Letters from Wupatki

by Courtney Reeder Jones, Lisa Rappoport (Editor)

When David and Courtney Reeder Jones moved into two rooms reached by ladder in a northern Arizona Indian ruin, they had been married only two weeks. Except for the ruin's cement floors, which were originally hardened mud, and skylights instead of smokeholes, the rooms were exactly as they had been 800 years before.

The year was 1938, and the newlyweds had come to Wupatki National Monument as full-time National Park Service caretakers for the ruin. Remote in time and place, their story as described in Courtney's letters will take readers into a dramatic landscape of red rocks, purple volcanoes, and endless blue sky. Here, some 60 years ago, two young people came to terms with their new life together and with their nearly total reliance upon each other and their Navajo neighbors.

"They helped us in any way that a neighbor would, and we helped them as we could," wrote Courtney in her memoirs years later. Vivid and engaging, her letters home spill over with descriptions of their friendship with local Navajo families, their sings and celebrations, and her good luck in being able to be a part of it all.

Letters from Wupatki captures a more innocent era in southwestern archaeology and the history of the National Park Service before the post-war years brought paved roads, expanded park facilities, and ever-increasing crowds of visitors. Courtney's letters to her family and friends reflect all the charm of the earlier time as they convey the sense of rapid transition that came after the war.

Tracking those changes in the development of Wupatki National Monument and the National Park Service, the letters also—and perhaps more important—reveal changes in the Joneses themselves. Of particular interest to anthropologists and historians, their story also gives the general reader captivating glimpses of a partnership between two people who only grew stronger for the struggles they shared together.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

151 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1995

Reviews

[Marilyn Boyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book as a gift from someone from Flagstaff, who knew I’d been to Watpatki ruins. It is a
compilation of letters from the author, who came to live in and at the ruins as a young bride. Both she and her husband had backgrounds in archaeology and anthropology ( ethnology for Courtenay), so they were delighted to be there. It’s a very detailed read covering 1938-1949, and shows the shifts in the governmental practices and ( what is a bit heartbreaking) its varying treatment of the Navajo families that still lived there. Courtenay is a very cheerful and eager narrator, who learned a great deal from her indigenous friends. Still a two-tiered system is evident at times, and spoils the picture we are being given if the Jones’ life in the ruins. Many many pictures, though, that were great for me, as I could remember what it looks like now and see the contrast.

[Peggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I have been to Wupatki several times, this was an especially interesting book to read, but I doubt if it would have the same appeal to anyone who isn't familiar with the site. I was disappointed that the author didn't add an "afterward" to the letters; it would have been a very easy thing to do. I would like to know what happened to Courtney and Davy when they finally left Wupatki, after getting to know them through her letters.

[Carol Naille · Rating 4 out of 5]

Living just a few miles from Wupatki , I thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions of the area in the 1940’s. We go out there for a ride or take our visitors out there. Very unique place. It is easy to picture the roads, the isolation and the small nature of the supply town of Flagstaff. A good read for anyone who visits Northern Arizona. Ah, the great joy of simple times.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading these letters was like visiting with a friend. Warm and chatty, they provide insight into the early days of the National Park Service nd what is was like to live at Wupatki National Monument on and off between 1938 and 1949. A brief memoir of about 140 pages and very easy to read.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

We are on our winter trip to the Southwest and have been to Sunset Crater and Wupatki,north of Flagstaff, on our way to Tuba City,Kayenta and Monument Valley. I purchased this book at Wupatki National Monument. These are letters written by the wife of the second custodian of the Monument to friends and family during the "40's. While it was interesting to read about the roads and surrounding area that I'd just seen, I was disappointed not to have a more in depth description of the Navajos with whom Corky and Davy lived. Actually, most of the letters are rather lacking in full depth--but they have been severely edited by Corky herself, I suspect, and further edited by Lisa Rappoport in order to fulfill her stated objective:" to convey the quality of Courtney's daily life in this unique situation." The unique situation being life in one of the ruins, Wupatki, found on the Monument. All this editing has created a rather unfullfilling reading experience. Everything is rather two dimensional and leads to lots of unanswered questions.

If you are looking for comparative descriptions of the past and present in this area--this book is perfect. If you want any kind of understanding of the humans involved in the story, I'd give this book a pass.

[Deena]

Interesting peaks of several aspects of the decade covered by the letters, but would only work for a special topic in an advanced sem., I think. I'd still like to contrast it with People of the Blue Water, for my own interest - but am reluctant to dig through one of 6 boxes to find my copy, given potential for pending move...

Liked the snippets about mid-40's Dine children not being taught the language & in local public ed. system; "custodian" living in ruin is fascinating and would never happen now!! The gentleman working on ideas to take the roof off Casa Grande was interesting too, since it hasn't happened yet and probably never will. Glimpses of the development of the NPS & attitudes towards preservation were interesting as well. I cannot really imagine what it would be like to try to read this without knowing all the locations, although Ms. Rappoport did a good job editing & inserting location info for those less familiar. Having the pics included was great.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Courtney Jones went with her new husband, Davy, to set up the first park service site at Wupatki National Monument, north of Flagstaff in 1938. These letters are mostly to her family but also to other friends in the park service during the period 1938-1949. You get a picture not only of the early days of the park service, but also the life of the Navajo before their culture and traditions began to be encroached upon.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insight into the early days of running an iconic national monument as well as interacting with the people who were already there (something that I think is all too often forgotten when dealing with prehistoric dwellings: these people didn't disappeared, they just moved away to another close by area in some cases, or that the same site has been repurposed by another group of humans before being added to the National Parks System).

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

reread; i lived in the house built for the Joneses at Wupatki as a child, and her perspective is always interesting.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cool book - the letters of the wife of the first caretaker of the Native American ruins at Wupatki in Artizona . . .