An iconic piece of the Grand Canyon’s North Rim survived the Dragon Bravo Fire and is being moved to the national park’s South Rim.
The National Park Service posted a photo of the charred statue that graced the Grand Canyon Lodge for decades. A floppy ear is missing, so are legs. But the burro survived, perhaps a testament to a resilient icon from more than 100 years ago: the real Brighty.
Kevin Schindler, a historian who is with the Grand Canyon Historical Society, says a donkey named for Bright Angel Creek roamed the area in the 1800s.
"In the winters, it would go down where it was warmer by the Colorado River, in the summer, it would go to the top of the rim," Schindler said.
Brighty became a legend in a legendary place. The statue then symbolized the park service’s feral donkeys.
"The statue represented all the wild donkeys that one time were being eliminated by the park service," Schindler said.
Grand Canyon officials said it remains to be seen whether this statue will be restored or be replaced with a new version.
