When Grand Canyon became a national park in 1919, the North Rim was scarcely developed. While the South Rim had grand hotels and many visitor programs and services, the hard-to-reach North Rim had only rustic tent cabins for 40 guests. National Park Service first Director Stephen T. Mather urged the Union Pacific Railroad to improve access to the North Rim and build a rustic lodge with cabins. During 1927-1928, architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood designed and built a lodge using local Kaibab Limestone and ponderosa pine logs taken from the site. Just four years after completion, the new lodge and four cabins burned to the ground.