Canyon de Chelly Administrative History

Roads and Trails

One of the conclusions reached at the July 1, 1932, meeting at de Chelly concerned roads and trails. All agreed that it would not be necessary to build a road on the floor of the canyon. They believed that some rim roads would be needed and proper trails should be built to the various ruins. In addition, it was agreed that Navajo workers should be employed in all road and trail construction. [52]

Hamilton's reconnaissance report of 1932 also agreed that roads were unnecessary in the lower portions of the canyon. He "suggested that visitors be taken through lower canyons in greatly oversized balloon-tired cars, using the sandy bed of the wash as a highway. Traces of the travel would be washed away after every flood, leaving the canyon as natural as before." [53]

Concerning rim roads, Hamilton believed that most visitors would rather view the canyon from above. He stated that "the view from the rim is well worthy of exploitation." Visitors could view the ruins, peach orchards, gardens, and Indians themselves from the rim. He estimated that the cost would be $20,000 for rim roads and trails. [54]

Another problem existed regarding highways to the monument. The best way to reach de Chelly was to drive north from Highway 66, but the road from Ganado to Chinle was not surfaced nor did it contain proper drainage systems. [55] The unsurfaced road, of course, deterred visitors from visiting the monument in bad weather. However, a bridge was constructed over the Nazlini Wash near Chinle which, in addition to another bridge at Ganado, helped keep the road open to de Chelly. [56] An engineer working at de Chelly, C. A. Weintz, summed up the advantages of attracting people to the monument with a good road: "what this country needs is a good road; it can then hold its own with any of the show places of the Southwest." [57]

Consideration was still being given to construction of a road on the canyon floor, even though many believed it impractical because of annual flooding. However, some of the arguments against the project neglected this fact. George Grant, a Park Service photographer, not only opposed roads in the canyon but also wanted to restrict the number of visitors. He believed that "if dudes are permitted to travel up this Canyon they will cause the Service a lot of grief. And if large numbers of dudes go up there the Navajos will probably move out and that would be a mistake. It is too rich a sight to see them travelling up and down the Canyon on their ponies." [58]

Nusbaum also advocated keeping roads out of the canyon floor, stating that "if a highway or a well-traveled road is developed along the canyon floor, the naturalness and primitiveness of the region will be seriously influenced and a considerable part of the original values lost." [59] He was also worried that traffic on the canyon floor would badly "scar" the sand. [60]

Regarding possible routes of higher roads, Nusbaum suggested one that followed the north rim of Canyon del Muerto. He felt that a road built away from the rim, which occasionally neared exceptional viewing areas, would also serve a purpose. Visitors could then leave their vehicles and approach the sites. [61]

In 1934 plans were laid to work on White House Trail, and a meeting was held at de Chelly to discuss such a project. Attending the meeting were Superintendent John G. Hunter, Southern Navajo Indian Agency; Hugh Calkins, regional director, Soil Erosion Service; Tom Allen, lay assistant, Bureau of Animal Industry; F. A. Kittredge, chief engineer; Budlong; and McSparron. [62] Discussion revealed that the 1930 census showed an Indian population of 365 living in Canyon de Chelly. They had about 4,000 sheep and goats grazing in the canyon. Superintendent Hunter said that Bureau of Indian Affairs Commissioner John Collier instructed him "to undertake development work and Indian relief in Canyon de Chelly at the earliest moment." [63] Erosion work and trail work were to be conducted.

All agreed that the canyon rim opposite White House Ruin "must become a Lookout point, reached by automobile, and that a horse and pedestrian trail must be constructed from this point to the canyon floor." A second trail was also considered from the canyon floor near the junction of Canyon de Chelly and Canyon del Muerto to the rim. Both planned trails were studied and surveyed by engineers. [64]

Pinkley sent the Park Service Director the plans and profile for White House Trail that he had approved and signed. The Bureau of Indian Affairs was funding the project, and since they could not authorize funds for building a tourist trail, they approved the project as a path for sheep and goats. [65]

Opposition to the proposed trail was voiced by Frederick K. Vreeland of Santa Fe. Pinkley sent him a letter expressing his reasons for favoring the trail and stressing that it would not lead to an increase in vandalism. [66] Vreeland, however, was unhappy with Pinkley's reasons for the trail and declared that the Park Service was not sufficiently concerned with preservation. [67] Pinkley replied that the Service would soon have a full-time person stationed there. In addition the inhabitants of a Navajo farm at the foot of the trail would watch to see if visitors descended, which Pinkley doubted they would. [68] The historical assistant of the Park Service, W. J. Winter, supported Pinkley in this controversy. [69]

A Mr. Gray conducted surveys for the trail. By July 1934, with 33 Navajos under a white foreman working on it, the trail was 80 percent completed. [70]

Collier, hesitant to approve a road from Chinle to White House Overlook, was impressed with Gray's work on the trail but objected to plans of asphalting it on the grounds it would destroy the natural beauty of the canyon. [71] Collier also questioned the tunnel work there, [72] and in fact, asked that the Canyon de Chelly National Monument be returned to Bureau of Indian Affairs jurisdiction. [73]

The Secretary of Interior wrote Demaray asking for a report on road work at de Chelly. [74] Responding to this, Demaray stated that the trail work and erosion work were "the result of a development program drafted more than a year ago." [75] He stated that

no plans have been considered for the building of roads on the floor of either Del Muerto or Monument canyons. During periods when the canyons are dry visitors may be transported in automobile over the sandy floors with oversize tires. Such traffic should not interfere seriously with the Indian life in the canyon, which the National Park Service is extremely anxious to maintain in unimpaired condition. [76]

Furthermore, Demaray stated that there was already a rim road (which needed improvement) and that the White House Trail was being built from this road into the canyon in order to "permit closer access to this ruin [White House] when cars cannot get up the floor of the canyon." [77] He explained that the project was set up by the Indian Service ECW project and utilized Indian labor under the direction of Park Service engineers. He said "the project was considered and agreed to in principle by both the Indian and National Park Services." [78]

In explaining the trail and tunnel, he stated that they were "planned with the safety and convenience of the traveler in mind, and according to the best Park Service standards." The tunnel was built "to prevent excessive scarring, as well as [to] pass dangerous points with a maximum of safety." He stated that oil surface treatment was proposed in order to eliminate dust. [79]

Citing the recent appointment of a custodian for de Chelly, Demaray said that the area would be properly protected and the custodian would "coordinate the various interests of the Indians with those of the visitor." In addition, he believed

that the National Park Service is the proper agency to protect and interpret archeological areas such as that at Canyon de Chelly. It is felt that the rights of all American citizens in these areas transcend those of any individual or group of individuals, just as in other cases where the Nation, by action of the Congress or Executive, has set aside sites because of their national scenic, historic, or scientific importance. [80]

In closing, Demaray recommended that "no effort be made to amend the Canyon de Chelly Act to return the area to the Navajo Tribe as suggested in Mr. Collier's memorandum. . ." [81]

Collier, in turn, approved route 1 of section c for the trail, but objected to oiling or asphalting the path. [82] Collier then agreed to the reallocation of $6,000 from the erosion control project to trail work. [83]

Meanwhile, Budlong was very pleased with the work on the trail. He believed it was the "main gateway" to the canyon. [84] By October the trail was 3,419 feet in length and the tunnel was almost completed. In November Budlong reported that the White House Trail was completed. It was 4,085 feet long with a descent of approximately 548 feet. [85]

Budlong had several ideas on road development at de Chelly: (1) he did not "want to see this Monument have any roads which will connect at any halfway points with any main highway"; [86] (2) he wanted all visitors to check in and out at headquarters; (3) he frowned on having rim roads located too close to the Indians who lived on the rims during the winter; and (4) he believed that seeing cars along the rims from the bottom of the canyon would detract from the area's beauty. [87] Stressing the need to build roads carefully and consider their possible effects, Budlong hoped that the Park Service would follow his suggestions and use foresight in their planning. [88]

In 1936 Cammerer wrote to Collier commenting on the poor condition of the road from the Thunderbird Ranch to the "Lookout" and on to Ganado. He stated that he was against overdevelopment of roads in the area, but this road was so in need of repair that the Park Service would provide $500-$1,000 if agreed to by him. Cammerer ended his letter by lamenting about his car getting "hung up" and scraped badly on this road. [89] Collier thought that work on this road was justified but wanted to check with his superintendent first. He added that he had never had trouble with his car on that road but supposed that the new "low-slung" cars might have a harder time. [90]

As the years progressed, more work was done on roads leading to de Chelly as well as on roads and trails within the monument. In 1937 the second custodian of Canyon de Chelly, Johnwill Faris, wrote the Park Service Director in reference to a complaint about a stretch of road within de Chelly's boundaries. Both the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Department of Agriculture said that the road was under Park Service jurisdiction, which made Faris happy because the actual ownership was hazy. A Mr. H. H. Collins complained of the inherent hazardous conditions of the road, and Faris mentioned in his letter the numerous blind curves, high centers, and bad mud holes. [91] Besides recommending that repair work be done on the Lukachukai road north of headquarters, Faris hoped that it would be finished quickly because of the fact that more and more Indians were driving vehicles. He believed that many of them were poor drivers and if one drove off the rim, "it would be most embarrassing to our Service." [92]

By 1939 several fairly easy routes to Canyon de Chelly were suggested: one was from Gallup or Chambers on Highway 66; another was from Kayenta and the Hopi Villages; and a third was from Shiprock by way of Sweetwater and Round Rock. [93] The road from Chinle to Lukachukai was considered less preferable because of the wash at Chinle. [94] The best route, however, seemed to be from Gallup. Pinkley wrote that the road had been improved greatly and it took only about 2 hours to make the trip. [95]

However, in direct opposition to Pinkley's remarks were the sentiments of Ranger Quintin Bradley at de Chelly. He said visitation was low because of the bad roads leading to the monument and said that people told him that the road from Gallup to Canyon de Chelly was "little more than wagon tracks." Furthermore, rangers at Grand Canyon declared that traveling on roads via the Hopi Village to de Chelly was "practically suicide." [96]

During the years 1940 and 1941 work was done by the Civilian Conservation Corps-Indian Division services on White House Trail, the roadway from Twin Trails to Mummy Cave, and other rim road and trail projects. [97] As the war years approached, there was still a great deal of work needed on roads and trails.