Album: Mission 66 Development at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument was established in 1937 to preserve the surrounding desert landscape for scientific study. At the time, regional NPS officials did not believe the remote area would produce much interest by way of recreational tourism, so permanent visitor services and park infrastructure initially went unfunded. It wasn’t until the 1950s and the start of the Mission 66 program that long-needed development started to take shape at the monument. The new buildings, built using Mission 66 funds and following Modernist principles, replaced a motley collection of structures erected by the monument’s first superintendent and resulted in parkwide changes to the monument. Additionally, 98 percent of monument lands are designated wilderness, which means it is unlikely Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument will see any further development beyond its Mission 66 projects.