NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                               MORNING REPORT

To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Friday, January 15, 1999

INCIDENTS

99-9 - Death Valley NP (CA) - ARPA Incident; Resource Recovery

On January 1st, a local newspaper ran an article describing the discovery of
a trunk associated with a group of Forty-Niners which had been found in a
remote area of the park by J.F., a resident of Pearblossom,
California.  According to the article, J.F. found the trunk last November
while scouting routes for a planned backpacking trip which would retrace
routes which might have been taken through the area by Forty-Niners on their
way to the California gold fields.  J.F. first found a knife and ox shoe,
which led him to a more thorough search of the area.  He found the trunk
wedged into a rock shelter, held in place with rocks and a piece of wood. 
During this and subsequent trips, J.F. and associates reportedly opened,
photographed and inventoried the contents of the trunk, then put it back in
its original location.  Park chief of resource management Linda Greene
contacted J.F. by phone on January 4th.  J.F. told her that he'd in
fact removed the trunk from the park and taken it to his home.  He said he'd
done this because he was afraid that pot hunter might find it and take it for
economic gain, and because he was concerned about the Park Service's ability
to preserve the artifacts.  Greene convinced J.F. that it was in his best
interest and the best interest of the artifacts for him to turn the trunk and
all its contents over to park staff.  J.F. and his brother brought the
trunk to the park the next day and gave them to Blair Davenport, curator at
Furnace Creek.  The trunk has been inventoried and placed in storage.  Its
contents included lace textiles, ceramic and brass containers, a handmade
basket, a sighting glass, a pair of children's shoes, a doll, jewelry, books,
correspondence, pictures, a canteen, a flintlock pistol with a holster,
powder horns, a property manifest, and coins from the late 1700s through
1849.  Park staff are currently in the process of making a determination on
the authenticity of the trunk and its contents and assessing the accuracy of
the location where it was reportedly found.  If the trunk and contents are
authentic, they evidently belonged to William Robinson of Illinois, a
Jayhawker who traveled through Death Valley.  Robinson was with a group of
Forty-Niners who were seeking a short cut from the Spanish Trail.  They began
their ill-fated journey on November 11, 1849 at Mount Misery, Utah,
separating into groups and eventually arriving in Death Valley in December,
1849.  They then continued west in separate groups and arrived in various
parts of the Panamint Mountains by January, 1850.  According to diaries,
folklore, and other accounts, thirst, starvation, and the death of their
livestock forced many to leave behind portions of their personal belongings
in order to survive the remainder of the trip.  The trunk with its contents
appear to be associated with Robinson.  The handwritten manifest with
instructions is dated January 2, 1850.  Historical records indicate that
Robinson survived his trek out of Death Valley, but that he apparently died
from drinking too much cold water when near exhaustion upon reaching Barrel
Springs (near present-day Palmdale, California) on January 28, 1850.  Removal
of the trunk and its contents meet all legal thresholds and definitions found
within the Archeological Resources Protection Act of 1979.  A final decision
on any potential charges against J.F. remains on hold pending the park's
authenticity investigation of both the articles and the reported location of
the find.  [Blair Davenport, Curator, and Scot McElveen, Acting CR, DEVA,
1/12]

99-10 - Mesa Verde NP (CO) - Search and Rescue

New Jersey visitors E.L., 35 and C.P., 37, became lost
while hiking in the Cliff Palace area on January 10th.  Rangers noticed their
rental car parked in an area which is closed at dusk.  A hasty search was
conducted, but no sign of the occupants was found.  Rangers began an
extensive search the next morning which involved park staff, search dogs,
Civil Air Patrol aircraft and local search units.  E.L. and C.P. were
found out of the primary search area five miles north of the point last seen
after they built a signal fire on January 13th.  They were mobile during most
of the search and had covered about nine miles of rugged canyon terrain. 
Both suffered from cold and dehydration; they were flown out by air ambulance
but not hospitalized.  [Charlie Peterson, CR, MEVE, 1/13]   

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION

No entries.

PARK DISPATCHES

No entries.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No entries.

MEMORANDA

No entries.

INTERCHANGE

No entries.

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Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the cooperation and
support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.

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