The Hualapai Tribe of Arizona took the first steps on its Grand Canyon Skywalk on Tuesday. The tribe brought astronauts John Herrington, the first Native American to walk in space, and Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon, to the reservation for the VIP opening of the Skywalk. Dozens of members of the media from across the world also got a chance to step across the glass-bottomed structure. "This is the only one of its kind in the world, and it's on our reservation," said Waylon Honga, the chief operating officer for tribe's Grand Canyon Resort Corporation, The Arizona Daily Star reported. "Now we have the world's attention." The project cost more than $30 million and was financed by a developer with longtime ties to the tribe. The tribe will share revenues from the $75 entrance fee and will eventually own the facility in full. The Skywalk opens to the public on March 28. Get the Story:
Tribe pins economic future on Grand Canyon attraction (The Arizona Republic 3/21)
Skywalk's glass made for clarity, durability (The Arizona Republic 3/21)
Betting to 'improve our lot,' Hualapai Tribe puts up $30M (The Arizona Daily Star 3/21)
Astronaut opens tribe's Skywalk at the Grand Canyon (The Salt Lake Tribune 3/21)
Grand Canyon scores grandiose view (The Melbourne Herald Sun 3/21)
Into the void - from holy ground to tourist earner (The Sydney Morning Herald 3/21)
Astronaut's aerial stroll launches Grand Canyon Skywalk (Reuters 3/21)
First Visitors Step Onto Canyon Skywalk (AP 3/21)
pwpwd Relevant Links:
Grand Canyon Skywalk - http://www.grandcanyonskywalk.com
Grand Canyon West - http://www.destinationgrandcanyon.com/indexe.html
Grand Canyon - http://www.nps.gov/grca Related Stories:
Hualapai Tribe hopes for better future with Skywalk (3/16)
Letter: Hualapai Tribe hypocritical on sacred (3/15)
Hualapai Tribe rolls out Grand Canyon Skywalk (3/8)
Hualapai Tribe prepares Grand Canyon Skywalk (3/7)
Astronauts to help tribe open Grand Canyon skywalk (02/15)
Opinion: Hualapai Tribe steals White Man's ideas (02/15)
Hualapai Tribe plans for Grand Canyon Skywalk (12/14)
Hualapai Tribe expects big boost in tourists (09/05)
Hualapai Tribe still working on Grand Canyon skywalk (8/1)
Hualapai Tribe sees interest in Grand Canyon skywalk (02/15)
Hualapai Tribe to challenge Grand Canyon plan (11/11)
Hualapai Tribe, National Park Service in dispute (10/13)
Hualapai Tribe to open Grand Canyon skywalk (08/23)
Hualapai Tribe plans skywalk over Grand Canyon (07/23)
Hualapai Tribe awarded $2M in federal grants (7/15)
