In 1905 Ellsworth and Emery Kolb built a small photography studio on the edge of the rim, which has since been expanded and now holds a bookstore and museum.
The brothers arrived at the canyon from Pennsylvania in 1902 and made a living photographing parties descending the Bright Angel Trail. Because there was not enough water on the rim to process the film, they had to run 4.5 miles down the trail to a spring at Indian Garden, develop the film and race back up in order to have the pictures ready when the party returned.
By 1924 the brothers' dynamic and conflicting personalities challenged their business relationship, and they flipped a coin to decide who got to stay to run the photography business at Grand Canyon. Ellsworth lost and headed to California, and Emory remained until his death in 1976 at the age of 95. Today, an original Kolb brothers 1911 silent film runs continuously, offering incredible footage of their early exploits exploring the Colorado River, and a museum displays momentos and photographs from their careers on the South Rim. In January and February, the NPS offers tours of the brothers' original Craftsman home in a lower level of the studio.
