PIPE SPRING Cultures at a Crossroads: An Administrative History

Historical Research

In the summer of 1945, Leonard Heaton began writing a detailed history of Pipe Spring "as I have it in my head.... I thought I should get what I can remember on paper. Should I leave the place, there will be a record for the next fellow." [1464] (An early product of his efforts, "Some Early History of Pipe Spring National Monument," was printed as a Southwestern Monuments Report Supplement in April 1946.) The laborious task of collecting all the information he could and writing the report would take him a good four years, however. A year after beginning this project, Heaton wrote in his journal, "Worked in the office all day typing the history of the monument. Begin to see why it takes so long to write a book, to get the materials all assembled in the right order." [1465] The final report, titled "Historical [sic] and Facts Pertaining to Pipe Spring National Monument, Arizona," was completed in 1949 (hereafter referred to as "History and Facts Pertaining to Pipe Spring National Monument, Arizona"). [1466]

During 1946 Erik Reed prepared an interpretation/historical section for Pipe Spring National Monument's master plan. [1467] A draft of this section was forwarded to Superintendent Smith in November for review and comment. Superintendent Smith's only objection to Reed's history pertained to references to the Dominguez and Escalante expedition. Smith, along with others, was convinced that the Spanish expedition camped at Pipe Spring and not 12 miles further south, as Reed had written. He argued in his comments to Regional Director Tillotson that there was more reason to state that Escalante "did stop at Pipe Spring than to say definitely that he did not." [1468] Part of Smith's reasoning was based on his belief that "Santa Gertrudis" (named by this expedition) was the same as Pipe Spring. He asked that Reed's statements be revised to say that on October 20, 1776, the expedition camped "at a spot believed to be Pipe Spring." [1469] Reed countered that he had given more weight to the opinion of H. E. Bolton, author of "Escalante in Dixie and the Arizona Strip" (New Mexico Historical Review, No. 1, January 1928), than to the source Smith analyzed, Herbert S. Auerbach's article, "Father Escalante's Journal with Related Documents and Maps" (Utah Historical Quarterly, Vol. XI, 1943). In a 1947 letter to Jesse Nusbaum, Dr. Bolton indicated he was still of the opinion that the expedition did not stop at Pipe Spring and that "Santa Gertrudis" was located 12 miles to the south. [1470] Reed thus decided not to make the change Smith had requested.

Although Arthur Woodward's earlier "A Brief Historical Sketch of Pipe Spring, Arizona" was useful, it failed to meet all the needs of regional planners. Five years after Woodward's 1941 history was written, Reed proposed that a more in-depth study be undertaken. Reed felt more historical research on southwestern Utah and the Arizona Strip was needed to provide the basis for an interpretive program at the monument. In June 1946 Reed wrote Superintendent Smith about planning historical projects in the regional office:

... the major present need would appear to be thorough historical research on the early Mormon occupation of southwestern Utah and the Arizona strip, and southern Nevada, with special reference to Pipe Springs National Monument and to the old Mormon settlements in the immediate vicinity of Zion National Park and those now covered by Lake Mead. [1471]

Reed thought that such a study would be desirable, when feasible, to provide the basis for the interpretive program at Pipe Springs and for one phase of the interpretive programs at Zion National Park and Boulder Dam National Recreation Area. He recommended that the project be carried out by a full-time historian, assigned or engaged for the purpose for one year and duty-stationed at Zion. No action was taken on this recommendation. It would be another 10 years before a seasonal historian was assigned to Pipe Spring (in 1956) and another two years before the monument had a permanent historian.

In October 1948 NPS Historian Herbert E. Kahler (Washington office) and another official (Harold Waters?) visited the monument. They discussed the monument's history at length with Heaton and talked about ways he could best obtain accurate facts and dates. [1472] Kahler also inspected the fort and questioned Heaton about changes to it. The following summer Heaton conducted a two-hour interview with Mrs. Min Adams in Kanab. She and her husband, John Quincy Adams, lived in 1888-1889 at the fort during the polygamy raiding period. "Getting a lot of valuable information about the fort and family life carried on at that time," wrote Heaton. [1473] As his other duties allowed, Heaton continued his historical research and writing of the monument's history.