Scotts Bluff Administrative History

PART II:
Operating The National Monument (continued)

ARCHEOLOGY

Archeological investigations first began in the Scotts Bluff vicinity in 1932 and were followed by a succession of light excavations. The first archeological study done for the NPS came in 1966 when Wendell Frantz of the Nebraska State Historical Society compiled An Archeological Survey of Scotts Bluff National Monument. Survey procedures included surface collections and shovel tests. Frantz remarked that few conclusions could be drawn from the survey because of the limited cultural remains recovered. He continued:

It can be said that Scotts Bluff was occupied one or more times in the prehistoric past. The pottery and point types found suggest that some or all of these occupants were probably culturally affiliated to those of central Nebraska whose remains have been labled [sic] the Upper Republican Aspect.

In view of the small amount of material found, further research work can not [sic] be recommended. While it is possible that more material could be found on the summit or that some shelters existed under rock ledges, Scotts Bluff probably did not play a major role as a living area in the prehistoric occupation of western Nebraska. [133]

Fortunately, the NSHS recommendation was not followed, and in April 1975, the Department of Anthropology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln conducted archeological reconnaissances at both Scotts Bluff and Agate Fossil Beds National Monuments. The surveys were conducted by Dr. Marvin Kay under a cooperative agreement with the NPS Midwest Archeological Center (MWAC). The primary objective of the surveys was to "locate, identify, and evaluate archaeological sites eligible for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places." [134]

Three previously unrecorded archeological sites were located at Scotts Bluff. The site that Frantz discussed in the 1966 report, 25SF11, was found to be "considerably larger" than he had described. The data gathered at one of the four sites led Kay to state that the "assignment of an Upper Republican cultural affiliation... is very tenuous." [135]

Kay proposed that both Scotts Bluff and Agate Fossil Beds are archeologically similar to Signal Butte and Ash Hollow Cave, two intensively-studied sites which "provide a comparative base, or datum, for western Nebraska archeology." The sites span the past 4,000 years and include the McKean, Plains Woodland, Upper Republican, and Dismal River cultural complexes. Short term or, most likely, seasonal encampments of small hunting parties made over a long period of time are represented at the two monuments.

As for potential eligibility to the National Register of Historic Places, Kay recommended more studies of the sites be conducted. He wrote:

Studies of subsistence, settlement, regional exchange and environmental reconstruction would provide a necessary theoretical framework for evaluating and nominating these Scotts Bluff and Agate Fossil Beds national monument sites to the National Register. Prior to completion of some or all of the above-listed studies, I believe that it would be premature to single out any of these sites as suitable for nomination. It should not be construed that these sites either in part or in their entirety are of insufficient quality or theoretical importance for National Register consideration....it should be clear that these sites are significant cultural resources requiring careful management, if not nomination at this time to the National Register. [136]

SAFETY

Visitors are urged to exercise caution when traversing the monument trails, and warned for their safety and for the preservation of the resource not to leave the designated trails. Rattlesnakes, while indigenous to the area, have not caused much alarm for Scotts Bluff administrators or visitors. Venturing too close to the edge of the bluffs can also be dangerous. The loose soil can easily give way and strong gusts of wind can cause the most sure-footed to lose his sense of balance. Common visitor injuries are principally restricted to minor scrapes and sprains, but tragedy has struck three separate times since the 1919 Proclamation of Establishment.

The first of three men to die at the monument was a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) youth in 1935. Lawrence Campbell, 17, fell to his death on June 30 1935, while working on the summit road near the first tunnel. He apparently lost his balance and fell 25 feet over the bluff's edge onto the rocks below.

The second fatality came on February 22, 1970, when Joseph Arnold Kinnersley, 12, of Scottsbluff fell to his death. The victim and his six companions hiked to the monument to explore the badlands when four of the boys, led by Kinnersley, decided to ascend to the summit. At the North Overlook, Kinnersley went beyond the trail and retaining wall to see if he could see his two friends in the badlands below. He lost his footing on the crumbling sandstone, landed on a ledge 30 feet below, and plummeted out over the cliff. The boy fell another 120 feet before striking the rocks and sliding 75 feet down the side of the bluff. He sustained massive head and body injuries. A community rescue squad, summoned by monument personnel, arrived, but the boy was pronounced dead at the scene. [137]

Four years later, three boys hiking below the North Overlook reported seeing a body in a ravine. NPS personnel investigated an area 125 yards below and north of the North Overlook cliff and discovered the decomposing body of a young male. The body was removed the next morning, February 4, 1974, and the county pathologist determined that while the man suffered a broken leg and other minor injuries, his death was the result of exposure. The man was identified as Leonardo J. Hernandez-Chavez, 23, of Scottsbluff. Chavez was reported missing by his family on January 8, the most likely date of Chavez's death. Officials speculated that Chavez, who oddly did not drive his vehicle to the monument, was alone on the summit and lost his footing. Climatic conditions at the time included subzero temperatures and several inches of snow. [138]

ENERGY CONSERVATION

Conservation of energy became a priority in 1973 as NPS personnel devised plans to make the daily operation of Scotts Bluff National Monument more energy-efficient. The conservation program included insulating the two residence buildings, installing a day/night thermostat in the visitor center, weatherstripping windows and doors, and mowing the trail and road sides when needed and not on a regular schedule. Monument personnel elected to take shorter lunch periods and close the visitor center one-half hour earlier. The effort to reduce energy consumption and thereby cut operating costs is a continuing program. [139]

YOUTH PROGRAMS

A proposal to establish facilities in various parks for a Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) program in 1962 met with little enthusiasm at Scotts Bluff. Since the old CCC camp was demolished before World War II, no such resident employment program has been instituted. To establish any new facility within monument boundaries would result in an intrusion on the historic scene, an unacceptable action. To build a Scotts Bluff YCC camp, Superintendent Harold R. Jones noted, would be unwise because it would be difficult to utilize the manpower. He suggested that considerable work for YCC personnel could be done at Lake Minatare in the Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area, and at the Bridgeport State Recreation Area. [140]

A Neighborhood Youth Corps (NYC) program began at Scotts Bluff in the mid-1960s as the result of an agreement with the Northwest Nebraska Community Action Council (formerly the Nebraska Panhandle Community Action Agency). Established under the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, the NYC enrollees work for a period of three months doing a wide variety of tasks. In June 1968, for example, construction began on the monument's Bicycle Trail link to Gering as a result of a cooperative effort with the NYC. [141] NYC labor was also utilized in 1973 to cleanup a dumping area on recently acquired land. [142]

The Boy Scouts of America have also helped with monument projects. In April 1971, local Boy Scouts cleaned up a junk-strewn flood plain on recently acquired land. The beautification effort was part of the Park Service's SOAR (Save Our American Resources) and the Boy Scouts' Conservation Good Turn programs. [143] (In the summer of 1983, an erosional control project on the Oregon Trail was accomplished). [144]

Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) workers are hired at the monument on a limited, as needed basis. Collectively, most CETA employees at Scotts Bluff have been American Indians and members of other minority groups. [145]

LAW ENFORCEMENT AND MONUMENT SECURITY

In 1977, monument personnel participated in an area drill which simulated a crash of a large commercial airliner. Superintendent Don Harper was the drill coordinator and Chief Ranger Charles B. Cooper was the American Red Cross' First Aid and Food Chairman. All local, State, and Federal agencies participated in the first disaster drill ever staged in the Nebraska panhandle. [146]

Also in 1977, the superintendent and the chief ranger were invited to join the area law enforcement council made up of various law enforcement groups. [147] This recognition by community law enforcement agencies led to the 1979 mutual aid agreement with the Scotts Bluff County Sheriff's Office which resulted in the deputization of monument rangers. The rangers were subsequently certified by the State of Nebraska to use radar in their traffic control duties. Superintendent Burns characterized as "excellent" the relationship and cooperation with local police departments. [148]

The premier security breach (or an error in administrative judgement) in the monument's history occurred in the summer of 1957 when the entire collection of William Henry Jackson's original pencil sketches was taken from Scotts Bluff to Denver by the late artist's son. Historian Earl Harris, who was the acting superintendent in the absence of Frank Anderson, allowed Clarence Jackson to take the priceless collection to Denver where Jackson said he was going to copy the sketches for use in a book about his father. Harris' trust in Clarence Jackson was soon questioned by officials in the Midwest Regional Office. This skepticism was well-founded as it soon became evident that Jackson had no intention of returning the sketches. The collection was out of Park Service possession for two years. All the sketches were finally recovered, but, according to former Midwest Regional Historian Merrill J. Mattes:

I don't know how many trips Frank Anderson and Earl Harris made down to Denver. Clarence Jackson was holed up in an apartment there and apparently he was being very difficult. He'd tell them, "That collection really belongs to me." He gave them that sort of story. Then they'd be able to come back with two or three pictures. Then they'd make another trip to Denver. . . . I guess that Earl must've felt terrible about it, and Frank Anderson, too. There's an instance where tragically the collection could have been absconded with, or this crummy rooming house he lived in could have burned down. [149]

The worst breach of security in recent years came on September 5, 1980, when a revolver owned by the late William Henry Jackson was stolen from the Oregon Trail Museum. The 1851 Colt percussion revolver disappeared from a flat-topped glass display case in the rear of the Jackson Room. The historic revolver was never recovered. After the theft, tamper-resistent screws were installed in the museum display cases and the staff was reminded to increase security checks in the building. [150]

As a direct result of the theft, a draft security plan for Scotts Bluff National Monument was compiled in March 1981 "to assure the physical security and protection of the historical artifacts displayed and stored in the Visitor Center/Museum complex and the quonset hut behind the Superintendent's house." The plan calls for the acquisition of additional locks, safes, lighting, and alarms to secure the buildings and deter potential intruders. In the planning stage, a fire and intrusion alarm for the visitor center and Quonset hut will be directly linked to a dispatcher and both ranger residences. When the present superintendent's house is removed (late 1983) the Quonset hut will be left without adequate protection despite the alarm systems. It is the present storage facility for a large segment of the priceless Cook Collection. The report recommended, therefore, that funding be found for the relocation of the structure whenever the house is removed. Another recommendation called for installing silent alarms in the areas where money is handled, at the OTMA sales desk and the entrance fee collection station. [151]