Papago Saguaro

Arizona

32nd National Monument

2,50.43 Acres

Established by Presidential Proclamation: January 31, 2014 by President Woodrow Wilson (Proclamation 1262)

Abolished as a National Monument: April 7, 1930 by 71st Congress (Amended July 7, 1932)

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papago_Saguaro_National_Monument

NPS: https://www.nps.gov/archeology/sites/antiquities/profilePapagoSaguaro.htm

This was the first National Monument to ever be disbanded. It was transferred to the state of Arizona and is now Papago Park. While the monument was abolished in the 1930s, it was not purchased by the City of Phoenix until February 25, 1959.

Pruning the Parks: Papago Saguaro National Monument (1914-1930)

National Parks Traveler

The reservation was an impermanent thing. On January 31, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Papago Saguaro National Monument, citing a nationally significant collection of biological, geological, archeological, and scenic-recreational values.

Then, things then went very bad for Papago Saguaro. Chronic funding inadequacies insured the neglect of even basic preservation and management tasks. Cattle roamed through the unfenced park and grazed where they ought not to. Vandals pretty much had the run of the place, and the graffiti and advertisements they painted on the rocks stayed there. Homeowners and poachers brazenly stole the park’s namesake saguaros, which were in demand for landscaping. Various and sundry other abuses were heaped on the place. State and local officials even wanted to build a canal and fish hatchery on the site. In sum, Papago Saguaro did not get the kind of respect and stewardship that a national park should have.

https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2009/01/pruning-parks-papago-saguaro-national-monument-1914-19303370

Papago Saguaro National Monument, (now Papago Park) Arizona

National Park Service

On April 7, 1930, Papago Saguaro became the first national monument to be "abolished." By Congressional act the National Monument designation was removed and the land ownership was transferred from the federal government to the state and local governments. A number of reasons contributed to the change. Like many other national monuments, Papago Saguaro received little funding for even basic preservation and management tasks. Over time, it became a popular tourist destination and camping spot, but had insufficient funds to repair graffiti or advertisements painted on the rocks. Additionally, many saguaros, the namesake cacti of the national monument, were stolen for landscaping or for sale. Other factors included an opportunity to install a canal for a bass hatchery to support sports fishing. The canal easement also allowed for massive power lines that distracted from the national monument’s image of protecting natural resources.

Public and political figures began to pressure the state parks to take control of Papago Saguaro to see if they could stem the deterioration.

https://www.nps.gov/archeology/sites/antiquities/profilePapagoSaguaro.htm