"In the past the Grand Canyon invited reflection on human
insignificance, but today much of the public sees it though a cultural lens shaped by advanced
technology. The characteristic questions about the canyon reported by
National Parks Service employees assume that human beings
dug the Canyon or that they could
improve it so that it might be viewed quickly and easily.
Rangers reported repeated queries for directions to the road, the elevator, the train, the bus or
the trolley to the bottom. Other visitors request that the Canyon be lighted at night. Many assume that the canyon was produced either by one of the
New Deal dam building programs or by the
Indians.
"What tools did they use?" is a common question.
Source: Visions of Technology (NY : Simon & Schuster, 1999) p357.