John Otto (park ranger)

John Otto (December 30 1870 - June 19 1952) was the first park superintendent at Colorado National Monument, and had been a key advocate for its creation and its later inclusion in the National Park Service.

A self-professed trailbuilder described as a "benign but enthusiastic eccentric",cite book | last = Jacobs | first = Randy | coauthor = Ormes, Robert M. | year = 2000 | title = Guide to the Colorado Mountains | publisher = The Mountaineers Books | location = | isbn = 0967146607 | page = p. 331] Otto arrived in Grand Junction, Colorado in 1906. He spent most of his time exploring the nearby plateau and canyon wilderness.

In 1907, Otto wrote, "I came here last year and found these canyons, and they felt like the heart of the world to me. I'm going to stay and promote this place, because it should be a national park." [cite book
url=http://books.google.com/books?id=BOTa5gUx4x0C&client=firefox-a
title=John Fielder's Best of Colorado
author=John Fielder
year=2002
publisher=Big Earth Publishing
isbn=156579429X]

Because of his efforts, others took notice, and by 1909 the local newspaper was lobbying to make the area a national park. On May 24, 1911 the area was designated Colorado National Monument. Otto was hired as the first park superintendent. Until the mid-1930s he lived in the park and drew a salary of $1 per month.

According to Horace Albright, "Otto was a marvelous guide and knew every inch of his monument, which he tended like a personal kingdom." [cite book
url=http://books.google.com/books?id=CN_BsBgO1KUC&client=firefox-a
title=Creating the National Park Service: The Missing Years
author=Horace Marden Albright, Robert M Utley, Marian Albright Schneck
year=1999
publisher=University of Oklahoma Press
isbn=0806131551] Among his accomplishments was carving a steep stairway up the near-vertical ascent of Independence Monolith, the largest such feature in the park, which after the park's designation he used to summit the monolith and raise an American flag.cite book
url=http://books.google.com/books?id=OU0UAAAAYAAJ&client=firefox-a
title=Colorado: The Queen Jewel of the Rockies
author=Mae Lacy Baggs
year=1918
publisher=The Page Company] cite book | last = Achey | first = Jeff | coauthors = Chelton, Dudley; Godfrey, Bob | year = 2002 | title = Climb!: The History of Rock Climbing in Colorado | publisher = The Mountaineers Books | isbn = 0898868769 | pages = p. 124 ] He was often dubbed "The Trail Builder" or "The Hermit of Monument Park" in newspaper and magazine stories, and was rarely seen without his two burros (named Foxie and Cookie) laden with camping equipment and provisions.

Otto lived his final twenty years on a mining claim near Yreka, California, where he was buried in a pauper's grave. In 2002, the Colorado National Monument Association erected a gravestone carved using a sandstone rock resembling Independence Monument. [cite news
url=http://www.coloradonma.org/monolith/monolith001.pdf
title=John Otto Honored Fifty Years After His Death
author=Michael O'Boyle
date=Autumn 2002
publisher=Colorado National Monument Association
accessdate=2008-05-01]

References