Story Behind Our Picture With Brighty The Burro

I think I've mentioned that we purchased several story books before we left on this trip which were relevant to the states we were visiting and some of the things we were going to see. We have been able to pick up a couple of books along the way, too. At El Morro Nat'l Monument, they had a book about a girl who was part of a wagon train that stopped there. The ranger told us that her name was actually inscribed on the rock. I tell you all this to say that we picked up a book at the Grand Canyon about Brighty the Burro. Brighty was a true character that was one of the first animals used to carry supplies and things into and out of the canyon. He was also the first living creature to cross the new bridge across the Colorado River at the bottom of the canyon when it was completed in the '30s.


One of the rangers at the bookstore gave us a good suggestion. First, she stamped the inside of the book with the date and where we were when we bought it. Then, she told us to go down to the lodge and have our picture taken with a bronze statue of Brighty and place it on the inside cover of the book. This way the girls will have a family keepsake to remember their trip to the Grand Canyon.