Canyon Ministries

Finding Jewels in Junk – Captain John Hance

Grand Canyon’s First Official Tour Guide, Captain John Hance

Some of my favorite moments at the Grand Canyon, whether guiding a rim tour or embarking on a river trip, are those spent learning and sharing “people stories.” These are tales of the adventurous men and women who came before us, explored this majestic place, and left their mark. We often refer to them as “ancestors”—those who came, lived, and shaped the legacy of this Grand Canyon.

Among these ancestors, my all-time favorite is Captain John Hance—though “Captain” was a title he gave himself. While Hance served in the Civil War, he never officially held that rank. Yet, like many pioneering mountain men of his era, the title became a badge of leadership and bravery. Hance embodied this spirit, with a life full of grand adventures and exaggerated deeds.

As the first permanent white settler at the Grand Canyon around 1883, Captain Hance could also be considered its first official tour guide. His legendary storytelling, crafted over decades of living on the canyon’s rim, remains part of Grand Canyon lore. Even now, more than a century after his death in 1919, guides like me still share his larger-than-life (and often larger-than-truth) tales with visitors.

Being a Grand Canyon guide creates an instant connection with those who guided here before us. Our shared mission is to showcase the breathtaking grandeur that lies before us—a beauty so vast and magnificent it defies comprehension. But what makes Canyon Ministries’ A Different View tours stand apart is that we don’t just admire the wonder; we worship the incredible God who created it. Standing at the canyon’s rim, you feel awe and wonder, coupled with a humbling sense of how small you are compared to both the canyon and its Creator.

I imagine that’s how Captain Hance must have felt upon first seeing the Grand Canyon in the early 1880s. This sense of awe drew him to settle here in search of ore and asbestos. However, he quickly discovered that guiding tourists was far more lucrative. By 1885, Hance had established a small tent camp along the rim and began charging visitors for guided tours into the canyon. For $10, Captain Hance himself would lead them down his trail—originally an improved Havasupai path—sharing his colorful stories along the way.

Today, little remains of Hance’s camp and operations. Hidden near the old Hance Trail, the location is known to only a handful of guides and long-time canyon residents. I’ve been fortunate to visit this site a few times. Most of the camp is now overgrown with forest and Gambel oaks, but for those who know where to look, treasures await. Not the kind that fills pockets, but treasures of history that deepen our understanding of this remarkable place.

Scattered across the site are the remnants of Hance’s trash piles: hundreds of old tin cans with lead-sealed plugs, fragments of brightly colored glass bottles, broken china, and large water cans once carried by mules into the canyon. These artifacts, discarded over a century ago, remain untouched. Without modern sanitation services, pioneers like Hance simply tossed their garbage over the nearest hill. What they saw as junk, I see as treasure—a tangible link to the past.

For years, I drove past this spot, unaware of the history waiting just a few hundred feet from the road. It makes me wonder how often we pass by something extraordinary because we fail to stop and look. How many incredible things might God be waiting to reveal in our everyday lives if we simply take the time to listen and follow His lead?

Just as we glean insight from the remnants of Hance’s camp, we can gain wisdom from the stories of spiritual “ancestors” who’ve gone before us. The Bible preserves their struggles, victories, and even the “junk” they faced—offering us timeless lessons.

In the same way, what may seem like trash or brokenness in our lives can become something beautiful in God’s hands. Just as He crafted the Grand Canyon from the remnants of a global flood, He can transform the “ugly parts” of our lives into something truly spectacular. To Him, you are not worthless. You are treasure.