History Exhibit - The Amazing Kolb Brothers

Kolb Studio is the wood-and-stone building perched on the canyon rim just west of Bright Angel Lodge, built between 1904 and 1926 by photographer brothers Ellsworth and Emery Kolb, who ran a tourist photography business here from the early 1900s until Emery's death in 1976. A small exhibit on the building's top floor tells their story through early black-and-white photographs, including their pioneering 1911-1912 boat trip down the Colorado River, filmed for what became one of the longest continuously screened movies in history, shown in the studio's basement theater from 1915 until 1956.

What's inside

• Top floor: the Kolb Brothers history display, with historic photographs and artifacts from their six decades at the canyon
• Ground floor: a Grand Canyon Conservancy-run bookstore and gallery that rotates changing art and history exhibits through the year — a dedicated exhibit, "The Amazing Kolb Brothers: A Grand Life at Grand Canyon," ran spring through summer 2026

Good to know

• Location: on the Rim Trail, a short walk west of Bright Angel Lodge, South Rim
• Cost: free
• Access: multiple levels connected by stairs; ask at the door about current accessibility