R. Hunter Clarkson

Major R. Hunter Clarkson, known generally as just Hunter Clarkson, was born in Scotland and was a decorated veteran of World War I, specializing in transportation services. He used this skill to great effect when he moved to America and became transportation manager for the Fred Harvey Company at the Grand Canyon.

It was Clarkson's responsibility to operate a transportation network of cars and coaches, carrying tourists for the Fred Harvey Company from its El Tovar Hotel on primitive roads along the Grand Canyon rim, seven miles west to Hermit's Rest and twenty-five miles east to Desert View. The roads were not much more than dirt trails in 1915, but despite these difficult conditions, Clarkson was shuttling more than fifty thousand visitors a year around the beautiful canyons with military precision. 

R. Hunter Clarkson was a visionary who imagined transport systems across the scenic wonders of the American Southwest. He visited Canyon de Chelly in northeastern Arizona, and immediately recognized its tourism potential. He recognized the value of preserving the beautiful canyons and Anasazi ruins which were threatened with erosion and vandalism. In 1923 Clarkson proposed the creation of Canyon de Chelly National Monument to National Park Service Director Stephen Mather. This set things in motion which would eventually lead to the creation of the National Monument in 1931.