PIPE SPRING Cultures at a Crossroads: An Administrative History

Planning and Development

1956-1958

An amount of $3,000 was allotted on April 21, 1956, to build a new comfort station at the campground, which was constructed in two parts. The first $1,731 contract was awarded to Clifford Heaton of Kanab, Utah, who began construction of the 10 x 14-foot cinder block and frame structure on May 18, 1956, and finished his part on June 21. The building was sited just east of the east end of the old parking area at the campground entrance. [1783] Heaton and a hired laborer worked the remainder of June and part of July installing the water and sewer lines to the comfort station. It could not be used, however, for none of the plumbing fixtures could be purchased or installed due to insufficient funds that year.

In late September 1956, Regional Architect Ken Saunders inspected the comfort station and said he would try to get more money to complete the building and to repair the fort. A second allotment for the comfort station was received on December 12, 1956, allowing the purchase and installation of fixtures, wiring, and other finish work. In late December the contract was awarded to Heaton's son Leonard P. Heaton for $395 for installing the fixtures, painting the building, grading the area, and building walks. Work began on December 27, 1956, and was finished on January 25, 1957, with a cost of $4,200. In his final report, Acting Superintendent Heaton stated, "The completion of this building marked a highlight in the development of Pipe Spring in that it marks the first structure of any kind completed with construction funds allotted specifically for the purpose... It serves a great public need." [1784] Laborer Carl Johnson graded and landscaped the building site in March and April 1957. [1785] Johnson also tore down the four privies on April 27; the salvaged lumber was used for firewood. In early May 1958, laborer Gary Heaton removed the old walkways to the pit toilet sites.

In late July 1957, Heaton got word that the Mission 66 building program had been approved for Pipe Spring but that it would be two years before any construction work would start. Superintendent Franke and Landscape Architect Ronald Mortimore, Western Office of Design and Construction, visited Pipe Spring on September 26, 1957, to go over Mission 66 plans for the monument.

Superintendent Franke submitted the monument's general development plan (NM/PS-2101A) to Director Wirth for approval on April 30, 1958. Final approval was held up due to the uncertainty of the Park Service gaining permission from the Kaibab Paiute Tribal Council and Bureau of Indian Affairs to relocate the bypass road south of the monument (see "Area Roads" section for details). On June 12, 1958, Leonard and Edna Heaton and Jim McKown met with Associate Director Scoyen and Regional Director Miller in Zion. Miller told Heaton that unless the Washington office opposed it, the two new residences for the monument were top priority for fiscal year 1959. On July 5, 1958, Heaton was notified that the project for the new residences was formally approved. Implementation of the master plan for the monument, however, hinged on relocating the through road outside the monument's boundaries, meaning the construction of a bypass road. There was some opposition to building such a road by the Kaibab Paiute Tribe, which delayed the director's approval of the final master plan. Hugh Miller unsuccessfully tried to push through finalization of architectural plans for the residences and the director's approval of an interim master plan so that construction could begin that winter on the residences. [1786] They would not be started until the summer of 1959.

Meanwhile, in late 1958 Heaton put in a last minute plea that his new residence have ample storage space ("to store all the several hundred cans of fruit, jellies, jams, meats, dried produce my wife puts up each fall") and a flue somewhere in the building. The latter was desired in case the family needed to set up a wood or coal stove for either heat or cooking. Heaton had too much experience with failing generators to put all his faith in electricity, even from a commercial company. [1787] No flue or fireplace was included in the construction, a situation Heaton later fumed over whenever the area's power failed and the family was left without a source of heat.

105. Comfort station, ca. 1957
(Photograph by Leonard Heaton, Pipe Spring National Monument, neg. 3274).

1959-1963

In the spring of 1959, a number of questions were raised by the Western Office, Division of Design and Construction (WODC), and the Water Resources Section regarding the impact that new monument development would have on water use, since the Park Service was limited to one-third of the spring flow, as per the 1933 agreement. (See "Water Issues" section for background.)

On May 10, 1959, Thomas C. Vint, Chief of Design and Construction (Washington office), George Hall (WODC) and Superintendent Franke visited the monument to discuss development plans. On May 17 Architect Cecil J. Doty (WODC) visited the monument to become acquainted with its development plans and to look over the site for the proposed visitor center. [1788] A number of Zion and regional office officials frequently visited during the first six months of 1959 when most rehabilitation activity took place.

106. New staff residences and parking, October 1960
(Photograph by Leonard Heaton, Pipe Spring National Monument, neg. 170).

107. New east entrance sign, 1961
(Photograph by Leonard Heaton, Pipe Spring National Monument, neg. 160).

While Assistant Regional Director H. L. Bill was inspecting the monument on July 28, 1959, Heaton expressed concern about the location of one of the two planned residences. He told Bill it was sited in the middle of a drainage channel, which could be the source of considerable trouble later on. Bill later advised Hugh Miller, "Some corrections in the area above the residence location would serve to protect the structure and the occasional flow of water can be directed around the building. It is too late to relocate the residences." [1789] The planned visitor parking area was also poorly sited. At the time, plans included the installation of a six-foot culvert under the road to prevent flooding, but ultimately only a 56-inch culvert was installed. Officials would later learn the culvert size was inadequate and perhaps question the wisdom of constructing a parking area in a drainage wash.

Funds in the amount of $36,700 for two new residences were made available for the fiscal year 1959 program. On June 24, 1959, bids were opened and a contract was awarded for $36,950 to Leon Glazier of Hurricane, Utah. The identical residences contained 1,254 square feet of living space with three bedrooms and one bath, with a 362 square foot attached garage. Excavation began on July 2 and construction was completed on December 16. [1790] Water and sewer lines were also extended to the new residences. Heaton, Humberger, and Project Supervisor Wayland P. Fairchild (WODC) inspected the job that day, which was declared complete and acceptable. Until commercial power reached the monument, however, the Heatons and McKown could not move in. In March 1960 Clifford Heaton built storage spaces in the residence garages and Grant Heaton installed insulation.

No provisions for landscaping were made to keep costs from exceeding funds available. Zion officials estimated the cost would be about $2,400 and had to seek approval from the Washington and regional offices to expend additional funds. Approval from Washington was given in mid-December 1959 to landscape the residences, with the stipulation that expenditures be kept to the bare minimum. In March 1960 Grant Heaton and Ray Mose graded and filled the area as needed to prepare for landscaping. In April Mose planted a row of plum trees and 11 Carolina poplars "at back" (north) of the residences to help screen them from the fort area. Other plantings were made around the buildings, concrete block walks were constructed, and lawns were planted. Construction of the new visitor parking area, parking area for a future seasonal apartment, a service road to the residences, and a utility courtyard began on August 23, 1960, and was completed on September 21. [1791] The visitor parking area was in a loop configuration near the east entrance of the monument, on the north side of the road. (Refer back to figure 97 for site location.)

As mentioned earlier, the old CCC infirmary was removed in May 1961. In June 1961 an entrance sign was constructed and installed at the monument's east entrance, a project that had been planned, Heaton reckoned, for 15 years. [1792] Clair Ford, Ray Mose, and Grant Heaton excavated for the 14 x 4 x 1-foot concrete slab base, dressed and erected the sandstone, and affixed a wooden sign to the front. Work began on June 19 and was completed June 30. The design is very similar to others erected in parks and monuments during Mission 66. [1793]

By the end of 1961, most of the development that would take place at Pipe Spring National Monument under the Mission 66 program was completed. A total of $97,823 had been expended on projects described above. Other monument projects were planned under Mission 66 (at a total estimated cost of $226,977) but none of these had been authorized by early 1962. [1794] Overhead wires to the fort were placed underground in May 1962. During October 1963, Leonard Heaton (just recently retired) assisted Zion's Park Engineer Joe McCabe map out the monument's utilities, which a survey crew from Zion mapped during November 12-16.

Water System

No funds were programmed to develop the monument's water system during fiscal year 1959. However, the work that Heaton was doing in trying to restore the spring flow to the spring room, as well as the expected construction of new residences that year, required that a collection box be designed which could later serve the new water system. In February 1959 Engineer P. E. Smith (WODC) forwarded a sketch of a suggested collection and distribution box to Superintendent Franke. [1795] WODC engineers completed plans for the complete monument water system in March 1959. [1796] The estimated cost for executing their plans was $36,500. The system required two reservoirs, one 40,000-gallon reservoir at low level for fire and emergency reserve and one smaller 5,000-gallon reservoir at high level for domestic use and fire "first aid." The larger reservoir was to be fed by gravity from the spring, the small reservoir required a pump for distribution. In his transmittal of the plans, Engineer Smith wrote Franke,

This somewhat unusual system was devised in order to hold the permanent scar [on the monument] to a minimum.... We realize that a complete gravity system is desirable, but feel that the heavy equipment which would be required to install a larger reservoir at the site shown for the small reservoir would permanently scar the terrain. Considering the proximity of the nature trail, we feel that this would be highly undesirable. [1797]

Franke, Heaton, and Park Engineer Bossler reviewed the plans and made an on site study on March 11, 1959. The men proposed a simpler and less expensive system to WODC engineers, suggesting that a 15,000-gallon tank be located in a pocket along the ridge west of the fort, on the old quarry trail. This would allow the entire water system to function by gravity flow, delivering water through a buried four-inch pipeline. The front of the tank could be hidden with large boulders, and the top of the reservoir could be used as an observation platform along the nature trail, Franke suggested. The estimated cost would be $18,450, excluding the distribution system to the new residences. [1798] Regional Director Miller later returned the unapproved WODC plans to Franke: "It seems too complicated a system for a small area," he said, proposing an entirely different system than that proposed by Franke to WODC. Miller suggested a 30,000-gallon gravity reservoir and a 2,000-gallon, partially underground, reservoir using a pump. [1799]

Engineer Smith revised the water system plans based on comments from the regional office and Zion, resubmitting the revised plans in mid-April 1959. He pointed out that it was impractical to construct a large reservoir along the old quarry trail for there was no pocket along the trail large enough to place the reservoir, meaning extensive and expensive rock excavation and removal. Pipeline construction along the cliff face would also be difficult and costly, Smith asserted. Design standards also required a fire reserve capacity of 38,400 gallons in addition to the normal domestic use. [1800] In August Zion, region, and WODC officials came to the monument to discuss the water system and other developments. Heaton later reported, "Think we have finally settled on spot for 40,000-gallon tank on [the] hill for culinary use." [1801]

A WODC engineer collected survey data for the new water system, parking area, and service roads in November 1959. On November 13, 1959, Assistant Superintendent Humberger and Carl Jepson came out to inspect the area and to go over the latest plans for new water system. Project construction proposals for a water system continued to be submitted during the 1960s, but due to lack of funds the new water system was not constructed.

Walkways

As might be expected, as soon as development activity kicked into high gear in the late 1950s, a need for new walkways arose. In May 1957 laborers constructed walks around the comfort station. The walks between the fort and cabins were repaved with blacktop. In July and early August 1959, new walks were constructed at the office and east side of the fort and old walks were repaired. During April 1960, Grant Heaton and Ray Mose laid four new concrete block walkways around the new residences and garages. Nearly one year after the new residences were completed, a new walkway was built from the residential area to the trailer office using leftover materials from a road construction job. [1802] Other work on walkways prior to 1964 was in the nature of routine maintenance or resurfacing.

Nature Trail

While Zion and other Park Service officials made occasional inspections or references to the proposed nature trail at the monument during this period, no progress was made in financing trail construction. The old rock quarry trail was very crooked, observed one WODC engineer in April 1959; it appeared that a good deal of work would be required to make a safe hiking trail along it. The trail would not be constructed until the summer of 1968 when government-sponsored youth employment programs supplied the monument with additional workers.