PIPE SPRING Cultures at a Crossroads: An Administrative History

Introduction

By the fall of 1930, Custodian Leonard Heaton's monthly reports to headquarters referenced problems of area unemployment. In November he wrote, "There have been only a few people here this last month and they have been hunting work and something to eat." [830] In August 1932 he reported, "The people of this section received 10,800 pounds of flour from the Red Cross which will be a great help to some, but if work is not furnished to some they will go hungry or will have to be kept by some charity organization this winter." [831] During the fall of 1932, Mohave County offered roadwork to help alleviate the problem. Heaton reported, "Road work on Highway 89 is underway allowing married men 30 hours of work each week at .50 per hour. The work has been so arranged that about six or seven men from each settlement will be at work all the time." [832] Yet the problem of unemployment was far too acute and widespread to be solved by local, county, or even state measures. The mobilization of federal forces was required to address the worst financial crisis of the 20th century, known as the Great Depression. The federal programs implemented during the 1930s would considerably impact Pipe Spring National Monument.