Montezuma Castle
National Monument
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Chapter 5
MOVING ON UP
The Modern Development of the Monument

Notes


1. Clemenson, Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, 176.

2. Rothman, Preserving Different Pasts, 222. Rothman discusses how the organizational changes of the Park Service in the 1930s led to a new system of integrated management that helped erase the previous importance placed on the designation of NPS sites.

3. The first long-term planning document for Montezuma Castle National Monument was written by Assistant Landscape Architect H.A. Kreinkamp in 1931. In subsequent years, NPS specialists directed increasing attention to various issues at the monument and produced additional master plans, studies, and reports.

4. For more on the NPS Landscape Architecture Division and its role in the development of master-planning and regional-planning procedures, see chapter 5 of Ethan Carr, Wilderness by Design: Landscape Architecture and the National Park Service (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1998). This book offers an insightful historical account of how landscape architects shaped the development of the NPS system in the early twentieth century.

5. The visitation figures for Montezuma Castle during the war years reflect the significant decrease in tourism at this time. In 1941, there were 10,077 visitors to the monument. These numbers dropped in 1942 to 4,713 visitors, in 1943 to 2,715 visitors, and in 1944 to 3,161 visitors.

6. Albert Schroeder began his work in anthropology as a student of Byron Cummings and Emil Haury at the University of Arizona. His master's thesis, which is still considered to be an important study of the archeology of the Salt River Valley, involved one of the first systematic examinations of Hohokam sites north of the Gila Basin. After serving in the army during World War II, Schroeder went on to a long and distinguished career in archeology with the National Park Service, beginning with his assignment at Montezuma Castle National Monument in 1946. He eventually reached the rank of chief of the NPS Division of Interpretation in the Southwest Regional Office in Santa Fe before retiring in 1976. His accomplishments include a prodigious record of scholarly publication, numerous archeological survey and excavation projects, and extensive archival research on Spanish colonial and American territorial period documents. He was well known for developing the theory of the prehistoric Hakataya culture of western Arizona. A more detailed discussion of Schroeder's archeological research in the Verde Valley appears in chapter 6 on resource management. For more information on Schroeder and his work with the NPS, see Todd W. Bostwick, "Albert Schroeder 1914—1993," Kiva 60 (spring 1995): 443—45; and Charlie R. Steen, "Albert H. SchroederAlways Working," in Southwestern Culture History: Collected Papers in Honor of Albert H. Schroeder, ed. Charles H. Lange (Albuquerque: Papers of the Archaeological Society of New Mexico, no. 10, 1985), 1—13.

7. Various correspondence about the Webb boundary dispute can be found in Lands, Water, and Recreation Planning files at the Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments administrative office and at the Western Archeological and Conservation Center, Tucson, Archival Record Group 18, 1:5—7. Further discussion about the impact of this dispute appears in chapter 6 on resource management issues at the monument.

8. Jack Beckman, "A History of Montezuma Well" (unpublished manuscript); William Back Jr., interview by Albert Schroeder, NPS Archeologist, 24 May 1947, transcript, Western Archeological and Conservation Center, Tucson. Beckman's history of Montezuma Well and the transcript of Schroeder's interview with William Back Jr. contain many interesting stories about the Back family's ownership and development of the Well property, including topics such as daily life on the ranch, tourism at the Well, excavations of various nearby features, and the settlement and growth of the region.

9. Annual Report for the 1948 Fiscal Year, National Archives, Record Group 79, box 2288 F-207; Montezuma Castle National Monument administrative office fact file.

10. Montezuma Castle National Monument fact file, Interpretation. Another improvement to the monument grounds included the removal of the old Castle store building, which had ceased to be used in 1942. The furniture and fixtures from the store were sold and the building itself was sold to R. W. Wingfield of Camp Verde in 1949. After the structure was removed, the site was restored to its original appearance. The removal of the Castle store is referred to in Montezuma Castle National Monuments Monthly Narrative Reports (24 March 1949).

11. Montezuma Castle National Monument fact file; Montezuma Castle National Monuments Monthly Narrative Reports (26 November 1950).

12. Various correspondence between Homer F. Hastings, custodian, Montezuma Castle National Monument, and Region Three National Park Service officials, August 1947—October 1948, Western Archeological and Conservation Center, Tucson, Archival Record Group 18, 1:20.

13. The first mention of the idea to build a miniature reconstruction of Montezuma Castle is referred to in Robert H. Rose, park naturalist, Southwestern Monuments, Montezuma Castle National Monument Museum Development Plan, 1932, Western Archeological and Conservation Center, Tucson, Archival Record Group 18, 1:22. In this plan, Rose notes that Martin Jackson suggested that a scale model of the Castle be installed to interpret the ruins to the many visitors unable to climb the ladders. In subsequent years, as concern about the condition of the Castle intensified, Earl Jackson once again brought this idea to the attention of NPS officials. However, the Park Service did not begin to pursue this idea seriously until the late 1940s.

Apparently at least two previously constructed models of Montezuma Castle were used to interpret the ruins at locations other than the monument. The Montezuma Castle National Monument fact file includes a reference to a diorama, made by the Western Museums Laboratory around 1937, which was on permanent loan to the San Diego Museum of Man. This plaster model, roughly four feet by five feet in size, remained on display in the museum's Pueblo Hall until 1993, when it was put in storage. In 1996, the museum sold the model to R. G. Munn Auctioneers, who then auctioned it to a private collector. (Linda Fish, registrar, San Diego Museum of Man, personal communication, 7 October 1998; Ron Munn, R. G. Auctioneers, personal communication, 8 October 1998.) Another replica of Montezuma Castle is still on display at the Smoki Museum in Prescott. This model was constructed in 1933 by the same CWA crew that built the Smoki Museum building in the early 1930s. Mrs. Edward S. Tanner of Prescott restored the display in 1967. The model, which is four feet six inches high by seven feet eight inches wide by three feet deep, depicts the prehistoric residents of the Castle engaged in various daily activities and includes miniature artifacts and natural landscape features. The Smoki Museum files suggest that the CWA crew built several of these models; however, it is unclear what happened to the other Castle displays (Joanne Cline, collections chair, archivist, Smoki Museum, personal communication, 9 October 1998). An additional reference to a diorama of Montezuma Castle is made in a newspaper clipping from Prescott dated 30 June 1941 (Sharlot Hall Museum Archives, Prescott, Arizona, clippings folder 21). The article mentions a replica of the Castle exhibited in the offices of the Yavapai Associates in Prescott. The author claims that this model was built by "CCC Corps" and was used by the county promotional organization to attract the attention of tourists and direct them to the monument. This model was possibly one of those built by the Smoki Museum CWA crew.

14. It is interesting to note that John O. Cook, who served as superintendent of Montezuma Castle between 1949 and 1956, began a family legacy with the National Park Service. Cook began his NPS career at the Grand Canyon in 1936 as a laborer in the Sanitation Department before later transferring to Montezuma Castle. Cook's son, also named John, followed in his father's footsteps in the agency. He served as an administrator over Montezuma Castle in his position as superintendent of the Southern Arizona Group Office in Phoenix and, until his retirement in 1999, held the position of NPS regional director of the Intermountain Region.

15. Montezuma Castle National Monument fact file; Nicholas Eason, "History of Montezuma Castle National Monument" (unpublished manuscript), 64—65, Montezuma Castle National Monument library. It should be noted that although the Back family charged fifty cents for admission to Montezuma Well when they owned the property, the Park Service has never implemented a fee for admission to this unit of the monument.

16. Various correspondence from January 1952 to October 1953, Western Archeological and Conservation Center, Tucson, Archival Record Group 18, 1:21.

17. In 1955, the combined visitation for Montezuma Castle and Montezuma Well was 60,700; in 1956, the total visitation jumped to 138,200.

18. In 1940, the populations of Maricopa and Pima Counties, which include the municipalities of Phoenix and Tucson, were 186,193 and 72,838 respectively; in 1950, they increased to 331,770 and 141,216. Source: Henry P. Walker and Don Bufkin, Historical Atlas of Arizona, Second Edition (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1986), 61—62.

19. For a detailed overview of the changes in the West during and after World War II, see Gerald D. Nash, The American West Transformed: The Impact of the Second World War (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1985).

20. Rothman, Preserving Different Pasts, 222; Richard West Sellars, Preserving Nature in the National Parks: A History (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1997), 184—85.

21. Mission 66 Prospectus for Montezuma Castle National Monument, National Park Service Prospectus, 3—4, 6, quoted in Eason, "History of Montezuma Castle," 69, 71—72.

22. Gilbert Wenger, acting superintendent, Montezuma Castle National Monument, to general superintendent, 18 April 1956, Western Archeological and Conservation Center, Tucson, Archival Record Group 18; Luis A. Gastellum, assistant general superintendent, to general superintendent, 9 August 1956, Western Archeological and Conservation Center, Tucson, Archival Record Group 18.

23. Montezuma Castle National Monument Museum Prospectus, ca. 1956; Master Plan for the Preservation and Use of Montezuma Castle National Monument, Arizona, 1961, Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments administrative office, development files.

24. Montezuma Castle National Monument Museum Prospectus, 1956(?), Western Archeological and Conservation Center, Tucson, Archival Record Group 18.

25. 1957 Master Plan Development Outline for Montezuma Castle National Monument, Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments administrative office, development files.

26. Eason, "History of Montezuma Castle," 70. For detailed information about each of the specific improvements, including project descriptions, names of contractors, total costs, and dates of completion, see Narrative Completion Reports in the Development Files at the Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments administrative office.

27. Verde Independent (Cottonwood), 15 September 1960; Monthly Narrative Report, Montezuma Castle National Monument, 1 October 1960.

28. Mission 66 Narrative Completion Reports, Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments administrative office, development files. The completion reports for the Mission 66 improvements contain project specifications, contractor information, and cost figures. These reports provide a useful record of all of the development projects going on at this time.

29. Ibid.

30. Ibid.

31. Ibid.; Montezuma Castle National Monument, fact file. Details of the archeological work done at Montezuma Well appears in chapter 6 on resource management at the monument.

32. Sellars, Preserving Nature in the National Parks, 185—87.

33. 1964 Master Plan Narrative, Montezuma Castle National Monument, Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments administrative office, development file.

34. Montezuma Castle National Monument fact file.

35. Ibid. The monument fact file also contains a record of other maintenance activities, development issues, and repairs at the monument.

36. The postwar population statistics for all of Yavapai County reflect the pattern of growth in the Verde Valley communities. In 1950, the population for the county was 24,991; in 1960, it was 28,912. By 1970, the population had grown to 36,837, and by 1980 it had soared to 68,145. Source: Walker and Bufkin, Historical Atlas of Arizona, 61.

37. Montezuma Castle National Monument Statement for Management, 1978, 10, Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments administrative office. Further discussion of the impact of regional growth on area resources appears in chapter 6 on the monument and resource management issues.

38. Final Master Plan, Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments, 1975, 9, on file at the Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments administrative office.

39. Glen Henderson, interview by Josh M. Protas, 11 April 1997, Montezuma Castle National Monuments Oral History Project, Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments administrative office. The transcripts of this interview contain details of Henderson's career with the Park Service and some of the major issues he has dealt with as superintendent of Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments. As of January 2001, Glen Henderson continued to serve as the superintendent of these monuments.

40. Final Master Plan, Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments, 1975, 23.

41. Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments administrative office, development files.

42. Ibid.

43. Final Master Plan, Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments, 1975, 25—26; Statement for Management, Montezuma Castle National Monument.

44. Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments administrative office, development files; Glen Henderson, interview by Josh M. Protas, 11 April 1997.

45. Glen Henderson, interview by Josh M. Protas, 11 April 1997: "Visitor Center Is Closed to House Casino," Journal (Camp Verde), 18 November 1992.

46. Brian T. Fitzgerald, 'Yavapai-Apache Casino Opening Set." Journal (Camp Verde), 3 May 1995.

47. Statement for Management, Montezuma Castle National Monument, 1995, 3, Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments administrative office.

48. Final Master Plan, Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments. 1975, 27.

49. Ibid., 27—29.

50. Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments, fact file; Statement for Management, Montezuma Castle National Monument. 1995, 9.

51. Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments, fact file.

52. Environmental Assessment, Montezuma Castle National Monument Sewage Treatment and Disposal System, November 1981; Statement for Management, Montezuma Castle National Monument, 1995, 9

53. Combined Interpretive Prospectus for Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, Montezuma Castle National Monument, Montezuma Well Unit, Tuzigoot National Monument, Tonto National Monument, and Walnut Canyon National Monument, 1993, 1—5, 15—25. On file at Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments administrative office,

54. Montezuma Castle National Monument Draft Exhibit Concept Plan, 1997. On file as Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments administrative office.

55. Ibid.

56. A more detailed discussion of NAGPRA issues at Montezuma Castle appears in chapter 6 on resource management.

57. Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments administrative office, interpretation files.

58. Final Master Plan, Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments, 1975, 14, 16.


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A Past Preserved in Stone:
A History of Montezuma Castle National Monument

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