PIPE SPRING Cultures at a Crossroads: An Administrative History

Planning and Development with the Kaibab Paiute Tribe and Associated Water Issues (continued)

Historical Research on Pipe Spring Ownership

In August 1969 Gilbert authorized Geerdes to begin research that would be useful in establishing Park Service ownership of Pipe Spring. In late August Geerdes spent several days in Kingman, Arizona (the Mohave County seat). Between September and November, he made numerous visits to record depositories in St. George (Washington County seat) and Kanab (Kane County seat). He also interviewed a number of people at Church offices and the Utah Historical Society in Salt Lake City as well as made extensive searches of their legal and historical material. Geerdes estimated he spent more than 80 hours conducting historical research before writing his report in December. [2049] Legal Assistant William L. McKeel visited the monument on December 12 and reviewed water, title, and land exchange problems. He strongly supported Geerdes' efforts to establish legitimate ownership of Pipe Spring. He also reviewed the research work Geerdes had done on the legal title to Pipe Spring. McKeel expressed his approval of Geerdes' work and expressed his opinion that the legal title would stand up in court. [2050]

One mystery that was cleared up in the course of Geerdes' research was the question posed in 1943 about the stockmen's two-acre "reserve" on Pipe Spring National Monument, raised in Part VI of this report. Geerdes discovered that the two acres was "an exact square in the southwest corner of the monument." [2051] A special use permit had been issued by the Park Service to the stockmen, valid from February 1925 to February 1926, for the purpose of their "erecting and maintaining corral and yard fences, water and feed troughs, and any other fixtures necessary for the feeding and handling of range stock." [2052] The permit was never renewed but the corral and watering troughs were used intermittently until 1956 when they were finally removed and the monument's boundary fence built out to the corner. Their long-standing use of the area may have created the impression among some of the stockmen that they either owned this piece of land or that it had been permanently set aside for their use, but neither was the case. No conflict seems to have arisen over the misunderstanding, only a certain amount of administrative confusion in later years! There still existed, however, a cattle access lane along the monument's southeast corner. Geerdes maintained there was no need for this lane anymore; he planned to eliminate it during the fall of 1969 to keep cattle outside the monument boundary. [2053]

On January 1, 1970, Geerdes submitted his 72-page narrative report with supporting documentation to General Superintendent Gilbert. Entitled "The Ownership of Pipe Spring: A Legal and Historical Brief," the report pulled together all that was known at the time regarding the ranch's past owners, including its first owner, the Church. In a few instances, Geerdes was forced to resort to some personal speculation (he wrestled in particular with the shadowy role of the Valentine scrip), but most of his conclusions appear to be based on solid documentation. (See Part I for more information on the ranch's history of ownership.) He maintained that his report "properly substantiates both the historic and legal claims of the National Park Service to Pipe Spring.... the only other legal claim on any of our water is the allotment granted to the cattlemen." [2054] In addition to the internal circulation and usefulness of this report, Geerdes gave a lecture on the history of Pipe Spring's ownership to a group of adults at the Methodist Church in Page, Arizona, in August 1970.