Aztec Ruins Administrative History

As interest in the acquisition of Aztec Ruin rose, Morris was appointed by the American Museum as its resident agent at an annual salary of $1,200. One of his assignments was to forward the draft of the deed to the West Ruin property and the abstract of title to New York for approval as soon as they were prepared (see Appendix G). [23] With them, Morris enclosed a note saying that, providing a representative collection of specimens was kept at the ruin, Abrams waived all right to "relics." On the condition of a local collection, Abrams was adamant. Although he failed to make it explicit, it seems that he did not intend that the displayed specimens necessarily be from his personal assortment.

The immediate question was what was the museum going to do with a crumbling, large Anasazi community, which had proved impossible to organize and endow as an independent park. Knowing that the museum could act only as an interim landlord while scientific work was under way, activity for which there no longer was financial support, the Trustees would not sanction its acquisition until the matter of final disposition was resolved. There were no legal obstacles to retaining the Morris house and a small plot of adjacent land as a field station until such time as the museum's interest in Southwestern research ceased. [24]

A review indicated that there were three public bodies who might accept as a gift the remaining ruin property and the extensive repairs already made to it. These were the federal government, the state of New Mexico, and the village of Aztec. Wissler leaned toward presenting the West Ruin to the federal government. He learned during several exploratory interviews in Washington that a definite policy was being formulated for the care and enlargement of national parks containing prehistoric ruins. [25] The previous lack of this special attention by the two-year-old National Park Service to antiquities in reserves in the Southwest was the source of much criticism among professional archeologists. Jesse Walter Fewkes, director of the Bureau of American Ethnology, was the only known scientist to lobby the Department of the Interior to accept the ruin as an addition to the national park system. Fewkes's endorsement was met with skepticism by persons outside the government. He was one whose inept, even destructive, work at Mesa Verde National Park had caused much alarm. [26] Moreover, the National Park Service itself did not express interest in having Aztec Ruin in its trust. Arno B. Cammerer, later to become director of the National Park Service, came to Aztec at Morris's invitation, but it is not known that he advised the current director -- Stephen T. Mather -- on its desirability. [27] Neither is there any available documentation to indicate that either New Mexico state officials or the Aztec town council were contacted. In any event, it soon was known that none of the groups considered as possible caretakers would be able to accept the gift under the terms of the tentative deed. Particularly in the case of the federal government, there were stringent laws against any arrangements that called for future expenditures. The stipulation of the Abrams deed mandating construction of a museum did just that. [28] Unless Abrams was willing to trust the government, without a written guarantee, to proceed with the ruin's development and protection as funds were available, the entire transaction was in jeopardy. [29]

Being a capable administrator and not willing to see his plans go awry, Wissler set about oiling the wheels. He wrote Abrams lavishly praising his continued high ideals for the ruin. He noted that a national park would put the town of Aztec on the map in a noteworthy way and pave the way for its future expansion. "I hope to see your other ruins properly excavated and eventually added to this so that ultimately we may have one of the most remarkable National Parks in existence near your town," he continued. [30] He held out a further enticement by assuring Abrams he would be permitted to retain his rights to a duplicate collection. This, Abrams could loan to the government at a later date when space was erected.

The flattery and concessions worked: Abrams reluctantly agreed to sell to the government, with the American Museum as intermediary. [31] The museum retained a 1.8-acre plot of the southwestern corner of the site, including a fraction of the Anasazi house block, as its field headquarters in the event that future excavations were done. An original plan to keep most of the cobblestone South Wing lying west of the Great Kiva was dropped on Morris's suggestion. [32] Four provisions of the deed as finally accepted concerned the right of Abrams to use a road along the west side of the premises and ditch entitlements by both parties to the contract. [33]

As soon as Abrams signed this deed of sale, Morris was instructed to have a lawyer draw a deed of gift from the American Museum of Natural History to the United States of America, with a token payment to the museum of $1.00. It was a bitter pill to swallow, as Morris explained. "Personally I dislike the prospect of seeing the ruin passed over to the United States because of my abhorrence of politically chosen and usually inefficient supervisors, and the labyrinthian red tape which seems to enmesh all government activities." [34]

Other than a plat which Morris prepared, during the following two years no further action was taken for adding adjoining ruins to the museum holding. Morris's drawing indicated four distinct blocks of land that at some future date might be incorporated into the ruin precinct. One encircled the East Ruin and its southern refuse mound. The second was the ruin northeast of Abrams's barn, later named the Earl Morris Ruin. The third was a small circular mound between the East Ruin and West Ruin, later designated Mound F. The fourth block took in a number of minor structures or drifts of ancient debris. Abrams was ready to deed blocks one through three to the museum. He preferred to hold the fourth in escrow for a period of 10 years. [35] It was to be six years before any of these secondary areas were formally set aside.

Meanwhile, the original transfer of 4.6 acres and the West Ruin was moving slowly through institutional channels. An American Museum of Natural History resolution of April 19, 1922, took cognizance of the fact that the government could give no guarantees about the site's maintenance and upkeep. For their part, the Trustees could not promise to provide a custodian but were willing that Morris serve in that capacity when he was in residence. [36] In essence, neither the government nor the American Museum fully accepted the responsibility inherent in the archeological recovery of Aztec Ruin.

Eventually seven years after the American Museum committed itself to the Aztec Ruin project, the site that its excavator had known since boyhood became the common property of all the citizens of the United States as the 26th national monument, the 14th under National Park Service protection (see Figure 5.1). It was a birth without ceremony. The deed, as it was hammered out over several years, was presented to government officials. Washington staffers drew up a document putting Aztec Ruin in care of the National Park Service by authority of the Antiquities Act of 1906. It was forwarded to the White House for the signature of President Warren G. Harding. Later, Wissler wrote Morris, "We have signed a proclamation establishing the Aztec Ruin National Monument. [37] This is a great satisfaction to us particularly since it marks a definite period in the undertaking. I am also informed that you have been nominated as custodian for the ruin at the magnificent salary of $12.00 per year." [38] Two local newspapers carried confirming reports.[39] The museum unburdened itself, Huntington had the satisfaction of having made a substantial and scientifically significant gift to the American people, and the government in effect regained a patrimony for which it demonstrated little enthusiasm.

Figure 5.1. Growth of Aztec Ruins National Monument.
(click on image for an enlargement in a new window)