Grand Canyon 2¢ Stamp. Circa 1934

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

2¢ stamp, red, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

The stamp was released on July 24, 1934, at post offices in Grand Canyon National Park and Washington, DC.  A 1930 photograph by Grant. McCloskey is used that depicts the Grand Canyon and shows the temples of Deva, Brahma, and Zoroaster, and Bright Angel Canyon.

The horizontal two-cent stamp is printed with red ink and required eight different printing plates to print 75 million stamps.

Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona was established in 1919. Various Native American groups have inhabited the canyon over the centuries. The first white men to see the Grand Canyon were from the Coronado expedition in 1540.

1934 National Park Stamps

The U.S. Interior Department designated 1934 as National Parks Year. The US Postal Service issued a series of 10 stamps to promote national parks and encourage domestic tourism. The stamps were the first American commemoratives that were not connected to a historical event, technological achievement, or exposition — including the first US postage stamp designed by a woman.

Described as "the greatest campaign ever launched by the federal government to promote the scenic wonders of the United States," the national park stamps became one of the most recognized series of US stamps. Despite being in the middle of the Great Depression, over one billion of the 10 national park stamps were printed in under two years.

This stamp series along with the WPA Posters of the time both personified the "See America First" campaign, where the message evoked local travel as patriotic and a cornerstone of national identity.