Agate Fossil Beds Administrative History

Rescuing the Collection from Fort Larned, December 1971

The summer 1971 season (and for the next several years) brought persistent problems with strong skunk odors emanating from beneath the visitor center trailer. Tear gas, used in sufficient quantity, proved an effective deterrent. [13]

Roy Weaver's position, which had been down-graded for an undetermined length of time to Ranger-in-Charge (GS-07), returned to its original authorization of Management Assistant (GS-09) on March 7, 1971. The change reflected legitimate position responsibilities. Weaver's duties further increased in mid-1971 when he began the two-year in-park Mid-level Manager Development Program. [14]

Homer Rouse's doubts about the safety of the Cook Collection intensified after the curatorial team returned from Fort Larned. In June, he visited Fort Larned to inspect the facilities first-hand. What he saw shocked him. In one of his last actions as superintendent before transferring to the Washington Office in late August, Rouse sent a memorandum on August 6 to Regional Director Leonard J. Volz pleading his case. Recalling August 1969, when "on short notice we were forced to move all 18,070 pounds of material out of the ranch house and seek temporary storage," Rouse argued that Fort Larned was chosen on the sole criteria that it was the closest area in the Midwest Region with space to accommodate the collection. The choice, Rouse asserted, was a bad one:

It is my opinion that the storage of the inherited memorabilia from the Cook estate in the old buildings at Fort Larned, Kansas, is a mistake. In a [sic] effort to save money on storage we are contributing to the rapid deterioration of this material at the inconvenience of the staff at both Fort Larned and Agate Fossil Beds. [15]

Rouse related the egregious conditions at Fort Larned. The fort's old, deteriorated buildings had taken a severe toll on the collection. Moisture and dust had damaged materials not stored in boxes. Rodents had gnawed their way into some boxes with resulting fabric damage. The massive Cook Papers Collection competed with the maintenance shop for space. Fire protection was almost nil and security poor; access to some buildings could be gained simply by pulling boards off windows. Restoration activities on fort buildings necessitated constant moving of boxes. Rouse also feared that the Fort Larned Historical Society, a group actively promoting their area, might be tempted to mix Cook materials in with their own. In conclusion, Superintendent Rouse called for the return of the materials to Agate Fossil Beds for safekeeping and cataloging. He recommended that a prefabricated metal building measuring forty by seventy-two feet ($5,000) be erected to store the collection. [16]

On September 1, approval of funds for a storage facility at Agate came from Omaha. Unfortunately, it was impossible to have the structure in place for the transfer of the collection by early winter. [17] Refusing to allow the Cook Collection to suffer a third winter at Fort Larned, Harpers Ferry Center recommended the Cook Papers Collection be transferred to a 600-cubic-foot storage space in the basement of the Midwest Regional Office. [18] This was accomplished on December 1, while it took a full three days to load and transport the remainder to Lincoln, Nebraska, where the Midwest Archeological Center had arranged for storage space in the basement of the old Post Office. A few of the larger pieces remained behind, on loan to Fort Larned. [19]

The next step for park management was to return the entire Cook Collection to Agate Fossil Beds National Monument where it belonged.