PIPE SPRING Cultures at a Crossroads: An Administrative History

Interpretation

On-site Programs

The monument's overall plan during the 1960s was to give the fort a lived-in appearance, creating the impression that the 1870s inhabitants had just stepped out and would be back soon. Artifacts were evaluated with this objective in mind and either eliminated from or added to the display as needed. Tours were run on a more informal basis with guides sometimes excusing themselves to begin a new tour or combining groups mid-tour on busy days. (On such occasions, guides were "roving interpreters," in Olsen's words.) In February 1964 a Cousino message repeater was installed in the fort courtyard; it gave the visitor a two-minute introduction. The message repeater told the story of Mormon colonization and described the role of Pipe Spring in that history. The older Mohawk message repeater in the telegraph room told the story of the opening of the Deseret Telegraph Company's station at Pipe Spring. (A Cousino repeater replaced it in 1965.) Touching the telegraph key activated it. The repeaters were helpful, reported Bozarth, "especially on crowded days." [2061] The two-minute message in the courtyard, however, was thought to be too long as visitors walked away before it finished. A telegraph key and sounder were obtained from Mountain States Telegraph and Telephone in 1964 to be used in the reconstructed Deseret Telegraph Office.

In late August 1964, Robert Barrell of the regional office and Chief of Interpretation William C. Everhart (Washington office) visited the fort and made recommendations for improving the interpretive program. Everhart objected to the use of electric lights in the fort, but because this was a controversial issue they continued to be used. On occasion, especially if the day was sunny and rooms were well-lit, staff would turn them off for sometimes visitors too complained about them.

During the spring and early summer of 1964, the 100-year-old pioneer loom was restrung by Olsen and made ready for demonstration use that August. The loom and weaving exhibit was located first in one of the fort rooms, but in May 1965 it was moved to the courtyard and set up beneath the north porch. (Staff wanted to create a photo gallery of "old-time pioneers" connected to the fort in the room vacated.) The first rug woven on it was completed in December 1965. [2062] In 1965 a hand lathe, mortising machine, forge blower, and cheese press were added to demonstrations. When time allowed, guides demonstrated all these contraptions, or at least those that visitors showed an interest in. In the summer of 1966, Olsen put the old forge into working order so it too could be used for demonstrations. Demonstrations that year also included woodworking and rug making. Bozarth reported that older visitors took special delight in personally demonstrating to their friends and families how the loom worked. At some point during 1966 (probably after the summer season had ended), the 100-year-old loom was taken out of service temporarily so it could be worked on. Once repaired, it took Olsen and Bolander an entire season just to restring the loom with warp threads.

During 1967 over 8,000 conducted tours of the fort were given. Demonstrations were offered on the loom, hand lathe, and mortising machine. Paul C. Heaton was the primary guide that summer. Tours were still given on a rather informal level with no set times or schedule. By the end of the travel season, Bozarth was toying with the idea of putting tours on an organized schedule, but he left the monument in September so no change was made that year.

Beginning in 1968, the monument's interpretive program benefited from federally funded job training programs, described earlier. Adult volunteers from the community also were added to the interpretive program on weekends, beginning in the summer of 1969. The monument's use of demonstrations was greatly expanded at that time. (See earlier "Monument Administration" and "Nature Trail" sections.) The fort was the still main interpretive facility (as it had always been) but costumed guides were a novelty and took the administration one step closer to creating the "lived-in" feeling it strove for. Geerdes imagined the courtyard of the fort, with benches set around its interior perimeter, as an outdoor classroom. Benches were already located near the fort entrance; Geerdes suggested that others could be similarly arranged for visitor use.

The construction of the combined nature trail during the summer of 1968 also expanded possibilities for interpretation. While the trail was self-guided, its signage and the scenic panorama atop the Vermillion Cliffs enhanced the visitor's awareness of the area's environment, particularly its geology and topography. Geerdes thought the larger area presented the ideal opportunity for communicating conservation values to the public. From his perspective, the Pueblo ruins below the monument's southern boundary and the Heart Canyon petroglyphs northeast of the fort attested to the importance of the natural springs in human history. The fort and cabins bespoke of the Mormon settlers' ability to adapt to the rugged environment and to exploit its grasses to feed cattle. The effects of overgrazing were readily apparent as one looked out over the desert and would be made even more so once the native grass restoration plan was realized. Then, visitors would be able to better visualize what the landscape looked like before the arrival of Euroamericans and vast numbers of cattle.

During the summer of 1969, the monument's interpretive program was evaluated under Park Service Program Standards for Interpretation and Visitor Services. It was noted that the area did not have a completed interpretive prospectus and had never had one. [2063] It was estimated that to raise the monument's program to an acceptable standard two positions need to be filled (a permanent, GS-3 information receptionist and a GS-4 temporary interpretive guide) and additional equipment purchased at a cost of $12,687. To raise the program to optimum standards, the monument needed to hire (in addition to the above) both a permanent GS-7 historian and a temporary GS-3 information receptionist, at an added cost of $9,741. [2064] While none of these permanent positions was filled prior to Geerdes' departure in the fall of 1970, he did gain the clerical services of Park Aid Konda Button in the fall of 1969 and was able to hire Tony Heaton as a second seasonal historian during the summer of 1970.

Off-site Programs

In 1964 monument staff contacted 1,819 people, presenting programs to the Boy Scouts of America, church and school groups (Moccasin, Fredonia, Alton, Glendale, Orderville, Colorado City); Kanab Firemen; Fredonia Women's Club; Kanab Civic Ladies Club; and Kanab Lions Club. Programs consisted of slide shows of National Park Service sites or films, most of which were from the "What's New" series narrated by Chief of Interpretation William C. Everhart.

In 1965, 882 people were contacted in off-site talks to 15 groups in Kanab, Orderville, Fredonia, Moccasin, Colorado City, and Mt. Trumball. That year Olsen presented a program to Fredonia school children on the Paiute Indians, letting the children grind corn with manos and metates from the monument's collection. At the request of Tribal Chairman Vernon Jake, in June 1965 Bob Olsen presented a slide program on Park Service careers to 10 Indian participants in the Neighborhood Youth Corps at the Indian Branch Chapel of the LDS Church. The monument acquired a movie projector from Zion in late 1965, which was used later in off-site programs.

Off-site talks were given to 14 groups (675 people) in 1966. Olsen or Bozarth visited schools, civic, and church groups. Community programs were taken to Orderville, Kanab, Hilldale, Fredonia, Moccasin, Colorado City, Mt. Trumbull, and Tuweep. The program was particularly well attended at Mt. Trumbull, a very remote settlement that few outsiders, let alone "entertainment," ever came to. Bozarth reported the whole town (95 people) turned out for his four-hour program. In the previous year, Bozarth flew his own plane 90 miles to the settlement to show films to the community, and presumably he continued to do this for succeeding years. Also this year, Zion's Park Naturalist Allan Hagood gave several geology talks to school classes in the Pipe Spring area.

Off-site programs during 1967 included a program at Mt. Trumbull. This time Bozarth was accompanied by Zion's Park Naturalist Barbara Lund who presented slides of Saguaro National Monument and sound recordings of Zion National Park's toads. Thirty-five people turned out for that year's event. Other outreach programs were given to the Kanab Ladies Civic Club and the St. George Chamber of Commerce.