Kilroy was here!

Every baby-boomer knows Kilroy! For the various theories of who Kilroy was start with Wikipedia and go from there, but for this blog you just need to know it showed up during WWII and has since traveled the globe. At the time it was graffiti, but now it is Americana; and in another 100 years it will be historic. From our earliest  beginnings,we have wanted to leave our mark on this earth. We are drawn to carve our initials into trees, declare our love in hearts emblazoned on walls, draw paintings on buildings, or etch carvings into rock.

If these etchings or drawings are prehistoric and evidence of our nomadic ancestors we call them petroglyphs and pictographs, respectively. We create parks and monuments to preserve and protect them. Millions of people seek them out during their travels. We are intrigued by these messages from a long ago time. What do they mean? What were they trying to tell each other? There are as many theories as sites. Were they marking a trail? Showing where water could be found? Warning of a danger? Passing time? Or just leaving a mark that they passed this way?

As the explorers, pioneers and settlers made their west they also left evidence of their passage. Many engraved their names and dates alongside the petroglyphs left by prehistoric man. Inscription Rock at El Morro National Monument is the best example we have seen. On this large block of sandstone can be seen initials, names, dates, drawings and even poems from these early travelers...and a few from not so long ago.

Alongside the historic markings that we are striving to preserve are the initials and writings of modern visitors to these sites. Along the trails in the parks and monuments are signs warning us of penalties if we choose to deface these artifacts by leaving our own marks. Of course this seems fitting and right. We want to preserve our history for future generations. Clearly we should not deface or mar those markings and drawings of those came before us. But what about our travels... this era?

How old does one of our markings need to be before it is not graffiti? Is a picture or signature from the 1950s or 1983 considered old enough to no longer be defacement but worth preserving? If civilization endures for another 10,000 years will not those evidences of love everlasting be considered worthy of preservation and studied as we now study the petroglyphs? Won't monuments be built to protect them and programs funded to try to decipher their meaning? When does graffiti become historic?