PIPE SPRING Cultures at a Crossroads: An Administrative History

Monument Administration (continued)

1962

The new year started off on an unusually climatic note in 1962. On January 4 Heaton reported,

At 7:45 a.m. had a baby tornado hit the monument. A heavy mass of clouds passed from northwest to southeast over the area and with it and the winds, blowing in every direction. At the same time [it] picked up dust, tumbleweeds, trash, and small loose material whistling through the trees, around buildings. A narrow streak of dust would be going in one direction then suddenly change and take off in another direction. Whirlwinds everywhere. [1738]

No damage was reported. On February 15 the area experienced several earth tremors, but no visible damage occurred.

In late January 1962, Carl Jepson and Harvey Davis came from Zion to inventory and assess the value of the monument's collection. Heaton had not included values for items under $50 in his previous inventory, so Jepson and Davis spent some time assessing the value of those items. On February 20 while updating museum records, Heaton and Olsen worked in the office trailer and listened to the newscast of John Glenn's orbit around the earth. A week later, Heaton contacted Ray Mose to rehire him for the following month as seasonal laborer. After business was taken care of that day, Mose told Heaton the story of where the Paiute came from:

Old Grandma living along on the west coast sent for an old Indian from the east coast to come to her as she had something for him to do. When he got to her, he had a big cotton bag tied tight with a string and [she] told the old man to take the bag on his back and go as far north as he could and if he heard any singing, talking, or noises in the sack, not to open it. The old man put the sack on his back, [it was] very light, not heavy to carry a long way. After he had gone quite a way, [he] heard singing and talking in the bag, so he set it down [and] decided to see what was in the bag. So he started to untie the string and just as soon as it was loose, the bag flew wide open. And before he could close it, a lot of Indians jumped out and scattered all over the country. He finally got it tied again and went on his way but when he got into this country he got tired and untied the bag and dumped all the rest of the Indians out and they were the Paiutes. [1739]

On March 13, 1962, Assistant Regional Director George C. Miller visited Pipe Spring. Heaton discussed with him several ideas to restore the historic landscape. Heaton had three projects in mind: 1) reconstruction of a corral at the north end of the east cabin, using old cedar posts; 2) reconstruction or repairs to the old lime kiln, located just west of the west cabin; and 3) reconstruction of a stake-and-rider fence from the west cattle guard to a point 400 feet east (south of the monument road), using old materials. [1740] A few days later, Heaton wrote to Rulon Langston in Hurricane to inquire if there was an old corral or fencing on his property or in his locale that could be obtained for that purpose. On March 26 Heaton met with Oberhansley and Humberger at Zion and brought up the proposal to them. They requested a sketch map and cost estimates for the projects, which he submitted soon after. Heaton had $3,000 in monument funds he wished to spend on these projects that spring, knowing the money would otherwise revert back to Zion's coffer. While awaiting final approval, Heaton located several ranchers in Rockville and Hurricane willing to give or sell him old fencing. Heaton reported the first federal audit to take place at the monument was completed on March 16.

Meanwhile, Oberhansley forwarded Heaton's proposal and cost estimates to the regional office in early April 1962 and asked for their recommendations. Regional Director Thomas J. Allen had little enthusiasm for Heaton's proposal, opining that the construction costs plus future maintenance would be better spent on other projects. "It does not seem to us that these reconstructed features would add much to the area," he wrote Oberhansley. Allen also stated, "We shall not, however, offer any serious objection if you wish to proceed with the project." [1741] Oberhansley forwarded Allen's response to Heaton with the suggestion that Heaton erect interpretive signage in lieu of reconstructing the landscape features, and offered Zion's assistance in preparing the signs. Heaton was no doubt disappointed, but soon after he retired his fencing proposal was implemented.

Olsen was the first park historian to file monthly narrative reports to Heaton, beginning in 1962. They were quite detailed, including visitation figures, notable visitors, and research and interpretive activities. Olsen worked in the spring of 1962 on a self-guiding tour leaflet for visitors to the monument, for those occasions when staff could not accompany them through the fort. He completed the leaflet in May, in time for the summer travel season. The "Self-Guiding Tour of Pipe Spring" pointed out the most significant artifacts in rooms and described their function. The leaflet also included some background history of the site. Also in May Olsen located the Powell survey baseline that ran from Kanab to about three miles south of Fredonia. [1742] In June Olsen tracked down two Powell survey markers in the area, one at Lamb Point, five miles east of Pipe Spring, and one on a ridge north of Navajo Well, 20 miles east of Kanab. In September he located two more, one three miles east of Fredonia on Lost Spring Cliff and one three miles south of Fredonia. [1743]

During August 1962, Regional Curator Franklin G. Smith visited the monument to inspect the collection and discuss preservation, acquisition, and record keeping with the staff. Smith later reported that the exhibits were well-arranged, the area neat and clean, and the "enthusiasm of the staff infectious." [1744] The monument also had a visit from Regional Historian Bob Utley in late September. It had been three years since Utley had seen the fort's displays and he was favorably impressed with the changes that had taken place. "The presentation of the Pipe Spring story has been improved vastly since my last visit," he reported to George C. Miller. "A tour of the fort is now a much more meaningful experience than it was before." [1745] Utley recommended "a labeling scheme... to identify the more prominent specimens, and also to give a brief historical explanation of each room." [1746] A guidebook was suggested as either an alternative or supplement to labels. Utley noted that Olsen had a real interest in research and encouraged him to work on revisions to the draft historical handbook prepared by his predecessors. Olsen's research continued that summer and included trips to the Church historian's office and Utah Historical Society in Salt Lake City. Utley also suggested that funds be found at Zion to send Olsen to Denver to investigate uncatalogued Powell survey photos in the United States Geological Survey's (USGS) collection. (It is unknown if this work was ever done.)

An increase in visitation to Pipe Spring was reported at the staff meeting of July 5, 1962, as construction on the Hurricane-Fredonia road progressed. The influx of visitors led to increased pot-hunting in the ruins south of the monument. Bob Olsen even found officers of the Pacific Coast Archaeological Society hunting for relics there for their museum in California. He directed them to the Tribe, which granted them permission to collect materials from the surface. In June Olsen suggested to Ray Mose that he make a sign to warn people away from the mounds south of the monument, which he did. [1747]

Visitors to the monument, as in summers past, frequently came between the hours of 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Continuous standing was often required of the guides. During the spring and summer of 1962, Heaton had difficulty standing and giving tours due to considerable pain in his legs. [1748] By summer's end, he agreed to have surgery in hopes it would increase the circulation in his legs. He underwent the operation in early October. While he took nearly six weeks' sick and annual leave to recuperate, former park historian Lloyd Sandberg came over from Hurricane and provided monument guide service on the weekends. Sandberg also filled in when Olsen took annual leave.