Tonto National Monument
Administrative History

The Tonto National Monument Administrative History is a $30,000 project funded by the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Intermountain Region

Introduction

This commissioned research and writing project is for an administrative history of the Tonto National Monument, designated on December 19, 1907 and soon to celebrate its centennial. The purpose is to provide National Park Service managers, planners, administrators, and interpretation staff at Tonto National Monument with a book that documents the history and significance of the 14 th century Salado archeological sites, the surrounding 1,120 acres of Monument land, and 100 years of preserving, protecting, and interpreting them.

Tonto National Monument was carved out of the Tonto National Forest which, in 1905 was reserved to protect the Salt River and Tonto Creek watershed in anticipation of construction of the Roosevelt Dam. Originally under the Department of Agriculture's Forest Service management, the Monument was publicized by the Southern Pacific Railroad, which trips to the cliff dwellings as part of its Apache Trail Tours. The National Park Service gained administrative control in 1934 and it took until 1975 to eliminate grazing and until 1981 to fence the entire Monument. Archeologists debate who the Salado were (whether a distinct culture or Hohokam); if and how their polychrome pottery and extraordinary weaving defines them; and what caused their "disappearance." The results of recent archeological research in the surrounding Tonto Basin and the consultation with the six Native American communities that claim cultural affinity with the Monument provide a rich current for changing assumptions and interpretations. Dallett is researching primary sources in the National Archives in Washington , D.C., Laguna Niguel, CA, and Tucson, AZ; primary and secondary sources in repositories throughout the state; and conducting a series of interviews with previous Superintendents and employees. The administrative history will be published in 2007.

Project Staff

Principal Investigator

Nancy Dallett, Academic Associate, Public History Program

Contact Information

Nancy Dallett
Arizona State University
Department of History. Mail Code 4302
Coor 4302
Tempe, AZ. 85287-4302
Phone (480) 965-9367

Lattie F. Coor Building
PO Box 874302
Tempe, AZ 85287-4302
480.965.5778
480.965.0310 Fax
Contact Department of History

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