PIPE SPRING Cultures at a Crossroads: An Administrative History

Monument Administration (continued)

1957

The Colorado River Storage Project Act of 1956 authorized the construction of Glen Canyon Dam, located just south of the Arizona-Utah border. The dam project was supported by some of the same conservationists who successfully defeated the proposed Echo Park Dam at Dinosaur National Monument. The dam was 710 feet high, described by historian Donald Worster as "a chalk-white arch wedged between dark red stone canyon walls." [1666] Construction work began in 1957 and was not completed until 1963. (Glen Canyon National Recreation Area was established on April 18, 1958.) Work on the Glen Canyon Dam resulted in an enormous increase in traffic over area roads, much of which passed over State Highway 40 and through the monument. The construction of Canyon Dam led to population growth in Kanab and Fredonia and to increased visitation to Pipe Spring National Monument. Travel along area roads dramatically increased due to the construction project and the need for improved roads was suddenly urgent. [1667] (See "Area Roads" section.)

The impact of the Glen Canyon Dam project on area traffic became evident to Heaton by early 1957. In his monthly report for February, Heaton wrote, "There is considerably more travel coming out on the weekends from Kanab and Fredonia, people that are in this area because of the Glen Canyon Dam project." [1668] Heaton had sufficient operating funds in 1957 to keep a laborer on at the monument for two days a week from April until late July. In March Heaton hired Carl Johnson for the position. Beginning April 20, Lloyd Sandberg went on part-time duty, working weekends until June 1 when he switched to full-time. This enabled the monument to be open seven days a week a few months prior to summer and ensured protection for the site during Heaton's absences. (Sandberg came on duty to help with the Easter weekend crowd, but did not return to full-time work until the last week of May.) Heaton observed about this time that most visitors came in the cooler months of spring or fall. Those who came in the summer often came between 3:00 p.m. and sunset, requiring Heaton or Sandberg to give tours many days until 7:00 or 8:00 p.m., particularly on weekends.

Heaton was told at the May 1, 1957, staff meeting that Regional Director Hugh Miller and Associate Director Eivind T. Scoyen might visit the monument on May 10, 16, or 17. Meanwhile, Heaton had Johnson paint the new comfort station and haul in gravel for walkways. Blacktopped walkways were laid around the comfort station, to the fort, and to the east cabin on May 8 and 10. Everything was in top shape by May 10. As the 10th, 16th, and 17th came and went, the expected officials failed to appear. On the evening of May 17, a dejected Heaton wrote in his journal, "No visitors from the NPS office as expected. Guess I don't rate very much with them." [1669]

In 1957 the Establishment Day celebration at the monument was held on May 30 to coincide with Memorial Day. The program included two grandsons of Benjamin Knell (Rulon and Ray Knell), along with Kumen Jones. Superintendent Franke, Carl Jepson, Leonard Heaton, and Lloyd Sandberg also participated in the program. As in the previous year, Franke spoke about the goals of the Mission 66 program and plans for the monument. [1670] The number of participants was "a little disappointing," Franke later reported to Miller (so much so that the numbers weren't even cited in either Franke's report or Heaton's journal).

On June 1, 1957, Heaton received a surprise visit from Chief Landscape Architect Merel Sager, (Washington office), Park Landscape Architect Robert G. ("George") Hall (San Francisco office), and Assistant Superintendent Art Thomas. The purpose of the visit was to inspect the site and discuss developments to be made under the Mission 66 program. The men told Heaton that Regional Director Miller would visit the monument some time that summer and advised Heaton to get the place cleaned up a little more. [1671] Miller did not visit the monument again until August 30, 1958.

When Heaton attended the Zion staff meeting on July 10, 1957, he was upset to learn that some fiscal year-end money shuffling had transpired: "Found that Zion had taken the money allotted for Pipe for their use, almost $500. It is not going to happen again if I can help it. Plan to use it as it comes available. Also learned that I would not get any new construction until 1960 or later. They had not ordered any of the supplies or materials I requested before the first of the month to be paid in last year's money." [1672] These incidences, hardly surprising in the federal bureaucracy, frustrated a man with Heaton's background and made no sense to him whatsoever. But, as always, life went on at the monument while Heaton did his best to roll with the punches. Laborer Carl Johnson was temporarily laid off in late July 1957 (to comply with personnel regulations) then was rehired in early September, along with Kelly Heaton who filled in while Leonard Heaton took annual leave. In October 1957 Superintendent Franke started the necessary papers to hire a permanent park historian at the monument. Heaton was authorized in the interim to hire Lloyd Sandberg for weekends the rest of the month and was given permission to employ laborers during October and November. [1673]

On November 7, 1957, Heaton answered a fire call from the Moccasin school. The fire was put out before too much damage was done. He took a day's annual leave on the 8th to help repair the damages at the school building so classes could resume the following week. [1674] Later that month Heaton hired Carl Johnson and Kelly Heaton as laborers to help complete a number of maintenance projects. The two men first installed a water line to the generator house, using salvaged pipe. Then in December they made repairs to the two historic cabins and to the fort. (See "Historic Buildings" section.) In January 1958 Johnson resigned to take a permanent job and Kelly Heaton experienced a lengthy illness. When Johnson resigned, Heaton hired his son Gary to work as laborer. Kelly Heaton returned to work toward the end of February.

The fact that most laborers working for any length of time at the monument during the 1940s, 1950s, and early 1960s were either related to Leonard Heaton or were local Kaibab Paiute men is not surprising, given the remoteness of the site. Until the Hurricane-Fredonia road was rebuilt, getting to the monument from other towns was difficult. The only two communities of any size were Moccasin (where practically everyone was related to the Heaton family by blood or marriage) and Kaibab Village, so these two areas furnished the majority of men given seasonal or part-time jobs at Pipe Spring. Occasionally, when short-term restoration work required special carpentry, masonry, or other skills, Heaton hired men from Fredonia, Kanab, or Short Creek.

Beginning in 1957 and continuing through 1958, historical research was conducted to prepare plans for furnishing the fort as a historic house museum. On January 18, 1957, Regional Chief of Interpretation Erik K. Reed notified Arthur Woodward of Altadena, California, that funds were available to undertake interpretive planning at Pipe Spring. He hired Woodward to prepare a museum prospectus and a detailed, illustrated plan for historic furnishings for the fort. (Woodward was a research collaborator in the Park Service office at the University of California, Berkeley. He researched and wrote one of the early histories of Pipe Spring in 1941, referenced in Part V. Woodward was also the former curator of history at the Los Angeles Museum.) Reed also asked Woodward to research and prepare recommendations for exhibits and interpretive plans at Fort Union National Historic Site during the same time period. Woodward did much of his research during October 1957, when he first visited Pipe Spring National Monument. [1675]

On October 12, 1957, which happened to be Heaton's day off, Woodward called at the fort to look at its exhibits. Since her husband was away, Edna Heaton spent an hour with the researcher going over the house furnishing plans that he was working on. Woodward made a number of suggestions to her regarding changes that would improve the display. Later, Heaton was disappointed to learn he had missed Woodward's visit, but had gotten no advance notice of it. During February 1958, Heaton tried to rearrange the museum articles in the fort to make a better display, presumably based on information Woodward had passed on to Edna during his visit.

The fort's displays and interpretive program had much room for improvement. Regional Archeologist Charlie R. Steen visited the monument with Historian Robert M. ("Bob") Utley on November 22, 1957. It was Utley's first visit to the monument. The two men went through the fort which Steen described as "neat and clean" with authentic pieces on display. "Still," Steen commented in a memorandum to Erik Reed, "the fort does not come to life and portray an era." [1676] The two men visited Cove Fort a few days later, and Steen could not help comparing the site with Pipe Spring. He later wrote Reed,

The contents of the rooms at Pipe Spring suffer because they are mostly odds and ends, which have accumulated during the years, and no room is truly furnished. It would be best to cease our feeble attempts to show the entire post as a furnished historic house. If it is thought possible to acquire enough items used at the fort, or in the Moccasin community, during the period of the fort's importance which can be used to furnish one or two rooms then let us furnish those one or two rooms adequately. One other room could readily be utilized for formal exhibit panels to describe the history of the fort. I will even go so far as to suggest that we close the second story to visitors. [1677]

The transformation of the fort's interior into a historic house museum by the careful selection and placement of historic furnishings would mostly take place in 1959 and the early 1960s, after receipt of Woodward's report and as funds were allotted to the monument to buy period furnishings.