In November 1974, Gary Tenen and Randy Tufts were exploring the limestone hills at the eastern base of the Whetstone Mountains. They were looking “for a cave no one had ever found” and found it. The two kept the cave a secret until February 1978 when they told the property owners, James and Lois Kartchner, about their awesome discovery. Since unprotected caves can be seriously damaged by unregulated use, they knew the cave had to be protected. Tenen and Tufts spent several years looking into the possibility of developing the cave themselves. Some members of the Kartchner family lived in Tucson and were very impressed with the development and operation of Catalina State Park by Arizona State Parks. They decided to approach State Parks to see if the agency was interested in acquiring this outstanding resource.

After researching ownership of the property and recognizing its recreation potential, the Governor came to State Parks to discuss the possibilities of creating a new state park. The Governor offered to work with Eckankar, Anamax Mining Company, and the State Land Department to see if they could negotiate a land exchange that would place this property in State ownership. However, he needed the support of the State Parks Board to get the necessary legislation passed to allow the exchange of land across county boundaries and to know that the Parks Board would accept this property as a State park. At the time the State Land Department could exchange lands within a county but could not exchange across county lines without specific legislation authorizing such an exchange.

 

 

 

 

 

 

History of Red Rock State Park

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