Centennial History of the First Prehistoric Reserve, 1892-1992: Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, Arizona

250 Pages·1992·12.5 MB·English

by  Clemensen, A.Berle

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Casa Grande Ruins
National Monument, Arizona:
A Centennial History Of The First
Prehistoric Reserve 1892 - 1992
Printed on Recycled Paper
A
Centennial History of the
First Prehistoric Reserve: 1892-1992
march 1992
by
A. Berle Clemensen
Administrative History
CASA GRANDE RUINS NATIONAL MONUMENT ARIZONA
•
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR / NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2012 with funding from
LYRASIS IVIembers and Sloan Foundation
http://www.archive.org/details/centennialhistorOOclem
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Numerous people gave oftheir time and aided me in researching and writing this report. My
thanks go to Superintendent Donald Spencer and his staff - Nathan Allen, John Andresen,
Bettie Gill, and Aleta Knight-atCasa Grande Ruins National Monument. I valued the efforts
of the people in the following agencies and institutions: Western Archeological and
Conservation Center, Tucson, Arizona Office of the Bureau ofLand Management in Phoenix,
Arizona Department of Library, Archives and Public Records in Phoenix, Arizona Historical
Society in Tucson, University of Arizona Library Special Collections, Arizona Foundation in
theCarlHayden Library ofArizona StateUniversity inTempe, Sharlot HallHistoricalSociety
inPrescott, NationalArchivesand Library ofCongress inWashington, D.C.,andthe Regional
Archives and Record Centerin Denver, Colorado. The advice given by Gordon Chappell and
Thomas Mulhem of the Western Regional Office in San Francisco was greatly appreciated.
I also wish to thank Frank WiUiss, Wil Logan, and my wife Margaret for their comments.
SalUe Van Valkenburgh deserves recognition for her pioneering work on Casa Grande Ruins
National Monument history.
lU

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements
iii
List of Illustrations vii
Introduction 1
Chapter I: Those Who Have Gone 5
Chapter II: The Eye of the Beholder 11
Chapter III: The Reservation of Casa Grande Land and Its Early Administration 27
A. The Establishment and Stabilization of Casa Grande Ruins 27
B. The Era of Isaac T. Whittemore and H.B. Mayo 38
C. Frank Pinkle/s First Tenure 47
D. The James P. Bates Interlude 62
Chapter FV: Casa Grande Ruins as a National Monument 65
A. The Transfer to the National Park Service 65
B The First Years as a National Monument 67
C. The Development of Casa Grande Ruins National Monument 70
1. Depression Era Programs 84
2. The Civilian Conservation Corps at Casa Grande 91
3. After the Civilian Conservation Corps 94
4. Mission 66 96
5. Casa Grande Ruins in the Nuclear Age 99
6. After Mission 66 100
7. Special Use Permits 101
Chapter V: So Precious and Valuable a Resource: Ruins Preservation 107
Chapter VI: Educating the Public: Publicizing and Interpreting the Monument 125
A. The Evolution of the National Park Service Interpretive Story 126
B. Publicity, Visitation, and the Interpretive Medium 134
Chapter VII: The Only Bit of Typical Desert Land 153
A. The Natural Setting 153
B. The Effect of Neighboring Agriculture on the Monument 156
C. Monument Management of Natural Resources 160
Chapter VIE: Southwestern Monuments: Boss Pinkle/s Outfit 167
Appendix A: List of Custodians/Superintendents 181
Appendix B: Employees: Past and Present 182
Appendix C: 1892 Executive Order 201
Appendix D: 1918 National Monument Proclamation 202
Appendix E: Casa Grande Ruins National Monument Visitation Figures 203
Appendix F: Historical Data Sections: Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
BuUdings 204
Bibliography 229
VI
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Figure 1846 Sketch of the Great House 16
Figure 1848 Drawing of the Casa Grande 17
Figure 1852 Sketch of the Great House 19
Figure 1852 Drawing by John Bartlett 19
Figure 1864 Sketch by Ross Browne 21
J.
Figure Casa Grande 1878 28
Figure Casa Grande Ca. 1878 28
Figure Casa Grande Ca. 1878 30
Figure Casa Grande 1891 39
Figure 10 Casa Grande Ca. 1902 41
Figure 11 Casa Grande Ca. 1902 42
Figure 12 Casa Grande Ca. 1902 43
Figure 13 Casa Grande Ruins Boundaries 44
Figure 14 1903 Shelter Roof 53
Figure 15 Fewkes Drawing of Compound A 55
Figure 16 Fewkes Drawing of Compound B 57
Figure 17 Compound B Ca. 1925 58
Figure 18 Pinkley's First House 61
Figure 19 Late 1930 Aerial View of the Monument 75
Figure 20 1926 Roads and Structures 76
Figure 21 1927-1931 Roads and Structures 76
Figure 22 1932 Great House Shelter 81
Figure 23 1932 Master Plan 85
Figure 24 1935 Master Plan 87
Figure 25 1941 Master Plan 89
Figure 26 Turquoise Mosaics Found in 1925 140
Figure 27 Frank "Boss" Pinkley 170
Figure 28 Present-day Building Configuration 205
Figure 29 Visitor Center Floor Plan 208
Figure 30 Visitor Center 209
Figure 31 Building 1 Floor Plan 210
Figure 32 Building 1 211
Figure 33 Building 4 Floor Plan 212
Figure 34 Building 4 213
Figure 35 Building 6 Floor Plan 214
Figure 36 Building 6 214
Figure 37 Building 15 Floor Plan 215
Figure 38 Building 15 215
Figure 39 Maintenance Area 216
Figure 40 Building 8 Floor Plan 218
Figure 41 Building 8 218
Figure 42 Building 9 Floor Plan 219
Figure 43 Building 10 Floor Plan 221
Figure 44 Building 10 222
Figure 45 Building 11 Floor Plan 223
Figure 46 Building 11 223
vu
Figure 47: Building 16 Floor Plan 224
Figure 48: Building 16 224
Figure 49: Electrical Transformer Enclosure Walls Plan 225
Figure 50: 1932 Great House Shelter Roof 228
vin