by Michael Anthony Scerbo

The Tusayan Town Council is considering changing the Town's name. mayor Greg Bryan is leading that effort and had suggested calling Tusayan the Town of Grand canyon or something to that effect in order to bolster tourism. Red Feather properties manager Clarinda Vail noted that the vast majority of internet search engines aready drive traffic to Tusayan when someone types in Grand Canyon. She also told the Council March 19th that Tusayan's efforts to re-open the Grand Canyon National Park during the government shutdown have already put Tusayan on the map, so to speak.

The Town is also looking at doing a branding study with the Convention and Visitors Bureau to determine if this is a wise move or not.

Fire Chief Robert Evans is against the idea saying it would cause additional expenses. A name change would require a public vote and the deadline to get it on the August ballot is May 28th.

The name Tusayan has been associated with the community for decades and carries some historical significance.In 1939, a business owner opened up the Tusayan Bar  in recogniotion of the Tusayan Pueblo. The name and the geography have been linked ever since.