The Repair of Casa Grande Ruin, Arizona, in 1891 | Page 7

of the work, but
as the contract consumed practically all of the amount appropriated no
provision could be made for one. It is fortunate, therefore, that the
Reverend I. T. Whittemore, who had in the meantime been appointed
honorary custodian of the ruin, generously undertook to look after the
work without compensation, and on its conclusion the small sum

remaining ($15) was turned over to him, thus exhausting the
appropriation. In the sundry civil appropriation act for the year ending
June 30, 1893, provision was made for a salaried custodian of the ruin,
and Mr Whittemore was appointed to this position. Similar provision
has been continued from year to year to the present time.
It is to be regretted that the necessities of the case, imposed by the
limited amount appropriated, compelled the fixing of a maximum
amount of work so far below the amount necessary that the repair of the
ruin is incomplete. Had it been possible to carry out the plans, it is
believed that the ruin would have stood unchanged for many decades, if
not for a century. Should further provision be made for the continuation
of the work, it should include an item for the fencing of the area
covered by the ruins or of the reservation, and possibly an item for the
construction of a roof.
It is not clear that a roof is absolutely necessary, but it is certain that it
would be very undesirable. The region where this rain occurs has
probably less rainfall than any other part of the United States, but it
must not be forgotten that while rainstorms are infrequent they are
sometimes violent, and what damage they do may be done in a few
hours. All the items for the repair of the ruin, except that pertaining to a
roof, were so devised that the ruin was not materially disfigured or
changed, and were they fully carried out the ruin would present much
the same general appearance as before. It is important that this
appearance should be preserved as far as possible, but it can not be
maintained if a roof is erected over the walls. As four years have
elapsed since the completion of the work, it should be possible now to
determine whether atmospheric erosion has played a material part in
the work of destruction.[1]
[Footnote 1: See the letter of the Director of the Bureau of American
Ethnology to the Secretary of the Interior regarding the examination of
Casa Grande by Mr W J McGee in the supplement to the present
paper.]
In the original plans and in the specifications which formed part of the
contract (although this section was not operative) a plan for a roof was

included. Such a structure, if erected at all, should be made as
inconspicuous as possible and should be supported entirely from within
the building. The system of framing employed might safely be left to
the contractor if he were made responsible for the strength of the
completed structure.
RESERVATION OF THE LAND
The final step in the execution of the law quoted was taken June 22,
1892. On that date the recommendation of the writer to the Director of
the Geological Survey, referred by him to the Secretary of the Interior
and by the latter to the President, was finally approved, and it was
ordered that an area of land sufficient for the preservation of the ruin,
and comprising in all 480 acres, be reserved under authority of act of
Congress approved March 2, 1889. This area is shown on the map
reproduced in plate CXXV, the base of which is a map accompanying
the report of Mr H. C. Rizer.
The letter of the Secretary of the Interior recommending the reservation
of the Casa Grande tract, with its indorsement by the President, is as
follows:
Department of the Interior, _Washington, June 20, 1893_.
Sir: I have the honor to recommend that the SW. ¼ SW. ¼, SE. ¼ SW.
¼, SW. ¼ SE. ¼ section 9, NW. ¼, NW. ¼ NE. ¼, SW. ¼ NE. ¼, NW.
¼ SW. ¼, NE. ¼ SW. ¼, and NW. ¼ SE. ¼ section 16, all in township
5 south, range 8 east, Gila and Salt river meridian, Arizona, containing
480 acres more or less, and including the Casa Grande ruin, be reserved
in accordance with the authority vested in you by the act of March 2,
1889 (25 Stat., 961), for the protection of the ruin.
The Director of the Bureau of Ethnology requests that the reservation
be made, and the Acting Commissioner of the General Land Office
knows of no objection to such action.
Very respectfully, John W. Noble, Secretary.

The President. [_Indorsement by the President_] Executive Mansion,
_June 23, 1892_.
Let the lands described within be reserved for the protection of