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Today more than 6,000 residents call Page, Arizona home, many engaged in tourism-related business activities
or working for the nearby Salt River Project Navajo Generating Station.
In the early 1950's, the community perched above the crystal blue lake didn't
even exist -- and neither did Lake Powell. As construction workers moved in to begin the Glen Canyon Dam project, Page's infancy began as a small community built
on Manson Mesa. Survey work started in early 1957 to begin creating roadways in the sand, rock and scrub. Visitors today find it difficult to believe that the city was carved
out of the barren desert some 40 years or so ago.
Temporary metal structures were erected by the Bureau of Reclamation, and a few can still be seen today. Churches
were built along what is now Lake Powell Boulevard, known as 7th Avenue in earlier days and now referred to as "Church Row" by local residents. Twelve religious
denominations were granted land to build on and these remain as an anchor for the community.
Permanent homes were constructed and most of these "Bureau homes" are still occupied today. At first,
only 100 were built and then an additional 100 were authorized by the Bureau of Reclamation. These homes were first sold in 1968 and 1969.
By 1974, the Bureau decided to let Page stand on its own and following a popular vote by the residents, the Town
of Page was formed on December 17. By a formal resolution of Coconino County, incorporation took place on March 1, 1975. The Bureau left, donating the 16.7 acres of land to
the new town along with equipment, buildings and funds to get the municipality off the ground.
Page was named for the late John C. Page, a proponent of the West and reclamation project. He served as
commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation in the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration from 1937 to 1943. Mr. Page died in 1955, about two years before the town was even
started.
Today, the area hosts millions of visitors annually. The central location of Page offers services for tourists
traveling to Lake Powell, Monument Valley, the Grand Canyon's North and South Rims, Bryce and Zion.
Business opportunities abound in the thriving resort community, primarily due to its
isolation. Major employers are the Navajo Generating Station, National Park Service, Page Unified School District and City of Page.
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