Antiquities Act -- Historical Records and Studies

Part of: Antiquities Act -- Its History and Use

This collection contains copies of some of the historical records related to the Antiquities Act. Also included are some of the articles, presentations, and other documents related to the act and its contemporary and historical importance.

Resources Inside This Collection (Viewing 1-28 of 28)

  • Documents (28)

  • Theodore Roosevelt and the Antiquities Act of 1906: Timely Action and an Enduring Legacy (2011)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Francis McManamon.

    The Antiquities Act of 1906 is among the most important of American conservation and preservation laws. It provides specifically for the preservation of archaeological, historical, and natural resources on public lands. It also provides the foundation of a century's worth of further developments in statutes, regulations, and policies for the conservation and preservation of archaeological, historical, and natural resources throughout the United States. Theodore Roosevelt, of course, was...

  • Introduction to Richard W. Sellars' Article "A Very Large Array: Early Federal Historic Preservation -- The Antiquities Act, Mesa Verde, and the National Park Service Act" (2007)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Em Hall.

    This issue of the Natural Resources Journal encompasses a “very large array” of articles, to borrow the name of one of New Mexico’s wonders on the Plains of San Augustine southwest of Albuquerque and the title of National Park Service historian Richard Sellar’s history of the beginnings of the long esteemed and recently embattled agency for which he works. The “large array” in this issue runs the gamut from the economic evaluation of ecological services, a critical issue in the balancing of...

  • A Very Large Array: Early Federal Historic Preservation - The Antiquities Act, Mesa Verde, and the National Park Service Act (2007)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Richard W. Sellars.

    This issue of the Natural Resources Journal encompasses a “very large array” of articles, to borrow the name of one of New Mexico’s wonders on the Plains of San Augustine southwest of Albuquerque and the title of National Park Service historian Richard Sellar’s history of the beginnings of the long esteemed and recently embattled agency for which he works. The “large array” in this issue runs the gamut from the economic evaluation of ecological services, a critical issue in the balancing of...

  • The Antiquities Act and the Acreage Debate (2006)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Frank Norris.

    June 8 of 2006 marked the centennial of the Antiquities Act —a law that, by any standards, is a landmark in the history of U.S. land management policies. There was a sweeping application of this act in the late 1970s that reserved a huge amount of acreage, and generated as large an amount of controversy. Questions arose, therefore, about the roots of that controversy, and whether the actions taken regarding Alaska were unique. The Antiquities Act’s second section provides for the U.S. president...

  • The Antiquities Act: Protecting America's Natural Treasures (2006)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text The Wilderness Society.

    Rising 1,267 feet above the Belle Fourche River, Devils Tower casts shadows over the rolling hills, pine forests, and prairie grasses that comprise Devils Tower National Monument in northeastern Wyoming. Proclaimed a National Monument on September 24, 1906, by President Theodore Roosevelt, Devils Tower is our oldest National Monument and represents the first time the Antiquities Act of 1906 was used to preserve some of the remarkable resources found throughout the United States. Since the...

  • The Antiquities Act: The First Hundred Years of a Landmark Law (2006)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text David Harmon. Francis McManamon. Dwight T. Pitcaithley.

    The history of American archaeology, conservation, and historic preservation often is told in terms of legal milestones, and rightly so. An environmental activist working to expand a nearby park, a historic preservationist trying to save a cherished old building, a volunteer working on a national wilderness campaign, an archaeologist investigating an ancient village site in advance of reservoir construction—all are working from a solid foundation of statutory authorities that, law by law, have...

  • The Foundation for American Public Archaeology: Section 3 of the Antiquities Act of 1906 (2006)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Francis McManamon.

    The Antiquities Act of 1906 is not widely known, yet it is among the most important of American laws for archaeological and historical preservation, as well as for natural resource conservation. To the extent that the law is known, it is most commonly understood to be the authority by which the president can establish national monuments on public lands. This chapter describes another important aspect of the law: its position as the foundation for public archaeological and historic preservation...

  • Implementing the Antiquities Act: A Survey of Archeological Permits 1906-1935 (2003)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Kathleen D. Browning.

    Public archeology in the United States received a long-sought and hard won legislative boost for antiquities protection in 1906. On June 8, 1906, a federal law, an Act for the Preservation of American Antiquities (16 U. S. C. 431-433) was signed into law by President Theodore Roosevelt after several arduous decades of dedicated attention to the issue. Better known as the Antiquities Act, its enactment responded to a growing concern over the issues of looting and vandalism of...

  • The Monumental Legacy of the Antiquities Act of 1906 (2003)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Mark Squillace.

    This Article explores the Antiquities Act and its long and remarkable legacy. It describes the history of the law, the special places that have received its protection, and the many controversies that it has sparked over the years. It then considers the myriad of legal and policy issues that are raised by the law, and its continuing utility and evolution as a conservation management tool. Finally, the Article discusses proposals to reform or repeal the Antiquities Act.

  • 90 Years of Archeology and Historic Preservation (1996)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Francis McManamon.

    This is an introduction to three articles (Bill Lipe, Caroline Zander, and Francis P. McManamon) commemorating the important contributions to United States archeology and historic preservation and a brief overview of the Antiquity's Act. The Antiquities Act set aside archeological sites on the public lands of the United States for special protection as public resources of significance and value to every American. The Antiquities Act aimed to ensure that the commemorative value, history, and...

  • The Antiquities Act - Setting Basic Preservation Policies (1996)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Francis McManamon.

    On June 8, 1906, 90 years ago, President Theodore Roosevelt signed into law the Antiquities Act. This law was intended to protect archeological sites on the public lands of the United States as resources of significance and value to every American. The goal was to preserve historic, scientific, commemorative, and cultural values embodied in archeological sites for present and future generations of Americans. As one means of commemorating the anniversary of this important statute, this article...

  • Commemorating Antiquities Act of 1906 (1982)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text National Park Service.

    This booklet, printed at no expense to the Federal Government, has been prepared on the occasion of the Founders Day Dinner, August 25, 1982, marking 66 years of the work and achievements of the National Park Service – a unique conservation agency of the Federal Government. The Founders Day program is sponsored by the 1916 Society of the Employees and Alumni Association of the National Park Service, melding the retired and active members of the National Park Service Family, and rededicating us...

  • Ralph H Cameron and the Grand Canyon (Part 1) (1978)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Douglas H. Strong.

    For over thirty years, Ralph Henry Cameron- Arizona businessman, miner and politician - attempted to develop and control the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Cameron's interest in the canyon dated from the 1880s when prospectors explored the depths of the canyon, and stage coaches started bringing curious tourists to view the spectacular work of nature. Cameron helped to build the first trails into the canyon and opened its first flourishing mine. In time, however, his construction of a tourist...

  • Ralph H. Cameron and the Grand Canyon (Part II) (1978)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Douglas H. Strong.

    Ralph Cameron's election in 1920 to the United States Senate from Ariwna came at an opportune time. Congress, the year before, had incorporated his mining claims into the newly created Grand Canyon National Park, and the United States Supreme Court had just ruled that his claims there were invalid. As matters stood, there seemed little likelihood that Cameron could realize his dream of converting strategically located mineral sites into a fortune. But Cameron's optimism never deserted him....

  • Breath of Life: An Outline of the Development of a National Policy for Historical Preservation (1966)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text John D. McDermott.

    The purpose of this study is to trace the development of the Federal interest in historical preservation, particularly as it is evidenced in legislation. The study focuses on the firsts in the movement and does not purport to be definitive in any sense of the word. Two major legislative enactments received special emphasis, the Antiquities Act of 1906 and the Historical Sites Act of 1935. Together they form the heart and soul of the Federal policy in the preservation of nationally significant...

  • History of Legislation Relating to The National Park System Through the 82d Congress (the Antiquities Act) (1958)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Uploaded by: Francis McManamon

    This report consists of a collection of the bills and resolutions introduced through the 82nd Congress in relation to the Antiquities Act. It also includes copies of statutes, orders, proclamations, appropriation acts, state laws, public documents relating to legislation and executive and department orders.

  • Letter from Secretary of the Interior Hebert Work to Jesse L. Nusbaum (1927)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Hubert Work.

    This short document is a copy of the Secretarial Order with which the Secretary of the Interior designated Jesse Nusbaum as official archaeological expert for the Department of the Interior. The position became known as the Departmental Consulting Archeologist, a position and function that continues to provide overarching advice to the Department on archaeological policies, procedures, regulations, and other archaeology-related topics. The text of the Order follows: United States...

  • U.S. Supreme Court Decision No. 205 (Grand Canyon) (1920)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text U.S.Supreme Court.

    CAMERON v. U.S., 252 U.S. 450 (1920) 252 U.S. 450 Cameron et al.v. United States. No. 205 Argued January 29 and 30, 1920. Decided April 19, 1920 This is a suit by the United States to enjoin Ralph H. Cameron and others from occupying, using for business purposes, asserting any right to, or interfering with the public use of, a tract of land in Arizona, approximately 1,500 feet long and 600 feet wide, which Cameron is claiming as a lode mining claim, and to require the defendants to...

  • Establishing the Grand Canyon National Monument - A Proclamation by President Theodore Roosevelt (1908)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Theodore Roosevelt.

    I, Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the power in me vested by section two of the Act of Congress, approved June eighth, nineteen hundred and six, entitled, "An Act For the preservation of American antiquities," do proclaim that there are hereby reserved from appropriation and use of all kinds under all of the public land laws, subject to all prior valid adverse claims, and set apart as a National Monument, all the tracts of land, in the Territory of...

  • Preservation of American Antiquities - Progress during 1906 (1907)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Edgar L. Hewett.

    This is a section of a compilation of short reports, Anthropolocic Miscellanea, included in this issue of American Anthropologist. Hewett's portion of the miscellanea describes recent activities concerning the preservation of American Antiquities. Some of the highlights include a bill that was enacted by the 59th Congress creating the Mesa Verde National Park in southwestern Colorado, for the purpose of preserving the remarkable cliff dwelling remains of that region and the Lacy Act.

  • Preservation of American Antiquities; Progress during the Last Year; Needed Legislation (1906)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Edgar L. Hewett.

    Prior to 1904, the only act of our Government looking toward the preservation of our antiquities was the reservation and restoration, by act of Congress of March 2, 1889, of the Casa Grande ruin in Arizona. During the last fifteen months a definite policy of preservation has rapidly developed, so that at present it may be said that approximately three-fourths of all the remains of antiquity that are situated on lands owned or controlled by the United States are under custodianship more or less...

  • Recent Progress in American Anthropology, A Review of the Activities of Institutions and Individuals from 1902 to 1906 (1906)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Edgar L. Hewett.

    This is a review of the activities of institutions and individuals from 1902 to 1906 that are associated with American Anthropologist. Hewett's recent publications as well as the progress of the Antiquity Act are mentioned in this portion of the review

  • The Preservation of American Antiquities (1905)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Edgar L. Hewett.

    At a joint meeting of the committee on preservation of American antiquities of the Archeological Institute of America and the American Anthropological Association, held at the Cosmos Club in Washington, on the evening of January 10, the subject of pending legislation was considered. It was decided that a memorandum should be prepared embodying such provisions from pending measures, as in the judgment of the joint committee should be incorporated into law, and the same presented to the House of...

  • Preservation of Antiquities (1905)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Edgar L. Hewett.

    This is a section of a compilation of short reports, Anthropological Miscellanea, included in this issue of American Anthropologist. Hewett's portion of the miscellanea discusses the transfer of land from the administration of the National Forest Reserves to the Bureau of Forestry under the Department of the Interior. This has implications to the prehistoric ruins of the Southwest because legislation must now be targeted towards the Department of the Interior rather than the National Forest...

  • Preservation of Antiquities SW (1905)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Edgar L. Hewett.

    This is a section of a compilation of short reports, Anthropolocic Miscellanea, included in this issue of American Anthropologist. Hewett's portion of the miscellanea describes recent activities concerning Southwestern US sites. More people have visited the prehistoric ruins of the Southwest during the present season than during any five previous years. This points to a marked revival of interest in American archeology, and to the necessity for an unremitting campaign for the preservation of...

  • Archeology of Pajarito Park, New Mexico (1904)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Hewett Edgar L..

    In the summer of 1896 the writer commenced to investigate the archeology of the plateau between the Jemez mountain range and the Rio Grande in New Mexico. The ethnological significance of this region seemed at that time to have been overlooked, nor has it yet received much attention. The studies then begun have continued intermittently ever since. The first object was to obtain such facts as could be obtained by exploration, photography, and a limited amount of excavation. I hope to be...

  • Government Supervision of Historic and Prehistoric Ruins (1904)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Edgar L. Hewett.

    The traffic in prehistoric wares from the southwest that has arisen during the past few years, with the attendant destruction of prehistoric remains, has become a matter of great concern to archeologists, who appreciate the gravity of this loss to anthropological science. Even though much of this material gathered by parties who are only commercially interested in it, eventually finds its way into public museums, its value to science is greatly reduced because of the absence of authentic...

  • Historic and Prehistoric Ruins of the Southwest and Their Preservation (1904)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Edgar L. Hewett.

    The importance of the large number of historic and prehistoric ruins scattered over the semiarid region of the southwestern part of the United States has gradually come to be recognized. Every cliff dwelling, every prehistoric tower, communal house, shrine and burial mound is an object which can contribute something to the advancement of knowledge, and hence is worthy of preservation. Knowledge of the extent, location and nature of these ruins bas been accumulating for many years. We now know...