Papago Park Was The First Decommissioned National Monument

At Papago Park there are picnic areas, hiking trails, fishing ponds and piles of ancient rocks that hikers climb for an expansive city view, but behind the scenery is a long and somewhat complicated history. Did You Know Papago Park was once designated a national monument and then became the first to be decommissioned? “Phoenix was growing in the late 19th century. This was viewed as a very popular place to come and relax on a Sunday afternoon," said George Hartz. Hartz has written books on Arizona parks. He said at the turn of the 20th century, locals feared this open space would be taken up by private homesteaders. At the time the state did not have the money to buy and preserve the 2,000 acres of empty land. So, Carl Hayden, a representative in Congress at that time, convinced President Woodrow Wilson to authorize the Papago-Saguaro National Monument. “Woodrow Wilson proclaimed it (a) national monument on January 31, 1914, and it could no longer be developed or taken over by private individuals," said Hartz. Papago Park became the seventh national monument in Arizona, but more than a decade later Arizonans changed their mind. They wanted more control over how to use the land and wanted to build fish hatcheries and transform the monument into a recreational area. Now Sen. Carl Hayden got involved once more and convinced Congress to give it back to the state...more