Sometimes things get lost in time and the story changes. After years of hearing many different stories, I deeply studied the historical data-driven documents on the Sedona Cultural Park. One level leads the path to another level of source documentation to tell the story.
While I did have a collection of records I had collected over the years. Eddie Maddock gracefully allowed me to copy her files on Sedona Cultural Park.
The project took months and countless hours on the phone and researching documents from every portal I could find. It was some hard work, learning a lot, and enjoyed meeting some new friends along the way. Now have the full collection of documents including land Patents, Forest Land Exchange, BLM, and supporting documents, and earned a lot along the way. Understanding the process, BLM and Forest Service regulations, and the process of a Forest Land Trade was well worth it.
BACKGROUND
The current Sedona Cultural Park is in ruins. It has been mismanaged for over twenty years. Some people believed it was owned by the city of Sedona but that is not true.
The Sedona Cultural Park was owned and managed by 501 C 3, an Educational nonprofit. The Sedona Cultural Park, Inc. did the Forest Service Land trade to obtain the land.
The true story starts with the land. The Sedona Cultural Park was the property of the United States National Forest. It was part of the Hopi Footprints Migration Area, sacred land to the Apache, and was also an Indian Reservation.
Before the land trade happened. I actually purchased an aerial photograph of the Cultural the size of a dining table. I owned a home over that direction and worked on a Research Project Adobe Erosion Program, a program of the US Forest Service. I purchased the aerial photo in 1995 and happened to keep it all these years. I also have an old topo map of the location and they have the dump labeled on it surrounded by forest land.
Both tell a unique story of this loved land. In the summer of 2021, I had the opportunity to meet up with some of the Hopi Tribe. We walked the land and they taught me much. I was able to share the tabletop topo and they showed me where they most likely lived and farmed there. They also shared there pilgrim and photos of Hopi dwelling they traveled to recently.
It was the most exciting magical meeting I have ever had. Magical and will hold a special place in my heart forever.
PERFORMING ARTS OF THE RED ROCKS, INC. was originally incorporated date: 11/1/1972 with an interesting other name of SEDONA LIVE ARTS PLAYHOUSE, INC also being used according to the Arizona Corporation records. The records show that the group struggled for some time. Amended and restated 1/12/1994.
Arizona Corporation Commission Records links are below connecting all the names to the Sedona Cultural Park Inc.
PERFORMING ARTS OF THE RED ROCKS, INC.
SEDONA LIVE ARTS PLAYHOUSE, INC.
SEDONA CULTURAL PARK, INC.
The Cultural Park had to obtain the land before anything could happen.
STAY TUNE : The next series on the Sedona Cultural will walk through the process of the Land BLM, Land Patent, and forest land trade.
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