PIPE SPRING Cultures at a Crossroads: An Administrative History

Visitation

Travel figures fluctuated during the 1970s from a high of an estimated 34,000 in 1971 to a low of 19,000 in 1974, reflecting the impact of the Arab oil embargo. [2202] Travel during 1975 rose by 27 percent in 1975 to 24,168. In 1976, the year of the bicentennial celebration, visitation rose again by 19 percent to 27,270. The monument had 28,202 visitors in 1977. In 1978, 29,613 visitors were reported, a modest increase of 5 percent. In 1979 only 26,139 visitors stopped at Pipe Spring, a 12 percent decline that was attributed to fuel shortages and high gasoline prices in Las Vegas and southern California.

In addition to visits by schools, colleges, boy scout troops, and church groups during the 1970s, the Dons Club and Albright Training Academy continued making regular visits to Pipe Spring. Starting in 1975, Greyhound and other bus companies began scheduling regular weekly stops at the monument, usually bringing groups of about 45 people each time. [2203] Unfortunately, a problem arose because the bus guides did not allow sufficient time for a meaningful visit. In 1976 it was reported that bus tour stops were scheduled to last only 20 to 30 minutes (in effect, just a bathroom and stretch break). The Park Service worked with the bus companies to try to get them to allow more time for a tour of the monument. [2204] The trend toward bus tours grew. By 1978 scheduled stops were made at Pipe Spring by Greyhound, Gray Lines, Cook Tours, Four Winds, and other bus companies. By the late 1970s, most bus tours consisted of visitors from foreign countries.