War in the Pacific Cultural Resources Inventory

PART 2b

Today, Asan and Agat beach units consist of residential, commercial, and light industrial properties owned by private residents, Government of Guam, and the National Park Service. Asan Beach is one contiguous segment of land with visitor facilities at the west end. Agat Beach Unit is one contiguous unit with four segments presently owned by the National Park Service. Two of these segments, Apaca and Ga'an Point have developed visitor facilities including interpretive displays, picnic pavilions, bar-b-que grills, restrooms, and parking areas. Memorials and monuments have been added throughout the park and are scattered throughout the landscape. In the three segments that accommodate visitors, Asan Beach, Apaca Point, and Ga'an Point, the landscape is primarily grassy coastal flats with coconut groves at the shoreline and limestone forests on the rocky outcroppings.

Circulation patterns are directly related to the topography and natural terrain of the island. Presently, the primary road along the west central section of the island, near Asan and Agat beaches is Marine Drive. It runs along the shore on the coastal flat. A few arterial roads extend off Marine Drive to intersect the island and connect with the eastern coastal road. Collector streets and private drives also branch off of Marine Drive and lead to residential areas. Marine Drive is the eastern boundary for the both the Asan and Agat beach units. The NPS Visitor Center, located approximately halfway between Asan Point and Adelup Point, has access off of Marine Highway into a U-shaped paved parking area. The beach area to the north and south, maintained by NPS, abuts the highway and has only private drives accessing residences and businesses. The entrance to Asan Beach area connects to a wide crescent shaped drive that terminates at a paved parking area. This drive was constructed with the Navy field hospital complex built during the Vietnam War around the mid-sixties.

Four footpaths extend from the Asan Beach parking area. One path, to the north, is a winding sidewalk that parallels the beach then circles west to reconnect with the entry road. The second path, to the west, circles out to Asan Point and offers an extension leading to the U.S. Armed Forces Memorial. This path to the memorial is a concrete sidewalk that was eroded and broken by storm surges during Supertyphoon Paka which occurred December 16, 1997. It was repaired according to the Emergency Rehabilitation Plan (ERP 1998). These paths were not present during the historic period.

Two other paths, connecting to the entry road, lead up to Asan Ridge. One begins behind the restrooms and the other is further west. Both connect perpendicular to a ridgeline path. These three paths are primitive: clay and rock with vegetation trimmed back. The slopes are steep and often rocky with only a few concrete blocks inserted for steps. The rough footing, combined with the steep slope, adds to the historic character of the scene and lets one begin to imagine the conditions during the battle. Atop the ridge, rougher tertiary paths require concentrated attention and cause the pillboxes and caves, tucked behind dense vegetation, to come as a surprise. It is undetermined if this ridgeline path was present during the battle. It is doubtful because it would expose the location of Japanese caves and pillboxes. However, the primitive character of these paths, along Asan Ridge, contributes to the hiker's experience and ability to imagine the historic conditions.

Today, the Agat Beach Unit of the park, between Apaca Point and Bangi Point has access points from Marine Drive. The northernmost visitor area is Apaca Point. It has two access drives and two parking areas. The northernmost drive is the northern park boundary. The center visitor area is Ga'an Point with one U-shaped access and parking area. Bangi Point, the southernmost unit, has no access or parking. Only two paved pathways are located within the Agat Beach Unit. A paved sidewalk leads from the parking area to the beach at Ga'an Point. At Apaca Point a sidewalk leads to the beach area with gun emplacements and interpretive signage. A branch veers off to the northwest and circles an outcropping with Japanese defense caves. Both sidewalks are new, replaced after super-typhoon Paka in 1998. These sidewalks are not historic and do not contribute to the historic landscape.All entry roads, parking areas, paved and unpaved interpretive paths throughout the Asan and Agat beach units are modern additions to the landscape. None of these circulation features were present during the period of significance.

Many Japanese defensive structures remain on the landscape. Preservation of the historic features, the site itself and the historic character commemorates this event in American history. It commemorates the 1,857 U.S. Marines, soldiers, sailors, airmen, and coast guard who died, the 6,053 who were wounded, over 11,000 Japanese and Korean soldiers who died and the unknown number of Chamorro people who died throughout the Japanese occupation and the actual battle. (Gailey 1988:187), (GMP 1983:17).