Aviation View | Volume 2, Issue 2

34 AVIATION VIEW VOLUME 2, ISSUE 2 place for several reasons, not least of which is the history. Page is the closest city to the Glen Canyon Dam, a massive hydropower facility built from the mid-1950s to the mid-’60s. There is a reason for that. Page was founded in 1957 as a housing community for workers and their families during the construction. It was a 17 square mile site obtained in a land exchange with the Navajo Nation. The city is perched atop Manson Mesa and was originally, and uninspiringly called, Government Camp, but was later renamed for John C. Page, commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation. In 1975, Page was incorporated and became the gateway to the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Lake Powell, the second-largest manmade lake in the United States. The lake, created as a result of the dam, is now a popular tourist destination attracting more than three million visitors per year. More recently Antelope Canyon was opened to tourism on Navajo land, as was the Horseshoe Bend Overlook – adding to tourism and popularity. The online performance of David Blaine, a street magician with breath-holding records who ascended from Page using 50 helium balloons to a height of 25,000 feet before skydiving back to the Mesa, made the headlines. This was the most-watched live event on YouTube has now been seen by some 25 million people worldwide, and has helped spread the word about the City of Page. Also of note, is an ultra-high-end resort, AT A GLANCE PAGE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT WHAT: A scenic, commercial and general aviation airport WHERE: The City of Page in beautiful Coconino County, Arizona WEBSITE: www.cityofpage.org