PIPE SPRING Cultures at a Crossroads: An Administrative History

To File or Not to File? (continued)

1939

J. C. Reddoch's annual inspection report of DG-44 on January 5, 1939, reported that the camp's commanding officer was Lt. Donald D. Dodd. Lt. Paul C. Scollard and Roy N. Eklund (camp doctor) were also listed. A. M. Akin continued to be the camp's education adviser. Eight men were listed as technical personnel, including Hamilton Draper who continued to be camp superintendent. The company strength was reported to be 140 enrollees. Work projects for the previous year consisted of reservoir and truck trail construction, and cutting of fence posts. Five of the camp's nine trucks were out of service and deemed "unfit for further use." Motion pictures were shown in the camp once a week for entertainment.

The new year started off with the discovery and unearthing by Leonard Heaton's children of an Indian burial in Moccasin on the land of his father, Charles C. Heaton. Heaton wrote in his journal on January 2, 1939,

While at Moccasin for dinner my children dug up three Indian pots, one bowl 6 inches across and 3 inches deep, decorated on the inside with black paint, one drinking cup 3 inches wide [and] 3 inches tall, one plug 6? inches at the middle, 3 inches opening and 5? inches tall. Also some skull bones were found with them. These were found on the south side of a sand knoll in the field of Moccasin on Charles C. Heaton land. [1031]

When Superintendent Pinkley learned of the discovery he wrote Heaton, "... inasmuch as we are subjected to severe criticism if any of our men or their dependents excavate on their own or Government time, will you please write me a full report of the incident so that we shall have the information on file at this office." [1032] Heaton responded with the following account:

It has been common knowledge for some 50 years that there were Indian burials near Moccasin Springs and in particular on and around the sandy knoll which is in the center of the fields. The ground has been formed around this knoll for years and on the north and west sides, which are but gentle slopes, have been plowed and irrigated until at times pottery and human bones have been uncovered. I know of three that have been uncovered in the past.

About the find this past January, it came about this way. Last summer in straightening out the irrigation ditches, Charles C. Heaton had his workmen cut into this knoll some 10 or 15 ft. at one place, on the south side, leaving a bank of clear sand about 6 ft. high.

The bank being easy to dig and on the south side protected from the winds, the children would collect from all over the ranch and spend many happy hours making roads and tunnels in the bank. This has been going on ever since the ditch was cut into the knoll.

On Jan. 2nd, there were some 10 or 12 boys and girls at play in the sand, digging holes and roadways all over the face of the bank, when there was a part of the bank caved off exposing two jugs or bowls. Immediately all interest centered on the Indian pottery, and in digging out the bowl it was broken into several pieces. When they dug the other one out they found a little jug [in] back of it.

This happened about noon and when I went home for dinner they (the children) brought the jugs over to me. I visited the place and could see no sign that would indicate that any more pottery could be found and the sand in which they were found was the same as elsewhere in the bank. Though there was a few bones found near these jugs, which I took to be skull bones.

The finding of these pots and jugs was accidental as the children were playing there, as they had done for the past 6 months or more and since that time nothing has been found. [1033]

This report seems to have ended the matter, as far as concerned Pinkley. The children were to make additional discoveries one year later in the same knoll. [1034] Heaton's children weren't the only ones who got excited by archeological discoveries, however. Just a month before, Heaton had written in his journal that he had taken two boy scouts on an overnight hike on December 2, 1938. He recorded their discoveries:

Got interested in some ancient Indian ruins we found in the Bullrush Wash, some ten miles southeast of here [Moccasin].... Found one three gallon clay bottle, one bone about 8 [inches] long, in one place three other vertebrae or bones that had been dug out years ago, but got the following from two of the rooms of second one we visited: corn cobs, stem ends of squash, water wheel stubs, wild cane, bullrush reed, corn stocks, corn husks, corn leaves, cedar shiny knife, pieces of bark, which I think is this: Potsherds, several varieties, pipe stem, matted bark of cedar, yokes of some kind or other, also grass, and several other kinds of wood. Two pieces of flint, piece of coffin wood, one grind rock and matta [metate?]. Took several pictures of the place. We intend to place this material in a case and place it in a museum, probably here at the monument. [1035]

The artifacts were donated to the monument, Heaton later reported. Heaton glued broken pots back together for display. In January 1940 Heaton completed an exhibit case in which he displayed the collection of about 26 Indian artifacts found in Bullrush Wash, referenced above. Over the next few years, in spite of Heaton's efforts to guard the collection, museum visitors stole some of the pieces unearthed in the area. [1036] The issue of archeological materials arose again in the spring of 1941, when Heaton asked his superiors on behalf of a few local residents if bottles decorated with prehistoric potsherds could be sold as souvenirs to the public at the monument. The sherds were to be affixed to bottles with plaster of paris. Senior Archeologist Jesse L. Nusbaum took a dim view of the proposal (to say the least) and subsequently urged Heaton to encourage local people to produce souvenirs which related more to the arts and crafts from their "pioneering days." [1037]

To return to CCC projects for 1939, plans for the drainage culvert (Job 24) were modified in January 1939 from a concrete box culvert to one that had stone masonry sides and bottom, with a concrete slab cover. Excavation was authorized preceding receipt of revised plans. The CCC boys began excavating the rock for the culvert on March 6, 1939, and started laying the rock on March 22. Work on the culvert continued in April and May, and was completed on May 17. In addition to the installation of a larger culvert, a change in the associated diversion ditch was made. [1038] During this period materials to construct the monument's sewer system were being bought piece-meal with the $50 monthly allotment from the Grazing Service. Al Kuehl and Regional Landscape Architect Harvey H. Cornell made a report after an inspection of monument projects on April 23, 1939. Construction of the entrance road culvert was under way, construction for a sewer system was to begin "in the near future," winter season planting was "coming along nicely," new stone steps were "very well done." [1039] When Kuehl made his field report, he again recommended that an effort be made to obtain funds for fort stabilization. "Old wall cracks are widening, woodwork is badly in need of replacement, and all stone work should be repointed," he wrote. [1040] Once the sewer system was constructed, Kuehl stated that the next highest priority was to build the campground comfort station. (The comfort station, however, would not be constructed for another 18 years.)

In late April 1939, Heaton learned that the Grazing Service was considering moving DG-44 to southern Arizona for the winter then back to Pipe Spring the following spring. He wrote Superintendent Pinkley to give a "heads up" and to let him know that he wanted to see several projects finished before the camp left, if indeed it was to leave. The monument still needed the sewer line, the geological and nature trail, and construction of entrance piers and signage, Heaton stated (this latter project was second under the comfort station on Kuehl's list of priorities). Pinkley's response was to inform Acting Regional Director Milton J. McColm of the rumor and request that if the camp relocated it not be allowed to return to the monument and that it be required to clean up and plant the vacated site. [1041] McColm concurred with Pinkley's recommendation.

Most of the work performed by the CCC on the monument sewer system took place over the summer of 1939. Twenty days were spent in stockpiling sand and gravel (both had to be hauled from a pit located 12 miles to the west). Excavation work began July 31; the concrete septic tank was poured at the end of August. Involvement by CCC workers ended September 9, with a total of 79 days having been spent on the job. [1042] The job would be left unfinished for Heaton to complete more than a year later.

84. View of Camp DG-44, looking south, 1939.
Note the new education building just west of the CCC's "swimming pool."
(Photograph by Homer C. Smith, Pipe Spring National Monument).

Meanwhile, monument work continued as the meager funds for materials allowed. Two stone fireplaces built by Heaton for the campground in October 1936 were rebuilt and four new stone fireplaces were newly constructed in May 1939. [1043] Five were placed within the campground road circle and one was placed east of the campground road next to the diversion ditch. [1044] Each fireplace was constructed of three big rocks, averaging 12 inches thick, 2.5 feet long, and 2 feet wide. The back rock stood on end and the two side rocks were laid flat. The sides and back of the fire box were lined with fire brick. Iron grills were placed on top of the firebox. (The grills were made of scrap iron by the Grazing Service blacksmith.) A 2 x 2.5-foot rock was placed beside each fireplace so that campers could sit beside it. None of these fireplaces remains today.

In July 1939 the CCC boys began preparing logs to make campground signs. The signs were to be constructed of peeled logs with routed and painted lettering. (Heaton later completed these during 1940.) They also worked on reconstructing the water channel though the spring room of the fort, work that was completed in August. Heaton reported that the reconstruction of the channel into the spring room made it like it was "about 1886, when it was taken from the fort and placed to the west side by Mr. Edwin D. Woolley." Some work was also done in August on the sewer system.

On October 15, 1939, Camp DG-44 was relocated to Ajo, Arizona, for the 14th period. It was expected it might return to the monument during the 15th period, but that was not to be.