Documentation of Apache Street Headwall No.3 is the result of a mitigation study in anticipation of imminent Grand Canyon road work which may bury the structure or require that it be rebuilt. This report was prepared as an NPS Denver Service Center contract assignment in September and December by Michael F. Anderson, 985 N. Granite Reef Scottsdale, AZ GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK ROADS, APACHE STREET HEADWALL NO. 3 HAER N. AZ-35-G (Page 2) INTRODUCTION Many of the minor roads and associated structures within Grand Canyon National Park's residential and commercial areas were designed in the by NPS and Bureau of Public Roads engineers. These men designed roads to federal highway standards of the time, which considered far fewer and smaller vehicles than travel these routes today.
Changing traffic patterns have required new alignments, grades, and roadway widening since the Such modifications are now being considered which may result in the buriall or dismantling and reconstruction of Apache Street Headwall No.3 and several other masonry walls along Center Road, Apache Street, Boulder Street, and Village Loop Drive within Grand Canyon Village. This report describes the headwall and documents its construction, modifications, and significance.
One of the first series of projects assigned to crews of the Civilian Conservation Corps involved survey, clearing, grading, and constructing Avenues A, B, and C which all ran west from Center Road immediately south of today's Ranger Ops building and served the Fred Harvey residential area. These roads had been surveyed, cleared and rough-graded as early as the late but the increase in housing thus traffic along these roads in the early required that they be rebuilt. Research for this study included these projects which began in June and continued to April during which time most if not all structures related to these minor roads were completed. A review of final construction reports, superintendent's monthly reports, E.C.W.
camp reports, landscape architects' reports, and photograph files failed to reveal a specific construction date or project for Apache Street Headwall No. 3. Further, it is not certain that this headwall was constructed by the since crews of the Public Works Administration and Civil Works Administration also worked on minor roads in this area during the middle Visual inspection of construction techniques is not likely to reveal a particular agency, since all apparently followed the same pattern once the standard for wall construction was established. The structure may have been built as early as June when crews of the newly-arrived Company 819 began work on "roadside improvement" of the South Entrance Road. Under the supervision of camp superintendent Fish and landscape architect A.C.
Kuehl, these crews immediately began work on the road south of today's Ranger Ops building, including the road at GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK ROADS, APACHE STREET HEADHALL NO. 3 HAER N. AZ-35-G (Page 3) the intersections of Avenues A, B, and C and Center Road. Part of the project entailed "rebuilding culvert headwalls where necessary," and photographs of the project reveal work in the area of Avenue A, but they do not reveal the presence or absence of headwalls at the intersection. Considering the priority of this project, the number of men employed, the existence of Avenue A at the time (though it would soon be rebuilt), and the mention of headwall work, it is quite likely that Apache Street Headwall No.
3 was built or rebuilt to its modern form during In November at least some responsibility for minor road construction was transferred from the E.C.W. to Public Works Administration crews. Specific reference was found to these men working on Avenue B and Dump Road projects, however, another report indicates that crews were also working on the Dump Road, the nearby rock quarry, and Avenue B at this same time between 12 November and June A further unsettling element is the presence of county relief workers of the C.W.A. working on roads in the area (primarily the loop road along today's Tonto Street) during this period.
No specific mention was found of a road project involving Avenue A during this period of November through mid-1935; rather, reports suggest that crews of all agencies were working on Avenues B and C, the Dump Road, and the Tonto Street area loop road.2 Attention turned to Avenue A in late A photograph taken 17 July confirms that Apache Street Headwall Nos. 1 and 2 were in place by that date, but it does not reveal the absence or presence of Apache Street Headwall No. 3.* This photograph was taken in relation to a project involving Avenue A subgrading and grading, thus, it does not suggest that any of the three headwalls were built at that time. The photographer taking this picture would have been standing almost atop the headwall, if it existed.
If it was not built by as were the two headwalls across the street, two subsequent Avenue A projects in late and early may have resulted in its construction.
The headwall is located along Apache Street at the southeast corner of the intersection of that street with Center Road. The structure is actually two walls connected and perpendicular to each other. The portion serving as a retaining wall to Center Road is long and high. The portion serving as a headwall to the 30" culvert is long and high at the center of the culvert pipe. Both are as poorly constructed and in as poor a shape as one might find in Grand Canyon Village, GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK ROADS, APACHE STREET HEADWALL NO. 3 HAER N. AZ-35-G (Page 4) They are of rough-cut, rectangular sandstone and limestone, simply stacked. Both are showing signs of collapse. The natural landscape surrounding the headwall is much the same as it was in the mid-1930s.
Old photographs indicate the same grass cover with minimal chaparral and a preponderance of ponderosa pines, juniper, and pinyon pines away from the roadway. The nearby built landscape is also similar, that is, free of major structures other than those associated with the road and still free of buildings. New road features across the street include the concrete curb, the metal street sign, stop sign, and one-way sign. Speculatively, traffic may be about the same today as it was in the the far greater local traffic perhaps matching tourist numbers from the days when Center was the park entrance road. CONCLUSIONS/
Apache Street Headwall No. 3 is significant for its association with the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps within the western national parks. Built during the peak years of CCC activities, it represents a conscious attempt to conform to the tenets of rustic architecture popular at the parks from the through the Built of native sandstone and limestone from local quarries, the headwall attracts no attention to itself; rather, it complements the landscape while concealing the corrugated metal pipe culvert and supporting a small portion of Center Road. GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK ROADS, APACHE STREET HEADWALL NO. 3 HAER N. AZ-35-G (Page 5) ENDNOTES 1. Alfred C. Kuehl, Landscape Architect, "Summary Report E.C.W.
Work Projects, Camp Number 819 June 1-Oct 15 Grand Canyon National Park," report with photographs, Accession Box #4, Folder #4, Study Collection, 2. Harry Langley et al, "Report to the Chief Architect Through Superintendent, Grand Canyon National Park, Month of November report, 30 November Idem, "Report to the Chief Architect Through Superintendent, Grand Canyon National Park, Month of January report, 31 January Idem, "Report to the Chief Architect Through the Superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park, Month of February report, 28 February all in E.C.W. Documents. Box #5, Folder #1, Study Collection, H.A- Montgomery, Associate ECW Engineer, to Chief Engineer of the National Park Service, report, 2 December Box #5, Folder #1 and Alfred C.
Kuehl, "Report to Resident Landscape Architect at Grand Canyon National Park," report, December Box #5, Folder #2, both reports in E.C.W. Documents. Study Collection, CM. Carrel, Park Engineer, "Final Construction Report on Project No. Service Roads, Footpaths, Parking areas at Headquarters," report with photographs, 2 December Grand Canyon National Parks Construction Reports, Accession Study Collection, Mention (but scant detail) of the flurry of minor road construction projects and C.W.A. participation during these years can be found in the (Flagstaff^ Coconino Sunr 3 November 5 January 20 April 29 June 31 August 2 November 11 January 12 July 16 August 13 September 29 November 24 January 12 June 3.
Photograph of Apache Street with Apache Street Headwalls #1 and #2 in view, dated 17 July Negative Study Collection, No print existed for this negative until the author asked Mike Quinn at the study collection to make one from a negative found. I believe Mike placed a copy of it in the files following this study.
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