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Lance Syrett recalls the legendary tale of his family's patriarch, Ruby.
"He came out here in 1916 to be a rancher," says Syrett of his great-grandfather, Ruby. "It was kind of dumb luck that he put his ranch right on the doorstep of the future national parks.." The elevation of his homestead brought harsh weather making it difficult for the ranching business to survive.
But Ruby already had other plans.
"[Ruby} got permission from the state of Utah to build a small lodge at the rim of the Canyon," Syrett says. "He called it the 'Tourist Rest.'"
The Tourist Rest was short-lived.
1923, the federal government named Bryce Canyon a national Monument and made Ruby move his cabins. He didn't move them far, building what's now known as Ruby's Inn.
As his great-grandson retell its, it was one key business decision that sealed the future success of the inn - He made an offer to the National Park Service they couldn't refuse.
"He said 'I have a big ranch at the doorstep of the National Park. I'll give you the property right across for my land to build this new highway.'"
The National Park Service built the road and Ruby began buying up property other ranch owners were willing to sell. His original homestead began with 160 acres....it grew to more than 2200 acres.
Today, the business remains in the hands of Ruby's descendants. All together, they own 90-percent of what's now known as Bryce City.
