The Utah Parks Company held the concessioner's license for the north rim of the Grand Canyon from 1927 to 1972. The Utah Parks Company was a subsidiary of the Union Pacific Railroad. Highway travel was the main cause for the decline in rail travel, causing Union Pacific to donate their facilities to the National Park Service who then turned it over to Xanterra. The company was responsible for much of the water infrastructure in the park and was responsible for harnessing the water of Roaring Springs to provide water to Grand Canyon Village, the north rim, and for stops along the trail.
Much of the advertising from Union Pacific focused on circle tours on the rails or in convoys that would take tourists to multiple national parks and monuments that were controlled by the Utah Parks Co. Most stops were in Utah, including Zion, Bryce Canyon, and Cedar Breaks.
Within a year of obtaining their license, the company had constructed 70 cabins, a lodge, power and pumping plants, and a garage at Bright Angel Point. A cable tram was installed to transport heavy machinery. A crew of 125 men worked through the winter to prepare the rim. Some brought their families and lived in wood-floored tents. The kids would attend school in a lumber building and were taught by a stonemason's wife.
The Grand Canyon Lodge completely burned down in a fire in 1932 and was not rebuilt until 1936. The men's dormitory then burned down in a fire in 1936 as well. The facilities have seen been upgraded and rebuilt. There remain only one lodge and one designated campground on the north rim that are run by the Park Service.