Bryce Canyon Historic Resource Study

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Park Roads — Rim Road

Beginning in 1930 the National Park Service's long-term development of Bryce Canyon was predicated on the construction of a rim road which would eventually run from the park's northern boundary to its southernmost view at Rainbow Point. As conceived, the project was to comprise four sectors. The first was the entrance road which ran from the northern boundary to the lodge area. As early as 1923 the Forest Service had allotted money for an improved road to Section 36. By 1927 the road conformed to Bureau of Public Roads' standards. The Park Service planned to resurface this sector, but was otherwise satisfied with its general condition.

The second sector, termed 1-A, was surveyed in 1930 and involved approximately 10.40 miles of road. It ran from just north of the lodge area to a point approximately 3.43 miles north of the Garfield-Kane County Line. About 0.86 miles south of the lodge, two major spurs ran off the main line to the east. The shorter of the two spurs, 0.43 miles long, branched to the left and led to inspiration Point. The other ran east for 1.43 miles then forked. A left branch ran for 0.57 miles to Bryce Point, and a right branch for 0.43 miles to Little Bryce Point. All roads in sector 1-A was to conform to the Highway Standards of 1929. It was to be 18 feet wide, surveyed, graded, and finished with crushed stone.

The contract for sector 1-A was awarded to the Union Construction Company of Ogden, Utah, on June 4, 1931. The Union Construction Company submitted the lowest bid of $135,855.70, which was only $372.20 higher than the estimated furnished by B. J. Finch, 12th District Engineer for the Bureau of Public Roads. [353] The Union Construction Company was to begin the project on June 21, 1931, and was given 300 calendar days to complete it, exclusive of suspended operations by government order. [354] A Bureau of Public Roads change order, dated May 17, 1932, shows that the contractor had completed about 90 percent of the project by that date, even though subjected to a major delay. The surveyed route of 1-A was not satisfactory to the Park Service or railroad, because it came too close to the lodge area. [355] After lengthy deliberations, which forced the Union Construction Company to work around the area, the May 17, 1932, change order altered 1-A so that it ran some distance "behind" the lodge. This change added $5,872.58 to the cost of sector 1-A. [356] On July 13, 1932, Bryce Canyon/Zion Superintendent Patraw conducted a final inspect of sector 1-A with technical personnel. He reported:

The work provided under the contract as amended has been completed in a satisfactory manner and I recommend acceptance. [357]

Sector 1-B1 was the third of the four segments. It ran from the southern end of 1-A to Natural Bridges, a distance of 3.73 miles. The proposed road in 1-B1 had also been surveyed in 1930. Unlike 1-A, however, it was to conform to specifications in preparation for the Highway Standards of 1932. This principally meant the road would be 6 feet wider than sector 1-A. [358]

On August 18, 1932, the Union Construction Company also won the contract for 1-B1, submitting a low bid of $56,895.20 [359] B. J. Finch and his associates had estimated the job to cost $50,094.20, but accepted the low bid. [360] The Union Construction Company was to begin sector 1-B1 on September 8, 1932, and was given 150 calendar days to complete it, exclusive of suspended operations by government order. [361] Unfavorable weather conditions forced a suspension of operations on December 1, 1932, and construction was not resumed until May 10, 1933. [362] A Bureau of Public Roads Final Inspection Report, dated June 23, 1933, affirms that sector 1-B1 was completed on June 5, 1933. [363] Superintendent Patraw recommended acceptance of the work the following day. [364]

Project 1-B2D had a twofold purpose. The first was to grade and base surface the rim road's fourth sector, termed 1-B2, from Natural Bridge to Rainbow Point—a distance of 8.14 miles. Project 1-B2D's second purpose was to reconstruct and base surface the Forest Service's old north entrance road. [365] W. W. Clyde and Company of Springville, Utah, won the contract for 1-B2D with a bid of $115,368.80, and work was begun on October 10, 1933. Inclement weather forced the cessation of operations between November 30, 1933, and April 14, 1934, but by the cessation the north entrance road had been completed. [366] Clyde and Company completed sector 1-B2 on September 21, 1934. [367]

To protect the rim road from the park's northern boundary to the end of sector 1-B1—a distance of 12.54 miles—project 1-A1B1&D proposed a heavy oil surfacing. Progress on it was given in Bryce Canyon's Annual Report for 1935:

At the beginning of this report period [1 July 1934] the sub-grade preparation and tack coat were completed, and oil surfacing placed on about one-third of the total project. Asphalt-mixed gravel surfacing was placed on the balance of the distance, seal coat laid on the entire project, and the contract completed on August 21, 1934. [368]

The contractor for project 1-A1B1&D is unknown but the total cost was $121,517. [369] Section 1-B2's 8.74 miles were similarly treated with a bituminous surfacing. Reynolds-Ely Construction Company of Springville, Utah, was low bidder for this project with $58,475, which was $6,930 above the Bureau of Public Roads' estimate. [370] Reynolds-Ely began work on July 3, 1935, and completed the project "at the close of September" 1935. [371]

Summary Rim Road

Park Roads — By-pass Road

One result of National Park Service Director Wirth's visit to Bryce Canyon in August 1956 was his approval for inclusion in the park's Master Plan of a by-pass road to divert excess traffic away from the lodge area. Shortly afterward, the by-pass road was slated as one of seven major projects for Bryce Canyon—all to be completed with MISSION 66 funds. [372] Although only 1.25 miles in length, the by-pass was probably the most significant addition to the park's road system since completion of rim road's sector 1-B2 to Rainbow Point late in 1934. On May 2, 1957, the first allotment of $31,700 was made available for the by-pass. [373] Including funds anticipated for fiscal year 1958, the project was scheduled for completion in September 1958. [374]

Survey work, tentative field alignment, and project organization were accomplished by May 1957. Zion's gravel crusher was transferred to Bryce Canyon, and was put to work stockpiling gravel on May 6, 1957. [375] Later in the month, however, progress was obstructed. There were two problems. One stemmed from the desire of advisory personnel to realign the by-pass road. The other resulted from difficulties in purchasing suitable culverts. It appears the alignment problem between Washington, Region III, in Santa Fe and the park was ironed out in June 1957. [376] The park's monthly report for June suggested the culverts were expected to arrive during the third week of July. Presumably they did. On July 29, 1957, the second allotment of $26,000 assured completion of the by-pass. By the end of July the roadway was finished except for an oil mat and seal coat. [377] Then rainy weather held up application of the oil mat until early September. [378] Execution of the seal coat and final landscaping actually did not terminate the project until September 1958. [379]

Rapid Construction Phase

Generous appropriations to the Park Service by the Hoover Administration [380] enabled the completion of some basic park facilities in Bryce Canyon between 1929-32. The location of these and other buildings in the rapid construction phase is included in the Architectural Data Section of this study. Because of delays in receiving plans, Park Service construction in Bryce Canyon did not begin until late in the working season of 1929. Rush work, supervised by the National Park Service Branch of Plans and Design in San Francisco, then resulted in the construction of a custodian's residence—now referred to as the Old Superintendent's Residence—two comfort stations and a checking station (entrance kiosk) off the north entrance road. By October 1, 1929, all of these buildings had been finished with the exception of the custodian's residence, which was 60 percent complete. It is known that no construction projects were carried over that year, [381] so the custodian's residence must have been completed late in the fall of 1929.

In 1930, plans were laid and work begun on a new utility area. [382] By September 30, 1930, two buildings occupied it. One was a warehouse measuring 64 feet by 30 feet, the other a small two-stall horse barn. President Hoover's final appropriations in 1930-32 resulted in four buildings for Bryce Canyon. During the spring of 1932, a 44 foot by 22 foot dormitory and mess house capable of seating 20 were completed. Two buildings were undertaken in 1932. [383] A three-room cabin for temporary employees was completed later in the year. A small office building—destined to become the park's first administrative center—was also completed in 1932, except for the laying of floors and painting. [384]

Toward the end of Hoover's Administration, formerly generous allotments for National Park Service construction were cut off. The effect this policy had on individual projects is apparent in the construction of Bryce Canyon's office building. An appropriation of $2,000 had been designated for this structure, but 10 percent of this sum was allotted to the San Francisco Field Office, and another 10 percent was sliced off as an "Economy Act." This, of course, left only $1,600 for actual construction. Superintendent Patraw saw no way the original building plans could be implemented with available funds, so recommended the structure be scaled down and simplified:

. . . the plans will have to be changed to provide a single room only. This will be satisfactory if designs can be made for a building of log, to contain the main information lobby, and adapted for later addition of other rooms . . . [385]

Patraw had toyed with the idea of allowing the allotment to revert, but Acting National Park Service Director Demaray made clear to him in August 1932 that future construction funds would be "awfully hard to get." On September 12, 1932, Patraw submitted a revised plan to the Director, which reduced construction costs to $1,701. Patraw felt that even more money could be saved when laying the foundation, so as to complete the office building within the $1,600 allotment. [386] Acting Director Demaray approved the revised plan on September 16, 1932. [387]

During the early 1930s, only one significant building was erected by the Utah Parks Company. It was a cafeteria begun in the spring of 1932. This structure was designated the central unit in the Utah Parks Company's "housekeeping camp unit." Available evidence suggests the Utah Parks Company intended to use the cafeteria building as a center of operations once the lodge was closed for the season. [388] It soon became evident the building was too small for this purpose. In April 1937 the company submitted plans to the Park Service for extending and altering it. These were approved with minor recommendations by the Washington Office on April 30, 1937. [389] Remodeling work on the cafeteria began late in September 1937, and was finished during November of that year. [390]

Title II of the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) generated the Public Works Administration (PWA). This was one of President Roosevelt's earliest and most lavishly funded "pump priming" agencies, [391] whose purpose was to increase national employment by a quick infusion of money to private construction agencies. [392] Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes was chosen to head the PWA from its inception in June 1933, so the Park Service stood to gain distinct advantages. Particularly—since advanced planning procedures in the Park Service dated from 1925. [393] By March 1933 this advanced planning had been refined into 6-year programs—called "master plans"—for nearly all of the national parks and monuments. [394]

Ickes was impatient to get the ball rolling on a wide variety of projects. When the Public Works Administration requested work drawings from the Park Service for potential construction projects, many preliminary sketches and building plans were available. The first Public Works Administration allotments to the National Park Service were made on July 21, 1933, with the Western Division receiving 106 federally funded projects. Bryce Canyon was awarded four of these, which included: (1) two employees cabins—Funded Project 8; (2) an extension to the office building—Funded Project 9; (3) a comfort station—Funded Project 11; and (4) an equipment shed—Funded Project 14. [395]

Funded Project 8's allotment consisted of $2,700. [396] This sum was expected to cover total costs for wood frame buildings with shingle roofs, exterior wood siding, interior plaster board, and wood floors. Each cabin was to contain a bedroom, kitchen, and bath. Material for the cabins' construction was purchased by the park. In June 1934 a contract was awarded for labor and the additional materials necessary to complete the buildings. Only 10 percent of the construction was finished by June 30, 1934, [397] but in August of that year [398] both buildings had been completed for the sum of 2,698. [399]

The purpose of Funded Project 9 was to move administrative activities out of the park's museum. [400] This project was funded for $1,800. The office building's extension was to have a log exterior. [401] Specifications included a shingle roof, interior plaster board, wood floor, and lavatory. [402] Building materials were purchased by the government. [403] Bids had been solicited from local contractors for labor but there were no takers. Actual construction of the extension began by force account in October 1934. By June 1935, Funded Project 9's allotment had been expended without completing the interior. Despite this situation, the new wing was considered immediately usable. [404]

Funded Project 11's allotment was also funded for $1,800. [405] Construction materials for this eight-unit comfort station were purchased by the government [406] and a contract easily secured for requisite labor. The building was completed on October 31, 1934, for the sum of $1,824.

Funded Project 14's allotment consisted of $2,160. [407] The building, which was basically a three-stall shed, was completed in the fall of 1933, with the exception of a concrete floor. [408] This was laid and the building terminated in September 1934. [409] Final construction costs amounted to $2,135. [410]

Except for the four projects discussed above, Bryce Canyon received no further Public Works Administration building funds. [411] Fortunately, though, another of F. D. Roosevelt's alphabet agencies came along to increase the number of government buildings at Bryce Canyon. This was the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), whose role in the history of Bryce Canyon is given due attention in the section entitled "The Civilian Conservation Corps in Bryce Canyon." During 1935 the park's first entrance station was razed and replaced with one situated near the north entrance road. This "checking station" was the first structure begun and completed by Bryce Canyon's CCC camp. Two additional building projects were begun by the CCC that year. One required the relocation of a comfort station from the old Forest Service campground to Sunset Point. Construction of a three-room employee's cabin was also started. [412] Both of these projects were completed in 1937. [413] As Bryce Canyon's CCC camp gained experience in rustic construction techniques, more sophisticated projects were attempted. The CCC's outstanding achievement in the park was a combination museum-overlook at Rainbow Point. This tasteful structure was finished in the summer of 1940. [414]

The Utah Parks Company's final construction project from start to finish was a male dormitory, put up in 1937. [415] Significant alterations to 20 standard cabins in the lodge area took place in the spring of 1940. These consisted of bathroom additions, which provided 40 rooms with showers and toilets. Subsequently, these cabins proved extremely popular, and were usually the first standard cabins taken by overnight guests. [416]

F. D. Roosevelt outlined the second phase of his "New Deal" in a message to Congress on January 4, 1935. The very first measure of the "Second New Deal" was the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act (ERA), passed on April 8, 1935. It was the ERA which signalized the Federal government's retreat from direct relief to the unemployed. The primary purpose of the ERA was to establish a large-scale Federal work program for the skilled jobless. To implement the program, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) was created. In 1939 the Works Progress Administration became the Works Projects Administration. [417]

In April 1938 Bryce Canyon's first ERA program was allotted $5,519 for 9,200 man-hours (60 cents per hour). A newly organized ERA crew then "took over from the CCC the task of forest insect control work on May 9 (1938) and completed the job in June." The remainder of the allotment was used to construct a garbage pit and to excavate sewage filtration trenches. In July 1938 another ERA allotment was granted the park: $5,200 for 92 man-months of employment. This money was spent for trail improvement, construction of campground tables, signs, museum equipment, and for remodeling the mess hall into a residence. [418] Available evidence indicates the ERA program was renewed again in April [419] and July 1939. [420]

Beginning with the July 1939 allotment of $18,358 the ERA undertook the construction of a building. This was a rangers dormitory, built with lumber salvaged from the old dormitory, which was razed. Weather permitted work on the rangers dormitory until December 28, 1939. Construction was resumed on March 18, 1940. The July 1939 allotment also permitted the construction of 5 miles of boundary fence, the planting of trees and shrubs, the obliteration of old roads, insect control on the "Black Hills beetle" infestation in ponderosa pine, and a number of miscellaneous landscaping jobs. Normally, the program [421] employed an average of 32 men per month. The final Emergency Relief Appropriation Act funds received by the park were in February 1941. This money was used to improve the "Tropic sector of the park highway," [422] and to cut logs on Forest Service land. [423] An inventory of all ERA jobs completed in Bryce Canyon is included in Appendix A of this study.

The Civilian Conservation Corps in Bryce Canyon

Only 5 days after his inaugural address, President Roosevelt outlined rudimentary plans to employ a 250,000-man task force on a wide variety of conservation and [424] public works projects. These loose ideas soon united and gave birth to a mammoth federal agency: the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). On March 21, 1933, Roosevelt explained the agency's objective was primarily [425] unemployment relief. The CCC was to be rapidly mobilized and put to work on elementary tasks in forestry, land reclamation, flood control, and miscellaneous public works. Four federal agencies were expected to mold the CCC into an effective organization. [426]

Labor was allotted the task of choosing candidates for the CCC. The War Department received what was probably the most far-reaching responsibility—that of administration. Toward this end, the country was organized into nine corps areas. These in turn were broken down into districts, each of which usually took in one or more states. District CCC officers were conceived as intermediate clearinghouses for the dissemination of information between corps headquarters and individual CCC camps. It was, of course, the individual camp which constituted the key organizational unit of the CCC. Normally, each camp was to have as its Commanding Officer (CO), a Captain or First Lieutenant in the regular Army or Army Reserve. Less senior officers and enrollee leaders were to assist the CO in camp administration. [427]

The Departments of Agriculture and Interior were assigned the use of CCC labor. [428] Within Agriculture, the Forest Service was seen as the most logical choice for this task. Similarly, within the Interior the National Park Service stood out. Given the labor requirements of each bureau, the field organization of Forest Service and Park Service CCC camps evolved in different ways. As a rule, fewer advisory personnel with technical backgrounds were attached to Forest Service camps. Each CCC camp working within a National Park Service facility usually had an experienced engineer, technical forester, technical landscape architect, and a number of history and wildlife technicians. All advisory personnel took their cues from a project superintendent. Forest Service and National Park Service camps were often split up into "stub" or "spike" camps. Each was supervised by an onsite foreman. [429]

Establishment Administration and Contribution of NP-3

By June 30, 1935, there were no fewer than 2,110 CCC camps throughout the country—19 of which were located in Utah. [430] Bryce Canyon was placed in the nine corps areas, headquartered in San Francisco. The park's district CCC office was in Fort Douglas. Bryce Canyon received its CCC camp—designated NP-3—the spring of 1934. Late in April of that year an advance party from Zion's camp—was sent over to Bryce Canyon to establish a water supply for NP-3. In a report to the Chief Architect of the Park Service, dated May 10, 1934, Resident Landscape Architect Harry Langley described the selection of NP-3's campsite:

I reviewed the campsite with the Army officers in charge and think they have chosen a good location. It is the same place where a road contractor [Union Construction Company] established camp when building section A[1-A] of the Rim Road and is approximately three miles south of headquarters area. Water is supplied from a spring used by the Utah Parks Company years ago and considerable work was necessary on the pipeline due to lack of maintenance since it was abandoned. [431]

The day after Langley's report the main contingent of NP-3, consisting of CCC Company No. 962, moved over from Zion. Within days the campsite sported a frame messhall, recreation building, latrine, and a number of tents to quarter enrollees. Illustration 39 shows NP-3 as it appeared on December 3, 1934. The Army personnel, camp Superintendent and Foreman used to administer NP-2 were brought over from Zion to Bryce Canyon. As a result, "good cooperation and efficiency" [432] among the enrollees of NP-3 characterized the working season of 1934.

During that first year, CCC personnel at camp NP-3 undertook the following projects:

1. Campground development. This entailed improving 3 acres of public campground. Roads and parking spurs were constructed; grounds were subdivided into individual campsites. A 500 foot walk from the campground to the lecture circle, comfort station, and cafeteria was graveled. Logs were cut for seats and positioned around the campground lecture circle.

2. Sloping of road banks. Much of the 7,500 square yards completed were along section 1-B1 of the rim road. Erosion was thus minimized and the roads' appearance enhanced.

3. Roadside cleanup and improvement. Down timber was cut and removed for 18 miles along the north entrance road and rim road proper.

4. Under-rim fire trail. A horse trail, 18.8 miles in length, was constructed from Bryce Point to Rainbow Point. As part of the 18.8 mile section, a stub trail was put in from the main trail to rim road. The project's purpose was to protect forested areas under the Paunsaugunt rim from fire.

5. Fairyland Trail. An existing trail from Campbell's Canyon, near Boat Mountain, to the head of Fairyland Canyon was improved.

6. East boundary fence, 7.25 miles of fence were constructed from Tropic highway south along the park's east boundary to approximately the center of Section 8 in T. 37 S., R. 3 W.

7. Improvement of Boat Mountain Road. A minor road was constructed for about a mile, from the north entrance road south of the checking station to the rim of Fairyland Canyon.

8. Erosion control. 325 check dams were positioned in gullies. These were constructed of peeled logs salvaged from the rim road right-of-way. [433]

Projects 2, 3, and 7 were completed in 1935, with 5, 6, and 8 presumably finished that year. Project 4 was completed to Rainbow Point in 1935, and the stub trail begun the following year. Campground development (Project 1) was terminated in the spring of 1936. The improved campground was opened to the public on June 1, 1936. [434]

Having completed its first working season at Bryce Canyon, Company 962 moved to Zion on October 29, 1934, and reassumed the CCC designation NP-2. About 25 enrollees were left behind in Bryce Canyon as a stub camp to continue some of the projects enumerated above. Later, these men secured NP-3 for the winter months. [435]

The following May, Company 962 moved from Zion to Bryce Canyon. [436] Assistant Landscape Architect A. H. Doerner had gone over to Bryce Canyon earlier in the month to prepare projects in advance of the company's arrival. [437] During the 1935 working season, NP-3's morale was reputedly high, [438] but the necessity to establish spike camps at Pipe Springs National Monument, and Henrieville, east of Bryce Canyon, [439] reduced camp strength. By September 1935 there were only 80 odd enrollees at work in Bryce Canyon, compared to 1934's full complement of more than 200. Apparently, in September 1935 many enrollees left NP-3 to go to school or to accept jobs." [440] To worsen affairs, Bryce's monthly allotments that year for overhead, maintenance, equipment operation, and the purchase of materials were "drastically curtailed." Even so, during the 1935 work season three new projects were undertaken: (1) the checking station, (2) the comfort station at Sunset Point, and (3) an employee's cabin. These, the first CCC buildings in Bryce Canyon, are referred to in the section titled "Rapid Construction Phase." Company 962 broke camp on October 28, 1935, and returned to Zion for the winter. Camp NP-3 was reestablished at Bryce Canyon on May 1, 1936. [441] New work projects included the following:

1. Improvement of service roads to park buildings, museum, and cafeteria.

2. Construction of parking areas at Lodge and White Man's Bench. This project included grading and surfacing.

3. Construction of miscellaneous foot trails.

4. Insect pest control, including the felling and burning of trees. [442]

Beginning in 1936 insect pest control absorbed much of the CCC's work activity in the park. Trouble was anticipated in July 1936 when it was reported that:

An epidemic of bark beetles appears to be developing in the coniferous trees of the park and adjacent Powell Forest. Further studies of the situation are planned during the coming fall. [443]

Later in the year Entomologist Donald DeLeon supervised CCC crews who felled and burned 1,617 Douglas firs and 890 ponderosa pines. These infected trees were spotted over an area of approximately 10,000 acres. [444] Company 962 moved back to Zion for the winter on October 30, 1936. [445]

Senior Project Superintendent F. R. Rozelle supervised both the Zion and Bryce Canyon CCC camps. Periodically, he or one of his immediate subordinates was responsible for submitting a narrative report to the CCC's district office in Port Douglas. Fortuitously, several of these for the 1937 work season have survived. In the accumulation they permitted a reasonably detailed account of CCC activities in Bryce Canyon that year. An excerpt from Rozelle's "General Work Report" for the period ending May 31, 1937, follows:

Both camps for the month of May have been in excellent condition. Camp NP-3 in Bryce Canyon National Park seemed glad of the change from Zion to Bryce and at this time are [sic] comfortably quartered. The mess hall and all buildings have been reconditioned and the general appearance outside as well as inside is neat and orderly.

The strength of the Camp is 113, Captain C.B. Whitney Commanding, Lieut. Carnahan Adjutant, Dr. Anderson in charge of the infirmary and Von Robertson Educational Advisor. A great many boys left during the month to accept jobs near their homes or assist their parents in work at home. During the month two enrollees, Davis and Lohr, were given appointments as assistant Technicians. A small sub camp is being maintained at Zion. . . .

. . . The Douglas Fir beetles have swarmed and during the month of June all insect pest control will be confined to the pine. This must be completed about June 20th [1937]. The work is still being directed by Dr. DeLeon.

. . .

The engineering in Zion, Bryce and Cedar Breaks is under the direction of Frank Huscon who also directs the work at Boulder Dam, Farmington Bay, Timpanogos and Lehmans Cave[s].

The landscaping is directed by Harlan Stephenson who also has the same number of camps, monuments, parks, etc. to look after.

The usual amount of classes are being conducted with about the same amount of interest. Inasmuch as the entire camp at Bryce is engaged in insect pest control Dr. DeLeon was prevailed upon to give an occasional talk on the work in which the boys are engaged. These talks have been very interesting and beneficial.

Trips taken to nearby towns as usual for dances and ball games. [446]

The following were new CCC projects for 1937:

1. A fence along the west and north park boundaries. It included a cattle-guard and an underpass at the park's north entrance.

2. Expansion of the public campground, including campground roads, spurs, parking areas, 20 fireplaces, and extension of water and sewerlines.

3. Two drinking fountains. One of these was located at Sunset Point, the other near the Administration Building.

4. Plowing snow from all park roads except those in the immediate vicinity of the headquarters area. The State Road Commission took care of the administrative area.

5. Maintenance on the under-rim fire trail. [447]

Insect pest control was continued in 1937 and must also have included roadside cleanup. The CCC's narrative report for July 1937 indicated that during the month a small crew was engaged in the removal of tree debris within sight of the rim road. It is known this debris was the result of the insect control program. After picking up logs and smaller branches, the CCC crew hauled them to the park's utility area where the wood was separated into "saw timber, barrow logs and fire wood." [448]

Through July 1937 the strength of NP-3 stood at 165. It was reported for the month that new enrollees looked young and undersize, but seemed "to be adjusting themselves to the work and camp life very nicely." No recent changes had been made in Army or advisory personnel—a situation NP-3's personnel found "very satisfactory." [449]

In August 1937 project work throughout the park was on schedule. Enrollees spent their off-duty hours in a variety of ways. Baseball was particularly popular with Company 962. During the month three games were played in nearby towns. On August 21 the company hosted a barn dance in NP-3's messhall, with music provided by the company "orchestra." The event was "well liked by the guests." In addition to baseball, at least one other recreational trip was taken that month. Available evidence suggests the camp's educational advisor took his job seriously. A number of new classes were organized at NP-3 in August. Use of the steel square, taught by General Foreman A. O. Johnson, was considered one of the best classes that month. [450]

Much of any CCC camp's stability depended on the retention of "Local Experienced Men" (LEMs). [451] Usually about eight LEMs were attached to NP-3. Since these men were generally older and possessed a skilled trade, they were only apt to use CCC employment—with its $30 a month salary—as a makeshift measure. In September 1937 a sufficient number of LEMs left Bryce Canyon's camp which temporarily caused apprehension. Camp stability also tended to suffer when well liked Army or technical personnel were transferred to other billets. In September the Bryce Canyon camp's adjutant, Lieutenant Carnahan, was transferred east for an indefinite period of time. NP-3's district medical officer, Dr. Anderson, was also moved to another assignment that month. [452] On October 1, 1937, Company 962 withdrew to Zion for the winter. A crew of 18 men and a foreman were left behind to complete unfinished projects and winterize the camp.

The cycle was renewed in March 1938 when a stub camp was sent over to Bryce Canyon from Zion. Its threefold task was to prepare NP-3 for reoccupancy, get a jump on insect control work, and aid in snow removal operations. Company 962's main contingent was transferred over to Bryce Canyon on May 23. [453] In July 1938 Lieutenant Victor E. Warren was transferred from the Farmington Bay State Camp to NP-3 as second in command. [454] Several days later Lieutenant John T. Hazzard was relocated from the Duck Creek Forest Camp to NP-3, relieving Lieutenant Merwin H. Smith as Commanding Officer. At the beginning of August 1938 the strength of NP-3 was 177.

NP-3's project work schedule in 1938 was basically a continuation of jobs begun the previous year. Large crews were assigned to road bank sloping and trail maintenance. [455] Insect control and the salvage of wind-thrown timber were also given some attention [456] Completion of the Comfort station at Sunset Point was delayed until the end of the working season, because all plumbing and inside finishing were assigned to foreman A. O. Johnson and one helper. According to Rozelle skilled and semiskilled workers in Company 962 were nil, and with the limited funds available it was not possible to employ skilled labor. [457] As in years past, Company 962 withdrew to Zion during the month of October. [458]

By the beginning of July 1939, Company 962 was energetically participating in a number of new projects. [459] Among these were the following:

1. Museum-overlook at Rainbow Point. This building is referred to in the section on Rapid Construction Phase.

2. Operation of a rock crushing plant. Gravel was stockpiled in the utility area for surfacing park roads.

3. Insect control work on the Black Hills beetle. This project also included the salvage of logs from infested pines (Illustration 41).

4. Assistance to the Garkane Power Company. The company erected a powerline from the north boundary to the park's residential area.

5. A parking area adjacent to the headquarters building.

6. Footpaths at Rainbow Point.

7. Guide and contact station work.

8. General maintenance of roads, trails, buildings, and boundary fences.

9. Road signs and a park entrance marker of special design.

10. Landscaping and planting work.

Projects 4 through 10 were completed during the 1939 working season. [460] Project 1 was finished in the summer of 1940, and project 2 by the end of the 1940 working season. [461] Only project 3 was open-ended. Company 962 returned to Zion on September 1 [462] — somewhat earlier than usual. A side camp of 30 men stayed at Bryce Canyon until November 30, 1939, spotting infested ponderosa pines. [463]

After September 1, 1939, NP-3 was not occupied by Company 962. [464] Only CCC stub camps operated at Bryce Canyon from the spring of 1940 to July 1942. [465] During 1940 stub camps participated in three projects. These included:

1. Continuing insect control work on the Black Hills beetle.

2. The production of 4,000 cubic yards of crushed rock for road maintenance, and

3. The construction of a cattle guard in Tropic Canyon. [466]

Stub camps were located in Bryce from July 1 to August 29, 1941, and April 16 to June 30, 1942. Work concentrated exclusively on the insect control program. By the end of the 1942 fiscal year, this work had [467] soaked up 14,603 man-days of labor. Appendix A of this study furnishes an inventory of all CCC work performed in Bryce Canyon between April 1933 and July 1942.

Trails

A map that was drafted in 1931 characterizes the trail system in Bryce Canyon prior to the CCC's arrival. During the first few years of its existence, all trail construction in Bryce Canyon was modestly handled by force account operations. These reached their peak in appropriations for the 1931 fiscal year, when a total of 4-1/2 miles of foot and horse trails were constructed. The following segments were planned and completed by the fall of 1931:

(1) Sunset Point to Bryce Point, (2) Bryce Point to Peek-a-boo Canyon, and (3) Sunrise Point to Campbell Canyon. [468] To prevent indiscriminate riding between the lodge and rim, a short bridle path was also laid. All work in fiscal year 1931 was accomplished with available park forces. [469] Spring trail maintenance was carried out between 1932-34, [470] but a shortage of funds appears to have interrupted new trail construction.

Information in "Establishment, Administration, and Contribution of NP-3," discussed previously, demonstrates that insect control and road work absorbed most of the CCC's time in Bryce Canyon. However, a review of these yearly projects also indicates enrollees made a few significant contributions to the park's trail system. In the 1934 work season, Company 962 inaugurated construction on the Under-Rim Fire Trail and Fairyland Trail. Then, for the next two work seasons, it abstained from new trail work in Bryce Canyon. In fact, only routine maintenance was performed by "day labor" during the 1935-36 working seasons. On June 1, 1937, three trails were begun by Company 962. The longest trail, by far, led from the administrative area to Bryce Point. One of the two shorter trails led from the campground to the rim—the other from the museum to the rim. [471] Park trails were given spring maintenance by day labor in 1938. Later in that year an Emergency Relief Appropriation Act allotment financed some trail improvement work in unspecified areas of the park. [472] The CCC's final contribution to Bryce Canyon's trail system was in May and June of 1940, when the stub camp responsible for completing the museum-overlook at Rainbow Point also constructed footpaths in the vicinity. [473]

Liquidation of Camp NP-3

Despite President Roosevelt's continued support, the CCC increasingly became a subject of public concern. This was all the more true from 1941 on, when employment began to rise and the country turned its attention from domestic relief to national defense. The agency's fate was debated by a Joint Committee of Congress on November 28 and December 4, 1941. Given the Committee's conservative membership, it was no surprise when it recommended the CCC's abolishment by July 1, 1942. President Roosevelt and Officials of the CCC continued to scrap for the agency, but a lack of Congressional support nullified these efforts. The decisive stroke was applied on June 5, 1942, when the House voted 158 to 151 against further subsidies for CCC projects. Instead, $500,000 was appropriated for the agency's liquidation. [474]

It was easy enough to disband enrollees and transfer vehicles and equipment to Zion for distribution. The disposition of NP-3's buildings, however, was considerably more complex. Available evidence implies Bryce Canyon/Zion Superintendent Paul R. Franke petitioned the War Department for retention of NP-3's six rigid buildings. [475] These included the following: (1) messhall, 20 feet by 138 feet; (2) recreation building, 20 feet by 40 feet; (3) storehouse, 27 feet by 27 feet; (4) blacksmith house, 7 feet by 13 feet; (5) maintenance shop, 27 feet by 30 feet; and (6) a minor shed of unknown dimensions. All had been erected in 1934, and all were in "poor" condition by September 1942 due to the flimsy construction and Bryce Canyon's harsh winter climate. [476] On August 24, 1942, Superintendent Franke received notification, via Region III in Santa Fe, that his dubious request had been approved. [477]

That the buildings soon became a burden is borne out in correspondence dated August 11, 1943, and directed from Acting Park Superintendent Dorr G. Yeager to the Regional Director. Yeager explained that Superintendent Franke had originally wanted the CCC buildings to house anticipated construction and work crews. In Yeager's words:

It appears, however, that such crews will, not be used for several years, due to curtailment of funds and construction in general. In the meantime, it is [i.e. the abandoned camp] a constant maintenance problem which we are unable to meet, and it was our thought that the simplest solution would be to invite bids for the demolition of the structures and cleaning of the area. [478]

In response to Yeager's memo, Acting Regional Director Ross A. Maxwell explained that the "simplest solution" was not necessarily in accordance with government regulations:

. . . these buildings must be declared surplus to the Procurement Division if they are no longer needed in your area. If the Procurement Division finds another Government agency that can use them, they may be transferred. If they are not needed by other agencies, they can be sold to outsiders. The structures should be disposed of by transfer or sale by the Procurement Division. [479]

On the last day of October 1943, NP-3's buildings were braced to "protect them from the weight of snow . . . ." [480] The next known reference to the structures is in the park's Monthly Report for October 1945. It is implied the Procurement Division was not able to find another government agency that needed the buildings. Consequently, bids for the buildings' scrap value were solicited. This resulted in an acceptable offer by a Mr. Evan S. Lee, who began dismantling the CCC complex in September 1945. [481] Until 1961 the old campsite was used as an overflow campground. In August of that year this makeshift facility was obliterated. The area was seeded and boulders were positioned across the former entrance to discourage would-be visitors. [482] Not a trace of the old campsite is now visible.

Recent Construction Phase — Isolated Construction

After the completion of the museum-overlook at Rainbow Point in the summer of 1940, no building was erected at Bryce Canyon until the summer of 1947. This was a Standard Oil Service Station sited near the lodge. A scarcity of information forces the conclusion that the Service Station was constructed after an agreement between the oil company and Omaha had been reached—as well as another between the concessioners and Park Service.

Harmon Brothers Construction Company of Salt Lake City was the successful bidder on the project. Both park Superintendent Charles J. Smith and Regional Landscape Architect Harvey Cornell approved the building's location in June 1947. [483] Work began on July 16, 1947. By the beginning of August the roughing in of the structure's concrete walls had been completed. [484] The following month gasoline storage tanks with a capacity of 20,000 gallons and pumps were installed. Rough framing and rock masonry were "about 75 percent completed on the main building." Rock masonry work was subcontracted by Olson and Son of Springfield, Utah. Surprisingly, it was reported that "suitable rock in Sufficient quantities proved to be a problem at the outset of the job." [485] Park records indicate the Service Station was completed in 1948 at a cost of $29,275. [486]

Recent Construction Phase — MISSION 66 Construction

After construction of the Service Station, no additional buildings of any significance were begun in Bryce Canyon until the MISSION 66 program got under way nearly a decade later. Once underway, MISSION 66 promised to eventually alleviate the park's critical need for: (1) employee housing, (2) an adequate visitors center and administration building, (3) a modern maintenance yard, and (4) campground facilities. Park personnel understandably perceived that the need for employee housing was most urgent. [487] To mitigate this demoralizing situation, 13 single-family residences and a four-unit apartment were constructed with MISSION 66 funds between 1958-64. This new employee housing was put up in three stages: (1) 7 three-bedroom residences in 1957-58, (2) a two-bedroom residence and the apartment in 1960, and (3) 5 two-bedroom residences in 1963-64.

The C. M. Moss Construction Company of Santa Clara, Utah, won the contract for the three-bedroom houses in August 1957 with a low bid of $130,073.50. [488] An examination of construction progress reports for these buildings suggests the following observation. Moss, like contractors before and after, underestimated the constraints on routine construction practices imposed by weather at 8,000 feet of altitude.

Seventeen days of precipitation in October 1957 caused the contractor to struggle with his schedule, [489] To complete the buildings on time, Moss was forced to hurry exterior work. This necessitated the "exterior rehabilitation" of all seven houses in the summer of 1961. [490]

With the exception of construction costs, information for the employee housing put up in 1960 is practically nonexistent. [491] On the other hand, park records have much to say about the five houses constructed in 1963-64. Perhaps the most interesting information is from the park's Monthly Report for June 1963, which bemoaned that modifications desired by park personnel were not included in plans for the structures:

Many of these items are required for proper construction at this 8,000 foot altitude where snow depths of three to four feet and temperatures of 25 degrees below zero are not uncommon. While these items had been brought to the attention of the Western Design Offices many times in the past several years, we have still not been able to have them recognized. [492]

Notwithstanding these deficiencies in conception, the contractor for the project—Valley Builders of Gunnison, Utah—did a fine job. When the buildings were conditionally accepted on February 7, 1964, it was remarked by the park's Maintenance Supervisor that:

The quality of the construction in these five homes is much better than some of the other homes built here previously. [493]

As a result of National Park Service Director Wirth's visit to Bryce Canyon in August 1956, the park's revised master plan called for a new Visitor Center. Wirth appears to have pushed for a location adjacent to the north entrance road. The Director also wanted the new entrance station to be as close to the Visitors Center as possible. [494] Architect Cecil Doty of the Western Office of Design and Construction visited the park early in September 1956 to sketch preliminary plans for the center. [495] Apparently, Doty and park personnel did not discuss the building's orientation at length, because Superintendent Bean was surprised when final plans called for the structure to face south instead of east. [496]

Park personnel began transferring from the Old Administration Building to the new Center on June 1, 1959. It was possible to carry on park business and moving simultaneously. Bryce Canyon's administrative assistant was especially impressed with the building, remarking that:

Adequate space, new equipment and an office atmosphere is really a new experience for Bryce Canyon . . . the office space will undoubtedly make for more efficient and smooth operation of assigned tasks . . . [497]

The visitors center and new entrance station were completed for the respective costs of $224,402 and $2,760. [498] A formal dedication was not held until June 1960. [499]

MISSION 66 fulfilled the park's need for a modern maintenance yard in two stages. During 1959 a utility building and shops were erected. The yard was rounded out in 1964-65 with the addition of equipment storage buildings and an extension to the existing utility building. [500] Detailed information is only available for these later projects. Valley Builders of Gunnison, Utah, was low bidder and won the contract on June 30, 1964. Architects Cannon and Mullen of Salt Lake City furnished the architectural drawings. Construction began on August 4, 1964, and Valley Builders was given 180 days—that is, until January 30, 1965—to complete the project. A hitch occurred when it was determined that ready-mixed concrete ordered from Panguitch was not satisfactory. The contractor then moved his concrete mixer onto the job site and did this work himself. [501] Construction otherwise proceeded without delays. Between 1959-65 construction costs for the maintenance yard totaled $130,071. [502]

Between 1957-65 MISSION 66 funds permitted the construction of six comfort stations at North and Sunset Campgrounds, a complete revamping of one campfire circle, and the construction of another. Early in the MISSION 66 program, Witt Construction Company of Provo, Utah, won a contract for two comfort stations at North Campground with a low bid of $23,770. [503] Substantive work on these began in April 1957. [504] Inclement weather delayed progress, but the buildings were ready for acceptance in September. [505] Monthly Narrative Reports for the construction period evidenced that park personnel were complimentary of the workmanship put into these structures. [506] During 1961-62 the new Sunset Campground received four comfort stations—each costing $7,131. [507] Besides work on the maintenance yard, the contract awarded Valley Builders on June 30, 1964, specified the modernization of dated facilities at North Campground and construction of a new campfire circle facility at Sunset Campground. Drawings for these projects were issued from the Park Service's Western Office of Design and Construction. The contractor was originally given 90 calendar days to complete the project from August 3, 1964. However administrative decisions and adverse weather caused construction delays. This necessitated several change orders to give Valley Builders needed extensions. Final inspection and acceptance of the campfire circles was not made until July 12, 1965. [508] Illustrations 43-45 show the campfire circle at North Campground before, during, and after modernization. Illustrations 51 and 52 similarly show the campfire circle at Sunset Campground during and after construction. Costs for the renovation at North Campground amounted to $8,050 plus incidental equipment. Facilities at Sunset Campground cost $13,681.94, exclusive of projection equipment. [509]

Over the decade 1957-67, MISSION 66 expenditures for buildings and building-related projects in Bryce Canyon totaled $1,534,600. The following table furnishes a breakdown for the period.

MISSION 66 Building and Building-Related Funds for Bryce Canyon, 1957-67

Major reasons for the failure to stylistically bridge the rapid and recent construction phases at Bryce Canyon are apparent. During the MISSION 66 period, limitations on time and money made a continuation of the rustic style improbable. Consequently, if the MISSION 66 program failed with use of rustic architecture it was mainly because of the economics and modern construction schedules. Notwithstanding arguments to the contrary, [511] there also seems to have been a basic unwillingness on the part of certain technical personnel in the Park Service to build using rustic design. It is known that Cecil Doty, who was the Park Service Supervisory Architect in the mid-1950s, had forsaken rustic for functionalism as early as 1940-41. [512] Finally, maintenance problems with rustic buildings counteracted a continuance of the style. As Tweed has pointed out:

Most of these structures had been designed with their exterior appearance as the dominant factor, a trait that often made their repair or renovation difficult. In the numerous mixed stone and wood buildings dry rot often became a problem. . . . [513]

It was dry rot that forced removal of the Utah Parks Company shelters at Sunrise and Inspiration Points as early as 1945. [514] Recent restoration work on the Old Administration Building had to be accomplished with epoxy because of difficulties presented by the replacement of entire logs.

Inclusive of the by-pass road (covered in the section on "By-pass Road") MISSION 66 funds programmed for Bryce Canyon's road and trail system totaled $894,000. [515] No significant extensions of roads or trails in the "precious area" were contemplated. The goal was merely to improve existing networks. [516] Insuring the park's water supply was another major project brought to a successful conclusion with MISSION 66 funding. By the beginning of the 1964 fiscal year $151,421.80 had been spent to extend and reinforce waterlines. [517]

In review, MISSION 66 was responsible for the completion of seven major projects in Bryce Canyon. These included the following:

1. Modernization of the park's road and trail system, including a new by-pass road,

2. Construction of Sunset Campground, and the modernization of campground facilities elsewhere in the park,

3. Extended waterlines and sewerlines,

4. A new Visitors Center,

5. New housing for park employees,

6. A new maintenance yard, and

7. Guard rails for some of the park's prominent scenic views. [518]

MISSION 66 definitely helped to mend fences throughout Garfield County. Because of the program local Utahns felt Bryce Canyon's facilities had finally been brought up to standards with Zion's. There is little doubt MISSION 66 also created long lasting goodwill toward the Park Service in Salt Lake City. [519]