Grand Canyon Pioneer Cemetery

Grand Canyon Pioneer Cemetery is a small burial ground in Grand Canyon Village, beside Shrine of the Ages. It’s a brief stop for anyone curious about the people who made a home and a livelihood on the South Rim. Beyond the arched stone-and-timber gate, graves sit beneath ponderosa pines. Pair it with a visit to the Shrine rather than making a separate trip across the Village.

Roughly 400 people are buried here, from tribal members and veterans to park employees, concession workers and early residents. John Hance, an early South Rim resident and tour operator known for his tall tales, was buried here by friends in 1919. The cemetery was formally dedicated in 1928.

Emery and Ellsworth Kolb were early Canyon photographers, and their family marker is among the graves. They made photographs on trips down Bright Angel Trail, developed them at Indian Garden, and sold prints to visitors. It’s a small detail that makes the cemetery feel tied to the work of showing the Canyon to early travelers.

The American Legion contributed the stone-and-log entrance gate in 1928. A 1948 monument remembers eight Canyon residents killed in the two world wars: three in World War I and five in World War II. The cemetery, its grave markers and the entrance arch are listed as historic structures.

Twenty-nine unidentified passengers from United Airlines Flight 718 are buried here after the plane collided with another aircraft over the eastern Canyon on June 30, 1956. The TWA victims were buried in Flagstaff. It’s a sobering part of the site’s story, best taken in as part of a respectful visit.