In 1898 John G Verkamp sold souvenirs from a tent outside Bright Angel Lodge to persevering travelers arriving after long, arduous stagecoach rides. He was a little before his time, however, as there weren’t yet enough customers to make a living, and he closed down his operation after only a few weeks. The arrival of the railroad in 1901 opened up the canyon to more and more tourists, and in 1905 Verkamp returned to build the modified Mission-style Verkamp’s Curios.
After running the shop for more than 100 years, Verkamp’s ancestors closed down the business, and the NPS revamped the building as a small visitor center in 2008. It maintains an old-fashioned, dusty feel, and the tiny museum gives a timeline of Grand Canyon pioneer history in the context of other national events.
