Casa Grande Ruins Administrative History

B. The Era of Isaac T. Whittemore and H. B. Mayo

From the time Whittemore accepted the Casa Grande custodianship in December 1889 until its establishment as a reservation on June 22, 1892, he served in name only, for there was no plot of ground for him to administer. Whether he made any efforts in that period to warn intruders not to vandalize the ruins, as he stated in his acceptance letter, remains unknown. Whittemore did have an enthusiastic interest in preserving the ruins and frequently visited the site. [21]

With the establishment of the reservation in June 1892, Whittemore had the responsibility to administer it. He reported to the commissioner of the General Land Office. In addition, he no longer performed any tasks for free. As soon as the land was reserved, the General Land Office commissioner requested that the Interior Department provide $720 per year for the custodian's salary. That department, however, allowed only $480. This sum would be the custodian's annual salary until Frank Pinkley accepted that position in December 1901. [22]

At first no government department or agency provided Custodian Whittemore with a list of duties. Since no government land had previously been set aside to preserve a cultural site, it was undoubtedly difficult to decide what duties a custodian should perform. It was possible that the General Land Office commissioner wrote to Whittemore for suggestions, but no record remains if such a letter were written. In November, however, Whittemore wrote to the Land Office commissioner and reported that his duties were to visit Casa Grande and report any spoliations or deteriorations. He stated that he had received no instructions on how frequently he needed to visit Casa Grande. Whittemore felt that one visit per month was sufficient considering his salary and the distance he had to travel from Florence to the ruins. It soon became evident that one visit per month or even one visit per week would never prevent vandalism when Whittemore reported that, since his last visitation, people had marked the walls with pencil or nails. [23]

Figure 9: The Great House Viewed from the South 1891
This photograph shows the brick work before it was faced with concrete
Courtesy of Casa Grande Ruins National Monument

In his November 1892 report to the General Land Office commissioner, Whittemore again mentioned his favorite subjects. He wrote that the Great House walls were sound, especially since they had been repaired in the past year. The walls of the upper story, however, needed to be protected by a roof. In addition, the area needed fencing. The heads of the various agencies and department, through which Whittemore's correspondence circulated, had similar reactions to his requests. At first, they either found a roof objectionable or they had no funds. The director of the USGS unsuccessfully sought funds from his agency for a fence. Whether by accident or on purpose, the General Land Office leadership even tried to pass off Casa Grande to another agency. On February 20, 1893, the assistant commissioner of the General Land Office reported that their records showed that Casa Grande had been placed under the control of the Bureau of American Ethnology of the Smithsonian Institution. Therefore, the assistant commissioner suggested that Whittemore make no more reports to his agency. Whittemore must have felt like an unwelcome stepchild. [24]

Despite rejections, Custodian Whittemore did not quit submitting requests. In fact, he broadened his appeal when he reported to the secretary of the interior in September 1893. Whittemore asked for $7,000 or $8,000 to fence forty acres, construct a corrugated iron roof over the Great House, and make excavations in all adjacent ruins. In his view "the necessity of roofing the Ruin is imperative" to prevent the upper wall surface from further erosion. Whittemore requested money for an excavation because he believed that artifacts found in the area were similar to those used in China. Consequently, he wished to have an investigation "in the interest of scientific research" to learn more about the builders' origin. Whittemore also informed the secretary of the interior that, after he found two men painting their names on the Great House walls in July, he had posted a sign which read "Property of the US Government, $300 fine for further defacing this Ruin." By so doing, Whittemore exceeded his authority because no law existed until 1906 to fine vandals. [25]

Unfortunately, the 1893 depression resulted in reduced government spending. Under this circumstance, Whittemore waited until mid-1895 to renew his appropriation request. On this occasion, W. J. McGee, the acting director of the Bureau of Ethnology, supported Whittemore. He told the secretary of the interior that only a roof could protect this one-of-a-kind ruin. Consequently, McGee was sent to examine the great house. In his November 1895 report, McGee concluded that the rate of destruction had advanced with "cumulative rapidity." He also recommended a roof for the ruin, but without success. [26]

Figure 10: The Casa Grande Viewed from the South Ca. 1902.
This photograph shows the concrete facing on the brick.
Courtesy of the Colorado Historical Society.

Figure 11: The Casa Grande Viewed from the East Southeast Ca. 1902.
William Henry Jackson Photograph #14395.
Courtesy of the Colorado Historical Society.

Figure 12: The Casa Grande Viewed from the Northwest Ca. 1902.
William Henry Jackson Photograph #14397.
Courtesy of the Colorado Historical Society.

As a final act of his custodianship, Whittemore wrote to Binger Hermann, the General Land Office commissioner, in January 1899 to remind him once more of the critical need for a roof over the ruins. Whittemore again failed in this effort. H. B. Mayo replaced Whittemore as custodian on October 2, 1899. He inherited Whittemore's concern for a roof. Consequently, Mayo contacted a "good" Los Angeles architect who recommended an asphaltum roof. The architect estimated that, whether an asphaltum or corrugated iron roof were used, the cost would be $2,000. Surprisingly, in February 1900, the secretary of the interior requested a $2,000 appropriation to roof the Great House. A number of Florence residents added their support for a roof by prevailing upon a local General Land Office agent to contact the General Land Office commissioner with their concerns. This local agent, S. J. Holsinger, described the ruins as "fast going to pieces." He urged the General Land Office commissioner to provide for a roof to protect the Great House. Congress, however, did not approve the funds. [27]

In his annual report for fiscal year 1900, Custodian Mayo stated that he had visited the ruins from three to six times per month and had thoroughly inspected the Great House at least twice per month. Mayo wrote that his other duties included preventing settlement and wood cutting on the reservation as well as guarding against the ruin's defacement. He, however, could not prevent vandalism without residing at Casa Grande. Even then he felt that security required a fence around the ruins. Mayo regretted the failure to obtain roof funds. He added that more iron rod braces needed to be placed in the ruins to better secure the walls. [28]

When Mayo filed his annual report for 1901, his uppermost thoughts were for a roof, but he added two other items to the request. He observed that some concrete patchwork was needed in crumbled or undermined portions of the Great House walls and a fence was required for better security. Mayo estimated the cost of these three improvements to be $2,200. By the time the secretary of the interior requested an appropriation for that sum in January 1902, Mayo had vacated the Casa Grande custodianship. When Frank Pinkley, Mayo's successor, penned his first letter to the General Land Office commissioner in February 1902, he attempted to undo the work of the past twelve years. Pinkley stated that he did not recommend a roof for the Great House because it would mar the view of it and, besides, he did not believe the wall tops were wearing away. In addition, he saw no need for a fence. Since there was no forage within 100 yards of the Great House, he thought that range cattle would not stray into the area. Pinkley soon changed his mind. [29]

Figure 13: Boundary Changes.