The C. Hart Merriam Base Camp Site is a historic campsite in
Coconino National Forest, north of
Flagstaff, Arizona
Flagstaff ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Coconino County, Arizona, Coconino County in northern Arizona, in the southwestern United States. In 2019, the city's estimated population was 75,038. Flagstaff's combined metropolitan area has ...
. It is significant for its association with
Clinton Hart Merriam (1855–1942), the
United States' first eco-biologist. The site was designated a
National Historic Landmark in 1965.
Description and history
The Merriam Base Camp Site is located about northwest of
Flagstaff, Arizona
Flagstaff ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Coconino County, Arizona, Coconino County in northern Arizona, in the southwestern United States. In 2019, the city's estimated population was 75,038. Flagstaff's combined metropolitan area has ...
; about three miles east of
U.S. Highway 180
U.S. Route 180 is an east–west United States highway. Like many three-digit routes, US 180 no longer meets its "parent", US 80. US 80 was decommissioned west of Mesquite, Texas, and was replaced in Texas by Interstate 20 and Interstate ...
, southeast of the intersection of Forest Roads 151 and 418, within the
Coconino National Forest. The
Arizona Trail
The Arizona National Scenic Trail is a National Scenic Trail from Mexico to Utah that traverses the whole north–south length of the U.S. state of Arizona. The trail begins at the Coronado National Memorial near the US–Mexico border and moves ...
passes near the Merriam Base Camp Site.
The campsite is located at an elevation of about , on a knoll in the foothills northwest of
Humphreys Peak, near Little Spring, a natural spring emanating from a meadow.
This camp is the site from which
Clinton Hart Merriam, then head of a predecessor of the
United States Fish and Wildlife Service, performed the fieldwork and research leading to the development of the ecological concept of the
life zone
The life zone concept was developed by C. Hart Merriam in 1889 as a means of describing areas with similar plant and animal communities. Merriam observed that the changes in these communities with an increase in latitude at a constant elevation ar ...
. He described life zones in the
San Francisco Mountains
The San Francisco Peaks (Navajo: , es, Sierra de San Francisco, Hopi: ''Nuva'tukya'ovi'', Western Apache: ''Dził Tso'', Keres: ''Tsii Bina'', Southern Paiute: ''Nuvaxatuh'', Havasupai-Hualapai: ''Hvehasahpatch''/''Huassapatch''/''Wik'hanbaja'' ...
, in which the distribution of animal and plant life was described with respect to latitude, altitude, and other environmental factors. Merriam's work in this area was flawed but important, driving the development and refinement of what was then a new concept.
See also
*
List of National Historic Landmarks in Arizona
This is a List of National Historic Landmarks in Arizona. There are 47 National Historic Landmarks (NHLs) in Arizona, counting Hoover Dam that spans from Nevada and is listed in Nevada by the National Park Service (NPS), and Yuma Crossing and Assoc ...
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Coconino County, Arizona
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Merriam, C. Hart, Base Camp Site
Geography of Coconino County, Arizona
National Historic Landmarks in Arizona
National Register of Historic Places in Coconino County, Arizona
Coconino National Forest
1889 establishments in Arizona Territory