, which was moved from the town of
Paradise Valley, Arizona to Papago Park. The distinctive red
sandstone geological formations of Papago Park were formed some 6–15 million years ago. One such formation,
Hole-in-the-Rock, is a major landmark, thanks to the openings (
tafoni) eroded in the formation over time. There is some evidence that the
Hohokam—a now-extinct aboriginal tribe that once lived in the Phoenix area—used the openings and
sunlight to track the
solstices. There are also some signs of
Precambrian granite in the park. The
bedrock is concealed by only a thin layer of
topsoil. Papago Park was designated a reservation for the local
Maricopa and
Pima tribes of
Native Americans in 1879. It became the Papago–Saguaro National Monument in 1914, but this status was recalled by
Congress, April 7, 1930, because the area was not considered suitable for a national monument. It was divided amongst the state of Arizona, the city of Tempe and the Water Users Association, later known as the
Salt River Project. After the war the POW camp site served as a VA hospital from 1947 to 1951, then an
Army Reserve facility. The state-owned portion of Papago Park was sold to the city of Phoenix on February 25, 1959. The fish hatchery was also shut down in 1959, as it was considered obsolete by that time. The City of Phoenix leased the hatchery grounds, including its man-made lakes, to the Arizona Zoological Society in 1962 to establish the Phoenix Zoo. A small stone cottage, used as the hatchery caretaker's residence, was retained as part of the zoo, and extensively renovated in the 1990s. A portion of the Tempe park was conveyed to that city in 1935, and a parcel within that portion was conveyed to the
Salt River Project in 1955. An 18-hole championship golf course was built by the city of Phoenix and completed in 1963. The park was also the Finish Line in the
fourth season of
The Amazing Race. ==Hunt's Tomb==