Page:Michael Welsh - Dunes and Dreams, A History of White Sands National Monument (1995).pdf/73

 Chapter Three judge countered with the promise of delivery of the water and retention of the land for sale to another rancher. As for Lawson's failure to pay the state for title to Dog Canyon, the park service realized that it would have to deliver to the state land office an additional $1,250, then invest over $30,000 to start construction of the pipeline. Given the modest accomplishments to date at Garton Lake, despite heavy federal spending, the decline of New Deal programs in the late 1930s, and the delays inherent in a court suit to condemn Dog Canyon, the NPS moved in December to "compel delivery of title." Planning for fiscal year 1940 had already begun, and a lack of water would deter the anticipated rush of visitors to the 4C's programs at the dunes.

Three issues of construction work also complicated life at White Sands in 1938: interior design at the museum and visitors center; conflict between Tom Charles and the new park ranger, Jim Felton, over operational strategies; and the intrusion of New Mexican political scandal into New Deal projects. The persistent complexity of management led the park service late that year to ask Tom Charles to retire as monument custodian, to be replaced by Johnwill Faris, then-custodian at Canyon de Chelly National Monument on the Navajo reservation in Arizona. Charles would not depart White Sands, however, as he negotiated an agreement in 1939 with the NPS to operate the first concession at the dunes; a business that his family would maintain for the next 25 years.

For most of 1938, construction work consisted of finishing details, like fencing and building of a telephone line out from Alamogordo. The heavy visitation by car had taken its toll on the clay-based road into the dunes. Charles Richey admitted that in 1933 the NPS had little knowledge of the impact of gypsum drifting over the road. Constant plowing of the drifts added to the strain of the volume of vehicles, leading Richey in February to call for a hard-surface seal coat applied to the new road. Richey also complained about the "promiscuous driving" on the dunes, and the plethora of fire rings left by picnickers. Frank Pinkley called at once for prohibition of dune auto traffic, and removal of the clay-plated road. As for the camp fires, he reasserted his support of temporary fireplaces, as "it is agreed that no permanent developments should be provided for large special gatherings."

What excited NPS officials about White Sands was completion of its museum. The surreal landscape and alluring history of the region fit well within the adobe walls. Park service officials spent generously on exhibit design and case construction to match the facility itself. "The heavy investment at White Sands" by New Deal agencies, said