The Casa Grande Ruins National Monument is located in the City of Coolidge. Coolidge is a small rural community supported by farming and tourists. In recent years, the city has experienced rapid economic development in the form of businesses and residents. This development has created new challenges for protecting the area’s rich archaeological resources. In an effort to do so, several public meetings were conducted in 1999-2002 by the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (Monument) with the Gila River Indian Community, Arizona State officials, as well as residents and city officials of both Coolidge and Florence to develop alternatives for the preservation of those resources. Acquisition of culturally significant land by the Monument, as well as the development of a National Heritage Area were supported at those meetings.
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CASA GRANDE RUINS NATIONAL MONUMENT BOUNDARY EXPANSION PROJECT:
In April, 2002, a “Resource Protection Study” was conducted by the National Park Service (NPS). This study examined known archaeological sites in the area of the Monument to determine if they are thematically related to the Monument. A total of ten sites, located between the towns of Coolidge and Florence, were visited and evaluated from April 16 to May 15, 2002. The report, completed in January, 2003, is being reviewed by the Monument, along with key NPS personnel, to determine which sites should be included in the boundary expansion project.
The United States Congress must approve any acquisition of lands that are greater than five percent of the current acreage of National Park Service units. Therefore, in December, 2002, Superintendent Don Spencer and staff members from the Monument met with Congressman Rick Renzi and his staff to give them an overview and gain support for the boundary expansion. Congressman Renzi, after meeting with Mr. Spencer and touring the Monument and surrounding areas, expressed his support of the boundary expansion. A bill is currently being drafted for approval of the boundary expansion, and Congressman Renzi will introduce the bill to Congress during the current 108th Session. Once the bill has been approved by Congress, estimated to be no later than September 2003, the NPS will allocate money for the Monument to acquire the lands which have been determined to be thematically related.
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NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA:
As a result of the public meetings, a committee, independent of the Monument, was formed to develop a National Heritage Area between Florence, Coolidge, and the Gila River Indian Community. The committee members are representatives from the cities of Florence and Coolidge, Gila River Indian Community, the Regional Council of Governments, Florence Chamber of Commerce, Arizona State Parks, and Pinal County Historical Museum. A National Heritage Area is a place designated by the United States Congress, where natural, cultural, historic and recreational resources combine to form a cohesive, nationally distinctive landscape arising from patterns of human activity shaped by geography. The National Park Service provides technical assistance as well as financial assistance for a limited number of years following designation. The committee is actively working together and has developed a proposed boundary map and narrative.
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We cordially invite you to use this website to keep tabs on the study, and to use it to offer your thoughts and ideas on the future of Casa Grande Ruins.
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email to: Carol_West@nps.gov
