Colorado A Classic Western Quarrel: A History of the Road Controversy at Colorado National Monument

Administration of Colorado National Monument, 1933-1942

Throughout the construction years, shifts in the management of Colorado National Monument significantly influenced local opinion of the Park Service and local use of the park. For the first time in its history, the Monument was supervised by superintendents, each of whom had his agenda for the park and his own idea of how to implement regulations. As each superintendent instituted more stringent regulations, local residents acquired the classic symptoms of Westerners who reject federal control as much as they rely upon it. At the same time that local residents accepted the employment supplied by the road project, they resented the government's control of the road once it was completed.

On November 14, 1933, Clifford Anderson arrived from Yellowstone to assume custodial responsibilities at Colorado National Monument. He immediately met with the secretary of the chamber of commerce W.M. Wood for a briefing on the park. [359] One of his first objectives was to educate the local populous about proper behavior in the park. He noted to National Park Service Director Arno Cammerer that in the past the Monument had been "abused terribly" and that he did not believe "people realize what these natural features mean to us and our future generations." [360] One of the worst problems was name-carving in the sandstone around the Devils Kitchen picnic area and Cold Shivers Point. To prevent further damage, Anderson planned to put up a boundary line sign, warning against "disfiguring or defacing" park property. He also worked to prevent rampant wood hauling from the park by commencing daily patrols. [361]

Anderson initiated many changes during his short time as custodian of the Colorado National Monument. Many of his policies conformed to the Park Service mission but were also shaped by local conditions and activities taking place in the park. His decision to restrict visitor access to the park was a response to heavy construction on Rim Rock Road. The section of road in Fruita Canyon involved some of the heaviest construction on Rim Rock Drive and was also a magnet for curious visitors eager for a glimpse of the work being done there. On February 18, 1934, there were over 600 visitors watching as charges of powder blasted the walls of the canyon. [362] By June 1934, Anderson's fears that the presence of tourists endangered both visitors and workmen had compelled him to restrict visitor access to the park. He also decided to install a box to register visitors. [363]

Anderson's custodianship exemplified a new level of Park Service presence in the Colorado National Monument. In addition to his campaign against vandalism and his efforts to monitor visitation of the park, he also conducted daily inspections of work projects in the park and maintained relations with the chamber of commerce. By August 1934, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument was placed under the jurisdiction of Colorado National Monument. Anderson began periodic inspection trips there as well. In June 1935, his idea for a registration box was expanded into a checking station, by which he hoped to provide information for visitors in addition to checking levels of visitation. He placed two iron pipe gates "to control travel from entering from Glade Park and Cold Shivers during the nights." [364] He was determined to control local access to the Park during construction and probably planned to extend this policy once the road was completed.

Anderson's departure from the Colorado National Monument in July 1935 resulted from an administrative conflict that arose between himself, Secrest, and the landscape architects over the construction of the road. [365] According to Secrest, Anderson had become too involved in the engineering of the road for which he had no experience or qualifications. When he was appointed custodian, he was expected to carry on relations with local organizations and attend to the overall protection of the park. Secrest was responsible for road, construction and supervision. Although the two men maintained a cooperative relationship, Secrest commented that "it was unfortunate and unfair for both Mr. Anderson and the Government that a policy exists whereby authority and control of expensive Government works are vested in an administrative head as such, regardless of the experience or ability. Mr. Anderson cannot be blamed too severely—he was a victim." [366] Anderson felt that, in light of this conflict, his services would be of greater use in another park. He left the Colorado National Monument on good terms with the community and with Secrest. [367] Secrest was designated acting custodian until a replacement was selected. [368]

In August 1935, Mesa Verde National Park assumed authority of the Colorado National Monument and the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. Ernest P. Leavitt became acting superintendent of the Monument and Black Canyon on August 13. [369] On October 4, 1935, Paul R. Franke, Assistant Park Naturalist at Mesa Verde, assumed Leavitt's duties as acting superintendent. [370] During that same month, Park Service officials decided to "kill all plans for a permanent ranger or custodian at this time," and to "continue having the superintendent of Mesa Verde in charge as acting custodian." They felt that, because vandalism had not worsened since Otto's days, a resident custodian was unnecessary. Furthermore, the road project was the first priority: "the big job is to push the road ahead with all force." [371]

In May 1936, the Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce expressed its displeasure with this decision, once again illustrating that it still affected Park Service policy to a certain degree:

There is no relation between Mesa Verde and the Colorado National Monument, nor has the Superintendent the least interest in or conception of how a project should be carried on. [372]

The National Park Service considered the chamber's opinions, but eventually decided it was best to have a permanent national park superintendent in charge of the Monument as Secrest was only a temporary ECW employee. [373] As late as December 1937, however, the Mesa County Commissioners adopted and passed a resolution in which they stated that, because of the differences between Colorado National Monument and Mesa Verde, the "joint administration" of the parks was "incompatible with the best interest, proper development, and fullest utilization of Colorado National Monument in which the people of Grand Junction and the surrounding territory are vitally interested ... ." [374] A copy of the resolution sent to Congressman Taylor indicated the local community's continuing proprietary attitude about the park; they requested that a separate administration and custodian be acquired for Colorado National Monument for the sake of the "large public investment." [375]

In early 1936, the management of Colorado National Monument shifted once again as Jesse Nusbaum, superintendent of Mesa Verde, became the acting superintendent of the Monument. At first, administration under Mesa Verde consisted of a series of bi-monthly inspections by the acting superintendent. Usually the inspections lasted a day or more and then the acting superintendent returned to Mesa Verde. For the most part, the acting superintendent umpired the relationship between the various federal agencies working on the road and the local community. Many of Nusbaum's policies, like those of his predecessor, were shaped by local conditions. He realized that due to the diversity of work camps in the park an interruption in the work program would endanger at least 600 jobs. To prevent such an event, he devised a plan that included the following: improvement of worker morale, definition of community needs, transfer of a resident ranger, and pushing the work so that more visitors could access the park. He transferred all Colorado National Monument funding, fiscal, and accounting records to Mesa Verde National Park as well. [376]

In September 1937, a resident ranger, James Luther, arrived at Colorado National Monument to serve as the "resident representative" for Mesa Verde. [377] Luther came to the Monument at the same time that Rim Rock Drive opened for visitor use. The road opening changed ranger duties markedly. Previously, visitors were limited by heavy construction, but by 1937 they were able to access most of the park. Increased access created new challenges. Although two CCC enrollees registered visitors at the checking station and two enrollees guarded the entrances, it was difficult to monitor visitor activity once they entered the park. Attempts were made to stop picnickers from driving off the road. By October 1937, 25-mile speed limit signs were placed at each entrance of the park. Actual tests concluded that this was the safest speed by which one could drive the road. Stop signs were also placed at the checking station. [378]

Other regulatory measures were taken as well. An entrance sign was placed at the Glade Park boundary, caution signs were put up on the Fruita Canyon road and larger boundary signs were placed at the four entrances to the Monument in the hope that wood-hauling, firearm use, grazing and hunting would be discouraged. [379] It was evident after the anniversary of the road's opening that local use presented more problems than regular tourist use:

Most of the March travel was local travel, either Grand Junction people out for an afternoon drive or Glade Park residents traveling back and forth to town. This local travel does a great deal of damage to the road in negotiating it during muddy or wet conditions. This condition will be removed when the road is hard surfaced. And the hauling of coal and other heavy supplies over the road by residents of Glade Park area cuts ruts badly during wet weather. One entrance to the Glade Park area certainly ought to be eliminated; and this would save many hundreds of dollars annually in road maintenance. [380]

In July 1938, seventy-five to eighty people were stopped for speeding; Luther reported that "the worst trouble is still with the local people, especially the residents adjacent to the Glade Park store." [381] He felt that educating local residents was the key to preventing abuse of the park and National Park Service regulations [382]

Despite Luther's efforts, there were still elements of the local population who disregarded Park Service regulations. In April 1938, for instance, sheep herds were ordered off both the Fruita Canyon road (the old Dugway) and the Serpents Trail. When confronted with this, sheepmen responded that they had used these roads for 30 years. [383] By 1940, a "consistent, determined effort" was made to eliminate the running of stock across the Monument. Monument officials worked with the Grazing Service to prevent further problems with stockmen. Nevertheless, on several occasions throughout the year, fines were assessed for breaking park regulations and for violating "trail permits" issued by the Grazing Service. [384] The attitude of local ranchers had not changed much since Otto's custodianship. As a result, it was difficult for current superintendents to implement new rules. Inefficiencies in early park management allowed many violations to go unchecked, so that when new regulations were enforced, local ranchers simply reverted to their old ways.

The Monument under James Luther's superintendency experienced many challenges to Park Service regulations. The major source of these challenges involved the newly opened Rim Rock Drive, and the use of the park by local residents. Before he left the Monument near the end of 1940, Luther initiated regular patrols of the road. In March 1940 alone, 19 patrol trips were made over the Rim Rock Drive. [385] Fee collection also became an issue during Luther's custodianship. On May 12, 1939, he used enrollees to collect fees from "cars, trailers, and motorcycles" who passed through headquarters 7 A.M. to 9 P.M. daily. Luther was instructed to pass without charge anyone he knew to be a resident of the Glade Park-Pinyon Mesa region whose sole access to their homes was over the Rim Rock Drive. The same policy was afforded Grand Valley residents with farming or stock interests in Glade Park. [386] At that time, preferential treatment of local residents seemed the best way to balance fee collection for park use and residential traffic to Glade Park via Rim Rock Drive. In an effort to maintain good relations or just for the sake of convenience, Luther implemented an open-ended fee policy that was bound to create conflicts once the population of that region became too large for park officials to recognize. Luther's efforts to maintain a cooperative relationship with local residents extended into other areas as well. He even attended the monthly Mesa County Coordinating Committee meetings in order to keep abreast of community activities and needs. [387]

Between 1941 and 1942, the Monument underwent yet another series of administrative changes. In January 1941, the new custodian, ranger Breyton Finch, arrived at the park to replace Luther. Like Luther, Finch was conscientious of local opinion. He not only attended meetings of the Mesa County Coordinating Committee, he went to the Piñon Mesa Stockgrowers' Association meeting to discuss realignment of existing stock drives in the park. Unlike Luther, however, Finch had some assistance in his work. Another ranger, Charles F. Smith, transferred to the park in March of that year. [388] In April 1941, ranger Homer Carson came to the Monument. For a while everything ran more smoothly than it had in years. Work on construction accelerated, the road was prepared for oiling, and the additional rangers alleviated many of the stresses of park management. [389]

The United States' entrance into World War II in December 1941 necessarily interrupted both the construction of the road and the administration of the park. CCC Camp strength weakened as enrollees enlisted for active duty, and eventually all construction ended in the park. The checking station closed and fee collection ended in November 1941. Eventually, Park Service personnel were called to active duty. Ranger Charles E. Smith left for military service, and even though new rangers replaced him, park activities were at an all-time low. [390]