque park
0:09:59 > 0:10:02'before restoration began in 2000.'
0:10:03 > 0:10:06Who are you, the guys who've come together to do this great work?
0:10:06 > 0:10:09We're everything. I'm a nuclear engineer.
0:10:09 > 0:10:10We have a physician.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12We have a Lutheran minister.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14We have welders, we have police officers...
0:10:14 > 0:10:16It's a very, very diverse group.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19It looks like you've done an enormous amount of work
0:10:19 > 0:10:20on it already.
0:10:20 > 0:10:21Are you getting towards the end?
0:10:21 > 0:10:24It probably is within six to eight months,
0:10:24 > 0:10:26actually having it running.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29It's just going to be an unbelievable experience.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31TRAIN WHISTLES
0:10:41 > 0:10:45'Here in New Mexico, it's hard to avoid the chilli.
0:10:45 > 0:10:50'New Mexicans are so proud of their 8,000-acre annual harvest
0:10:50 > 0:10:55'that they've designated the potent pepper their state vegetable -
0:10:55 > 0:10:58'an opportunity for me to test my mettle.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05'Brothers John and Jim Thomas have been running El Pinto restaurant
0:11:05 > 0:11:07'since 1994.'
0:11:08 > 0:11:12What a fantastic, beautiful garden restaurant this is.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14How did it get started?
0:11:14 > 0:11:17Back in 1962, our folks started the El Pinto restaurant,
0:11:17 > 0:11:20and John and I were three years old at the time.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23We grew up on the premises and we've been enjoying it ever since.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32'El Pinto began as one room with a handful of tables.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35'Now it seats over 1,200 diners
0:11:35 > 0:11:38'and once played host to President Obama.'
0:11:39 > 0:11:43New Mexico is just, kind of, famed for chilli, isn't that right?
0:11:43 > 0:11:44That's it.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47What are the influences that come together in New Mexico cuisine?
0:11:47 > 0:11:51Well, it's the Hispanic, it's the Indian culture, the Pueblo Indian,
0:11:51 > 0:11:54and the Spanish came in and they collaborated
0:11:54 > 0:11:56and they developed recipes like enchiladas,
0:11:56 > 0:11:59chillies, beans and corn.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01I have no idea, because I'm a foreigner.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04What is the difference between the red and the green chilli?
0:12:04 > 0:12:07- Well, Michael, actually, they're the same plant.- Are they?
0:12:07 > 0:12:10It's just that the green is not matured and the red is matured.
0:12:10 > 0:12:11What is the difference in the flavour?
0:12:11 > 0:12:15The red chilli has been ripened, so it has a sweeter flavour.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18- Yeah?- And then the green chilli has less sweet of a flavour,
0:12:18 > 0:12:21but we roast it and it gives a really nice, distinct flavour.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23You can smell it. The way they smell is so good.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25There's nothing like chillies.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27Chilli goes with everything.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31Michael, come along. We're going to show you how to make
0:12:31 > 0:12:33a red chilli and chicken enchilada.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35I don't even know what an enchilada is!
0:12:35 > 0:12:37You start off with the blue corn tortilla.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39Go ahead and just lay it in the chilli there.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42Flip it on one side, and then flip it on the other side.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44- Coat it all the way, Michael. - That's it.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46There we go. What do we to add to that?
0:12:46 > 0:12:47Now, we're going to be some onions first -
0:12:47 > 0:12:49just a sprinkle, like a light dusting.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51Then we go ahead and sprinkle some cheese.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54Not too much cheese. This is not a pizza, this is an enchilada.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57Give another tortilla a drench. Another tortilla.
0:12:57 > 0:12:58- Flip it in there.- There you go.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01- You got the hang of it after that. - Perfect. Lay it right on top.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04- You've got a job, dude.- There we go. THEY LAUGH
0:13:04 > 0:13:06Now we want to put a little chicken on there.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09- Layer it right on there.- Then you've got to put another tortilla on top,
0:13:09 > 0:13:11that's going to cover it.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14More chilli on top.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17- We're going to put an egg on top. - Put an egg on there.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20Now it all looks good and ready to me.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26You've got it. Let's go and grab a margarita and have a meal.
0:13:33 > 0:13:39So, chicken, cheese, onion, tortilla and chilli.
0:13:41 > 0:13:42Wow.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44That's great.
0:13:44 > 0:13:45Mmm.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48That fills your mouth and fills the stomach, doesn't it?
0:13:48 > 0:13:49Yes.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52- Salud.- Salud!
0:13:57 > 0:14:02I'm leaving Albuquerque and rejoining Amtrak's Southwest Chief
0:14:02 > 0:14:06for a really long journey, close to 400 miles west
0:14:06 > 0:14:09to Williams Junction in Arizona. TRAIN WHISTLES
0:14:15 > 0:14:18On the long rail journey from Chicago to Los Angeles,
0:14:18 > 0:14:22a lot of people invest in a sleeping compartment,
0:14:22 > 0:14:24and I thought I would take a look.
0:14:24 > 0:14:25Come on in.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29It is very luxurious.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31Look at this lovely sofa.
0:14:32 > 0:14:37I'm guessing that this comes down so that this makes two beds.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39Ah-hah! A lovely armchair,
0:14:39 > 0:14:42so that I can face the direction of travel
0:14:42 > 0:14:43and see this beautiful scenery.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46The private facilities must be this.
0:14:48 > 0:14:49Ooh.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56Ah! Very small, but it does the job.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59And then the surprise is this -
0:14:59 > 0:15:01that it's also a shower.
0:15:05 > 0:15:06Every mod con.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08TRAIN WHISTLES
0:15:11 > 0:15:13Before air travel became commonplace,
0:15:13 > 0:15:16railroads competed for long-distance passengers.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19The Santa Fe launched its Super Chief service,
0:15:19 > 0:15:24between Los Angeles and Chicago, in 1936.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28Exclusively first-class, the train had three lounges,
0:15:28 > 0:15:32a five-star dining carriage and Pullman sleeping accommodation.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40It became the transport of stars during Hollywood's golden age.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton,
0:15:42 > 0:15:46Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland were just some of those who enjoyed
0:15:46 > 0:15:48the luxury of the Super Chief.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14I've arrived in the Arizona town of Williams.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26I'm heading to the town's old train depot,
0:16:26 > 0:16:30built in 1908 by the Santa Fe Railroad.
0:16:35 > 0:16:40The Amtrak train delivered me in the dead of night to the truly remote
0:16:40 > 0:16:44Williams Junction, in a forest which is a great habitat for bears.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46At the time of my guidebook,
0:16:46 > 0:16:50you would leave the train at Peach Springs and take a stagecoach,
0:16:50 > 0:16:53but for the last century and more, there has been a train,
0:16:53 > 0:16:58and so, now, this is what Appletons' calls "the departure point
0:16:58 > 0:17:01"for one of the greatest wonders of nature in the world".
0:17:12 > 0:17:14TRAIN WHISTLES
0:17:16 > 0:17:18TRAIN WHISTLES AGAIN
0:17:22 > 0:17:27'I'm thrilled to be on my way to one of the greatest sights on earth,
0:17:27 > 0:17:29'and it seems that I'm not alone.'
0:17:32 > 0:17:35- Hello.- Hi.- May I join you a moment?
0:17:35 > 0:17:37- Sure.- Are you visiting the Grand Canyon for the first time?
0:17:37 > 0:17:39- Yes, we are.- We are, we are. We're very excited.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42I'm very excited. I'm visiting for the first time.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45- Oh, really?- Yeah, it's a great feeling, isn't it?- It is.
0:17:45 > 0:17:46Do you like rail travel?
0:17:46 > 0:17:47I love rail travel.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50It brings back the sense of history,
0:17:50 > 0:17:53and it allows you to see the whole of the scenery
0:17:53 > 0:17:55in a very relaxing way.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57Have you been to the Grand Canyon before?
0:17:57 > 0:17:59- Yes.- Oh, many times, yes.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01As many times as you go out there,
0:18:01 > 0:18:04you look at it and you go, "This is not real!"
0:18:04 > 0:18:06- Over there...- Oh, go on, then.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09- This'll be the highlight of their trip.- Oh!
0:18:12 > 0:18:14- Thank you. - Oh, brilliant. Thank you very much.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25The Grand Canyon Railway stretches 65 miles
0:18:25 > 0:18:28from Williams to the south rim of the canyon.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30It opened in 1901,
0:18:30 > 0:18:34cutting the journey time from three days in a stagecoach
0:18:34 > 0:18:35to a mere three hours.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40America's love affair with the automobile meant that
0:18:40 > 0:18:44the line closed to passengers in 1968.
0:18:44 > 0:18:49It was a close shave, but luckily the tracks weren't scrapped,
0:18:49 > 0:18:52and on the 17th of September, 1989,
0:18:52 > 0:18:5688 years to the day since the first train ran to the south rim,
0:18:56 > 0:18:58the Grand Canyon Railway reopened.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10Appletons' is ecstatic.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13"The Grand Canyon of the Colorado was made known to the world
0:19:13 > 0:19:17"in detail only a few years ago by the adventurous voyage of
0:19:17 > 0:19:20"Major John Wesley Powell down the river.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24"The Colorado River passes through a succession of remarkable canyons,
0:19:24 > 0:19:28"but all sink into insignificance before the Grand Canyon,
0:19:28 > 0:19:31"which is more than 300 miles long.
0:19:31 > 0:19:35"This canyon opens all the series of geological strata.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39"The walls are from 3,000 to 7,000 in height."
0:19:39 > 0:19:42And I'm prepared for much of what I've seen in my life
0:19:42 > 0:19:45to sink into insignificance today.
0:20:19 > 0:20:20Ha...
0:20:20 > 0:20:21Oh.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26Now, that really is... That is a great...
0:20:26 > 0:20:29That is a great moment of my life.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31It's almost like being punched, it is such a surprise.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33It's like...
0:20:33 > 0:20:35It's like a glimpse of the infinite.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40I had no idea it was going to be so multicoloured,
0:20:40 > 0:20:43so multilayered, so...
0:20:43 > 0:20:44so wide.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48It just is the most...
0:20:48 > 0:20:50the most wonderful thing.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53Literally, literally awe-inspiring.
0:20:53 > 0:20:54Absolutely extraordinary.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29'The United States acquired the territory in which
0:21:29 > 0:21:34'the Grand Canyon sits from Mexico in 1848.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37'Emily Davis works for the National Park Service.'
0:21:44 > 0:21:48I'm seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time, and it's like seeing
0:21:48 > 0:21:50a compendium of infinite time,
0:21:50 > 0:21:53all the layers of rock built up, upon each other,
0:21:53 > 0:21:55and then eroded by the river, the Colorado.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58Over what period was the Grand Canyon formed?
0:21:58 > 0:22:00So, according to geologists,
0:22:00 > 0:22:03the Grand Canyon formed about 7 million years ago
0:22:03 > 0:22:07and that's when the Colorado River took its present-day course.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11My guidebook talks about Powell setting out in detail
0:22:11 > 0:22:12the Grand Canyon.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14What was it that John Wesley Powell did?
0:22:14 > 0:22:18In 1869, John Wesley Powell became the first European American
0:22:18 > 0:22:22to raft down the Colorado River to challenge the white-water rapids.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25While doing so, he basically made the first map of the Grand Canyon,
0:22:25 > 0:22:30and, in a way, he really opened the West to exploration, to study,
0:22:30 > 0:22:32and exploitation as well.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37During the American Civil War,
0:22:37 > 0:22:40John Wesley Powell had lost his right arm in battle.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42At the time of his expedition,
0:22:42 > 0:22:45much of the West had still not been mapped.
0:22:45 > 0:22:50His group of ten set off along a tributary of the Colorado River
0:22:50 > 0:22:53in Wyoming in May 1869.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56Three months and 1,000 miles later,
0:22:56 > 0:23:00six emaciated survivors arrived in Nevada.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05So, when the detail of the Grand Canyon had been revealed by Powell,
0:23:05 > 0:23:08did Americans want to exploit it or to treasure it?
0:23:08 > 0:23:12Most people back in the late 1800s did want to come to exploit it,
0:23:12 > 0:23:17so the earliest people after Powell were the miners, looking for,
0:23:17 > 0:23:19of course, gold or silver.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22They didn't find any of that, but mostly, once they got here,
0:23:22 > 0:23:26they realised it's better to mine the pockets of tourists
0:23:26 > 0:23:28rather than to mine the rocks themselves.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33To preserve the Grand Canyon for the nation,
0:23:33 > 0:23:39President Teddy Roosevelt designated it a national monument in 1908.
0:23:39 > 0:23:4211 years later, it was further protected
0:23:42 > 0:23:46when Congress made this area a national park.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49Roosevelt visited here as early as 1901,
0:23:49 > 0:23:53took one look at this place and was utterly inspired, and said,
0:23:53 > 0:23:57"This is the one great sight that every American should see."
0:23:57 > 0:24:00And now about five and a half million visitors come to
0:24:00 > 0:24:03the Grand Canyon to see the grandeur that Teddy Roosevelt
0:24:03 > 0:24:07spoke and wrote about, and the very place that Teddy Roosevelt helped
0:24:07 > 0:24:10to set aside for our children and our children's children.
0:24:14 > 0:24:21At 277 miles long, ten miles wide and over one mile deep,
0:24:21 > 0:24:25the scale of the Grand Canyon is hard to grasp.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34Having seen the Grand Canyon from the ground,
0:24:34 > 0:24:38I'm convinced that I will get an altogether different image
0:24:38 > 0:24:39from the air.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44PLANE WHIRS
0:25:09 > 0:25:11One of the things I noticed on the train,
0:25:11 > 0:25:13and it's apparent again from the plane,
0:25:13 > 0:25:17is how the Grand Canyon takes you by surprise.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21Below me is this rather unimpressive scrubby plain,
0:25:21 > 0:25:25and then, suddenly, you reach the edge of the Grand Canyon,
0:25:25 > 0:25:28which maybe explains why, for so many years,
0:25:28 > 0:25:31European Americans didn't know where it was.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36Here we go, over the edge,
0:25:36 > 0:25:38and the ground falls away beneath us.
0:25:47 > 0:25:48And now, for the first time,
0:25:48 > 0:25:51I see into the depths of the Grand Canyon,
0:25:51 > 0:25:56the River Colorado appearing like a muddy brown stream
0:25:56 > 0:25:57from this height -
0:25:57 > 0:26:02it's difficult to believe that it has eroded this vast landscape.
0:26:23 > 0:26:27If you want to think of a hero, think of John Wesley Powell,
0:26:27 > 0:26:32down there in the Colorado River, that one-armed army veteran,
0:26:32 > 0:26:35paddling, determined to map the Grand Canyon,
0:26:35 > 0:26:38to bring its wonder to the attention of others.
0:27:08 > 0:27:12Covering 1,700 miles since I left St Louis,
0:27:12 > 0:27:15I've crossed plains and mountains.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17This vast continent was once home to millions of
0:27:17 > 0:27:20Native Americans and buffalo.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24I've travelled along the valleys of the Missouri and the Arkansas,
0:27:24 > 0:27:26the route once taken by the wagon trains,
0:27:26 > 0:27:28and later by the railroads.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31The trains transformed this land
0:27:31 > 0:27:35and sealed the fate of its original inhabitants.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38When the settlers arrived with their European religions,
0:27:38 > 0:27:42they must have looked upon this landscape as a gift from God -
0:27:42 > 0:27:45proof that the United States was entitled to enjoy
0:27:45 > 0:27:50the wonders of nature from ocean to ocean.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53That was its manifest destiny.
0:27:58 > 0:28:04Next time, I begin a 1,000-mile journey from Minnesota's Twin Cities
0:28:04 > 0:28:05to Memphis, Tennessee,
0:28:05 > 0:28:09starting and finishing on the mighty Mississippi River.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16You'll be riding as my bitch!
0:28:16 > 0:28:18- It's a privilege.- Yes! - THEY LAUGH
0:28:21 > 0:28:23- There they go. Don't let them get away!- Oh!
0:28:26 > 0:28:28- I enjoyed the ride. Thank you so much.- I thank you!
0:28:28 > 0:28:312-58, your train's never late!
0:28:31 > 0:28:33TRAIN WHISTLES