“Particularly New Mexico’s Monument”: Place-Making at Fort Union, 1929-2014 by Evan Medley A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Approved April 2016 by the Graduate Supervisory Committee: Donald Fixico, Chair Nancy Dallett Dwight Pitcaithley Victoria Thompson ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY May 2016 ABSTRACT This dissertation examines the conception, planning, creation, and management of Fort Union National Monument (FOUN) in northeastern New Mexico. Over approximately the last eighty-five years, writers, bureaucrats, boosters, and the National Park Service (NPS) have all been engaged in several different kinds of place-making at FOUN: the development of a written historical narrative about what kind of place Fort Union was (and is); the construction of a physical site; and the accompanying interpretive guidance for experiencing it. All of these place-making efforts make claims about why Fort Union is a place worthy of commemoration, its historical significance, and its relationship to local, regional, national and international contexts. The creation and evolution of Fort Union National Monument as a memorial landscape and a place for communion with an imagined past—in short, a site of memory and public history—is only the latest chapter in a long history of migration, conflict, shifting ownership, and land use at that site. I examine the evolution of a sense of place at Fort Union in two broad time periods: the twenty-five years leading up to the monument’s establishment, and the seven decades of NPS management after it was created. Taken as a case study, the story of FOUN raises a number of questions about the basic mission and meaning of NPS as a cultural institution and educational organization; how the agency conceptualizes and “talks about” Native Americans and the Indian Wars; the history and practice of public history; and how best to address sites like Fort Union that seek to historicize America’s imperial past. i DEDICATION For my parents ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS As is the case with any scholarly work, this dissertation is a product of the guidance, assistance, and support of numerous individuals and institutions. My committee chair, Donald Fixico, offered invaluable counsel and penetrating questions during innumerable long and wide-ranging conversations in his office, and his skillful management of the research and writing process ensured this document would, at long last, be completed. Dwight Pitcaithley lent his formidable expertise, and did so with grace and humor that spurred me to continue pushing my inquiries in new directions. Victoria Thompson, in whose graduate seminar this project took its initial form, asked thought- provoking questions that helped me untangle the layers of place at Fort Union. Nancy Dallett, who has been much more than an academic mentor to me for going on five years now, made sure that this project stayed true to the kind of public history practice she exemplifies and to which I aspire. My colleagues in SRP’s Research Archives—Catherine May, Leah Harrison, and Chelsea Jones—generously offered the support, flexibility, and understanding I needed to complete this dissertation while working full-time. The History Department at Arizona State provided me with an important financial and intellectual foundation from which to pursue this work, and my fellow graduate students made this whole endeavor a bit more bearable by their friendships and intellectual camaraderie. The staff of various NPS and National Archives repositories in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Maryland, and West Virginia were professional, courteous, and above all effective as they helped me ferret out every scrap of paper and electronic file I could find about FOUN. Several senior scholars offered important insight and guidance iii at key junctures in this work, including Dick Sellars, Bob Spude, and especially Liping Zhu, whose 1992 Administrative History proved indispensable. The staff of Fort Union National Monument—Chief of Interpretation Lorenzo Vigil, Ranger Ron Harvey, and Superintendent Charlie Strickfadden—were beyond generous in granting me access to the park’s archives and resources. I am grateful for their support and friendship, and I admire their steadfast commitment to preserving and improving this fascinating place. My initial decision to attend ASU was motivated by a desire to work with Jann Warren-Findley, who served as my mentor and advisor during the first two years of my graduate career. Before her untimely passing, she offered warmth, wisdom, and a model of professional practice and personal grace that I strive to live up to every day. I miss her. Family was an indispensable ingredient in this effort. My mother, father, and sister offered the love, cheerleading, and encouragement that I needed to get this thing done. In this and so many other things, I owe them so much. Finally, my deepest debt of gratitude—for her steady support during this long, exhausting process, and for countless other kindnesses—is to my wonderful wife, Kelly. Without her, I am quite sure I would never have finished. To fully express my love and appreciation for her would require an entire separate dissertation, so I will simply say to her—which I can never say enough—thank you, my darling. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................. vi CHAPTER INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW: A CONTESTED LANDSCAPE ...... 1 1 "A TREASURE TROVE OF HISTORY": PAST, PRESENT, DISTANT, AND LOCAL, 1929-1941 …………………………………………………………… . 51 2 “OUR HERITAGE IS IMPORTANT”: INVOKING THE STATE, 1942-1954 ..... 112 3 “AN INVESTMENT IN THE PAST”: CREATING A MEMORIAL LANDSCAPE, 1954-1959 ............................................................................................................. 170 4 “PERHAPS TEN PERCENT OF WHAT IT COULD AND SHOULD BE”: IMPROVING FOUN, 1959-1967 ........................................................................ 228 5 “A FORT OF PEOPLE INSTEAD OF BRICKS”: HEYDAY OF LIVING HISTORY, 1968-1980 ............................................................................................................. 268 6 “TO OFFSET PAST OMISSIONS”: RECONSIDERATION AND EXPANSION, 1980-1994 ............................................................................................................. 311 CODA: “AN AUTHENTIC AND PREMIER SETTING TO RECREATE AND REFLECT ON A BYGONE ERA”: THE NEW FOUN, 1994-2014 ................. 346 REFERENCES………………………………………………………………………….377 v LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Santa Fe Trail Ruts, Fort Union National Monument, August 2011 ............. 1 2. Mechanics Corral, Fort Union National Monument, August 2011 ................ 3 3. Mora County and the Mora Land Grant ....................................................... 32 4. The Las Vegas Land Grant and Vicinity ...................................................... 36 5. Fort Union Reserve and Timber Reserve, c. 1868 ....................................... 38 6. The Third Fort Union .................................................................................... 40 7. Adelbert Ames, c. 1865 ................................................................................ 48 8. Bird’s Eye View of Las Vegas, N.M., 1882 ................................................ 54 9. “Overview of Ruins,” Fort Union, c. 1920 .................................................. 60 10. “Roads to Cibola,” 1929 ............................................................................... 64 11. Aerial View of Ruins, August 1931 .............................................................. 68 12. “Ruins of Fort Union,” 1939 ........................................................................ 94 13. Ruins of Fort Union, c. 1950 ...................................................................... 119 14. James Arrott ................................................................................................ 129 15. Centennial Celebration, September 10, 1951 ............................................. 134 16. Fort Union, Warehouse Buildings, c. 1953 ................................................ 154 17. General Development Plan, July 1954 ........................................................ 167 18. “Let’s Save Old Fort Union,” September 1954 ......................................... 174 19. NPS Regional Director Hugh Miller, June 1956 ....................................... 184 20. General Development, Part of the Master Plan, December 26, 1956 ....... 198 21. Historical Pamphlet and Guide to Fort Union Trail, 1956 ........................ 201 vi Figure Page 22. Kittridge Wing and Homer Hastings .......................................................... 206 23. Visitor Center, 1959 .................................................................................... 212 24. Aerial View of Third Fort Ruins, 1959 ...................................................... 214 25. Officer’s Quarters, c. 1955 and c. 1960 ..................................................... 218 26. FOUN Dedication Ceremony, June 14, 1959 ............................................ 223 27. “Old Fort Union 1891” ............................................................................... 226 28. Fort Union Handbook, 1962 ....................................................................... 232 29. “The Indian Campaigns of Fort Union,” 1962 ........................................... 233 30. FOUN pamphlet, 1967