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Superintendent
and Research Center Donor Share "Living
History"
When Anne S. Frantz, of Peterborough New
Hampshire, took Lava Beds National Monument
Superintendent, Craig Dorman, up on his promise of
private tours for major donors, she picked a good
time. Mothers Day weekend, 2000, featured the first
of series of Living History events, held in the
monument that year. Monument staff and volunteers,
dressed in period costume, were portraying people
and living conditions from key periods in the
history of the region. Their activities afforded
monument visitors an unparalleled window into
living history.
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Living Legend of the
Tetons
Anne Frantz's interest in the Lava Beds and her
support for the Research Center marks one more
chapter in a life long involvement in our National
Parks and Monuments. This interest was first
sparked by a Memorial Day weekend trip to Yosemite
when she was 12. In 1924, just getting to Yosemite
was an adventure. Traveling in two 7-passenger
Studebakers, Anne's family negotiated steep,
narrow, unpaved roads, frequently having to back up
when they met oncoming vehicles. The sight of
Yosemite's many waterfalls at their peak rewarded
this arduous journey. They stayed in the not yet
finished Lodge at the Mariposa Grove, where a
marauding bear stole their bacon. More trips to
Sierras followed, including a drive over Tioga
Pass, and visits to Sequoia National Park and
General Grant National Park.
Twelve year later, Anne and her friend Phillippa
spent the summer of 1936 traveling the west in a a
Model-A Ford. Active members of the Appalachian
Mountain Club, they were drawn to the noted
climbing sites. They visited the Bad Lands and the
Black Hills, in South Dakota, where they climbed
Harney Peak. They went on to Yellowstone, once
again enjoying the back country. From there it was
on to Jenny Lake,and an ascent of the Grand Teton
with Jack Durance. They finished of the summer with
an extended stay in Glacier National Park.
The summers of 1937 and 1939 saw Anne out west
again, climbing in the Tetons. In 1939, she lead
the first all women ascent of the Grand, earning
her in later years recognition as a "Living Legend
of the Tetons".
In the ensuing years, Anne's travels continued,
and she frequently took her son, her nieces, and
eventually her grandchildren with her. At latest
count, she had visited over 30 National Parks and
Monument. She is quick to point out, however, that
it has never been her intent to tick off parks on a
list. "I never felt I'd really seen a National Park
until I'd gotten out and walked its trails". And,
as her Mother's Day trip to the Lava Beds
demonstrates, at the age of 88 she is still taking
to the trails.
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Fur Trappers and
Mountain Men
The Mount Mazama Mountain men (and women)
recreate the lives of the trappers and hunters who
first explored the Tule Lake region. Spending their
summers in tents and cooking over the open fire,
they "hunt " with flintlock rifles. Although they
found few fur bearing mammals, deer and antelope
abounded. As the first white men in the area, their
activities opened the door for settlers, and set
the stage for the Modoc wars.
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J. D.
Howard
Judson D. Howard, regarded by many as the father
of the Lava Beds made a rip-van-winkle appearance
Mother's Day weekend. Somewhat disoriented by a
bump on his head, he decried at the changes 75
years had wrought. A miller by trade, J.D.
discovered over 80 of the monument's caves. His
painted cave names can still be at the entrances of
many of the caves he explored. He was also
instrumental in the designation of the area as a
National Monument.
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Captain Jack's
Stronghold
Late in 1872, a small band of Modoc, resisting
resettlement onto a reservation, retreated into
this natural fortress. There a band of about 60
warriors, accompanied by women and children, held
off the far larger forces of the U.S. Army for five
months. Initially gaining the sympathy of the
American public, the band ultimately fled the
stronghold, following a massive shelling in
retaliation for killing General Canby, under a flag
of truce.
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