PIPE SPRING Cultures at a Crossroads: An Administrative History

Area Roads

Heaton was convinced that low visitation to the monument was the result of the often deplorable condition of the approach road, State Highway 40. Most visitors came by way of Fredonia (off U.S. Highway 89) and Heaton received numerous complaints from them about road conditions. He wrote in April 1946, "If the roads to Fredonia were good there would be lot more travel. The roads are about as rough and cut up as I have ever seen them." [1474] Heaton reported to headquarters at the end of November 1946, "The roads to the monument from the west, north, and east are in the worst condition that the custodian can remember, being cut up with travel during the storms and nothing being done to keep them up or even to drag full the ruts." [1475] It appears that Mohave County road crews did a fair job of maintaining the road west of the monument while maintenance of the road east of the monument to Fredonia fell under the Indian Service. (Repairs to the road to Moccasin and Kaibab Village appear to have gone back and forth between the two.) Heaton frequently complained that little work was done by the reservation to maintain the road to Fredonia. Once, Mohave County crews attempted to grade the road east of the monument toward Fredonia. Heaton was later told "that Mr. Parven Church, local Indian agent, stopped the Mohave County power grader from going over the Indian Reservation roads to fix them up. I sure wish there was some way to get these roads repaired from Pipe to Fredonia." [1476] In early December 1946, the Mohave County road crews again graded the roads west and north of the monument. Soon after the Indian Service graded the road to Fredonia.

After his visit to the monument in May 1947, Regional Chief of Planning Harvey H. Cornell sent a memorandum to Superintendent Smith about road conditions in the area of Pipe Spring. Heaton told Cornell that the roads were so bad at times some visitors would start toward the monument from Fredonia and then turn back. Cornell suggested that Smith put together a report with photographs so that a case could be presented to Director Drury to prod the Indian Service in Washington, D.C., into more action. While there is no indication Smith followed up on this suggestion, the superintendent wrote Regional Director Tillotson in early August to ask for assistance in getting the Indian Service to maintain the road from Fredonia. Smith wrote that road conditions that summer were so bad and local road users (presumably non-Indian) became so incensed that on July 9 that they used their truck and "borrowed" (i.e., commandeered) the Indian Service grader to smooth about six miles of road east of the monument. [1477] The rest of the 13-mile road was in such bad condition, the equipment on hand was inadequate for the job. "Anything you can do to improve this situation will be appreciated," wrote Smith to Tillotson. [1478] Then Eivind T. Scoyen of the regional office sent a letter to the superintendent at the Uintah and Ouray Agency at Fort Duchesne requesting that the Indian Service grade or blade the remaining seven miles to Fredonia. He learned by the reply of August 15 that Forrest R. Stone was in charge at the agency, someone Scoyen had dealt with while superintendent at Glacier National Park. Stone reported that the Indian Service had in mind improvements for the road, but that the year's allotment permitted addressing only "the most urgent needs." [1479] Scoyen then advised Smith that Stone was "a top-flight cooperator" and that if anything could be done on the road situation, he was sure Stone would do it. [1480]

On August 18, 1947 (perhaps in response to Scoyen's letter), three Indian Service inspectors from Phoenix, Arizona, came to the area to inspect the roads within the Kaibab Indian Reservation, giving Heaton hope that roads might be improved. At the end of the month he learned that the Indian Service planned to rebuild the road to Fredonia. In the meantime, more efforts were made in maintaining it. In September Heaton reported, "The Indian Service has made a fair attempt to smooth up the rough road east of the monument. Very dusty but the ruts and bumps are filled or taken off." [1481] In October 1947 Heaton reported two "Arizona State Highway inspectors" came to the area and told him the "Federal Road Service" (most likely the Bureau of Public Roads) planned to soon rebuild the road from Fredonia.

In January 1948 Superintendent Smith wrote the regional office again about the approach road from Fredonia. With the local Indian Service's resources being limited, Smith expected them to provide little more than infrequent maintenance to the road. He asked if consideration could be given to designating the road as a monument approach road so that federal funds could be applied for to improve it. Good roads would mean increased visitation and that might even lure Utah Parks Company into including it on their regular tours again, he argued optimistically. [1482] Perhaps Smith was unaware that this avenue had already been investigated during the war years, only to reach a dead end.

As winter snows melted, roads became almost often impassable. Heaton reported in February 1949, "Went to Alton for a load of coal, 2,050 lbs. Roads getting very soft between the monument and town [Fredonia]. Took an hour to travel 5 miles.... With all the snow on the roads we are going to have terrible traveling this spring." [1483] A few days later, he wrote in his journal, "Lot of trucks over the road hauling hay and feed to the livestock and they are cutting up the road so that cars will not be able to get over them." [1484] At one point, in March 1948, Mohave County took over maintenance of the road from Fredonia to the monument from the Indian Service. This appears to have been only a temporary arrangement, however. Again in September 1948 Arizona State Highway Department officials came out to look over the road situation.

Monument roads were also a mess when winter snows began to melt in February 1949. In addition to damage done by vehicular traffic, cattle that had wandered in over the frozen cattle guards had also done considerable damage to the roads and grounds within the monument. Heaton and his son Clawson hauled sand in February to make temporary repairs, filling in ruts in some places up to 18 inches wide and 12 inches deep. Extensive road repair work was done in March, with Heaton borrowing a grader from a Moccasin resident to smooth the road through the monument, and a heavy dump truck from Zion to haul clay, gravel, and sand for the road repairs. Heaton and Clawson repaired the monument road, campground roads, and residence road that month. In March 1949 Heaton learned at a staff meeting that the U.S. Forest Service was lobbying for a new road from Fredonia to Hurricane so that lumber from the Kaibab National Forest could be transported to western markets.

The following May (1949) Heaton reported, "The State Highway Department has a bunch of traffic counters out along the road from Fredonia to Short Creek. Also report that a State Road Engineer has gone over the road to Hurricane and left word that as soon as the road was surveyed the [contract] would be let to build an oil road." [1485] From July until at least the year's end, Mohave County contracted with several construction companies to keep the approach road graded, including the section to Fredonia. (It appears that Sterling Heaton kept the Moccasin road graded during this period, possibly working for the county.) In December 1949 two engineers from the Arizona State Highway Department visited the area to inspect roads from Fredonia to Pipe Spring and to Toroweap.

During 1950 area efforts to have the roads improved intensified. The Indian Service began road improvements, grading and leveling the road from Fredonia in February. On March 2 Heaton reported, "Attended a Booster Club meeting at Fredonia last night in connection with the Fredonia-Hurricane Road. They are going right after it and not leaving anything undone that can possibly be done to get the road. I was officially informed that I was on the barbecue committee for a party for Governor Garvey some time this spring.... The Indian Service has about completed grading the road. It is a lot better but needs some rain to settle the dust." [1486] (See earlier reference to the barbecue at Pipe Spring.) A week later, Mohave County Supervisor Lee Stevens came to the area to look over the road situation. On March 14 Heaton attended a meeting in Moccasin with representatives from Fredonia, Short Creek, Cane Beds, and Moccasin present. They formed an organization "to promote development of roads, lights, [and] local projects for betterment of our communities." [1487] Leonard Heaton was named vice-chairman.

In May 1950 Heaton reported, "The Arizona State Highway engineer was up the last 2 days looking over the new road from Fredonia to Short Creek. He says it is an [easy] road to build and that we need it. Talked like it was a sure go." [1488] Nothing more was done on the road that year, however, except for routine maintenance.