COOLIDGE PROCLAMATION ESTABLISHES WUPATKI NATIONAL MONUMENT
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On December 9, 1924, President Calvin Coolidge issued a proclamation establishing land for the Wupatki National Monument* in Arizona.
The Proclamation reads...
"Whereas there are located in Arizona, about 30 miles northeast of Flagstaff, two groups of prehistoric ruins built by the ancestors (of)...the Hopi** or People of Peace...
I Calvin Coolidge...do proclaim that there are hereby reserved from all forms of appropriation under public land laws...and set apart as a National Monument."
According to the National Park Service, WNM is rich in Native American archeological sites and in 1966 was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
*WNM appears empty and abandoned today but "is remembered and cared for" by the NPS. It is no longer physically occupied.
The park's namesake pueblo preserves 104 rooms, a ball court & a natural blowhole feature. It is a reminder of a "bustling trade & cultural center" of the 1100s.
**Hopi is a North American tribe of northeastern Arizona known for a rich culture, history & unique agricultural practices.
The Hopi village of Orayui is said to be the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in the United States.
SOURCE
"Footprints of the Past," Wupatki National Monument, Arizona, National Park Service, www.nps.gov/
