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Chinle

Chinle, near the geographic center of the Navajo Indian Reservation in northeastern Arizona, is at the entrance to Canyon de Chelly National Monument.  Chinle became a center for population growth and trade after 1868 when the United States signed a treaty with the Navajos. The first trading post was established in 1882, the first mission in 1904, and the first government school in 1910.

Canyon de Chelly, a geological and historical wonder, is Chinle’s greatest scenic attraction. The Canyon was a Navajo stronghold during Colonel Kit Carson’s Navajo Campaign and was designated a National Monument in 1931. Evidence of Indian habitation as early as 2000 B.C. is found in artifacts and prehistoric cliff dwellings. As the angle of the sun changes, the colors in the rock formations change from brilliant red-browns to orange, pink, and even purple.

Thirty miles south of Chinle lies Ganado, site of Arizona’s most famous Indian trading post, Hubbell’s. In operation for nearly a century, it has been designated a National Historic Site. At Hubbell’s and other trading posts on the reservation, the famed handcrafted Navajo silver jewelry and hand-woven woolen rugs may be purchased.

Trout, bass, and catfish fishing is excellent at nearby lakes. Other area attractions include Window Rock, headquarters of the Navajo Tribe; the Painted Desert; Petrified Forest National Monument; Monument Valley; and the Hopi Indian Reservation.

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Fort Apache

The Fort Apache Indian Land is in the White Mountains. It is 75 miles long, 45 miles wide and includes parts of Apache, Gila, and Navajo Counties. The Tonto National Forest, the Sitgreaves National Forest, and the Apache National Forest form the Indian Lands western, northern and eastern boundaries. The land ranges from an elevation of 2,700 feet at the Salt River Canyon to 11,000 feet at Mount Baldy. The Apaches live on close to 1.5 million acres. Currently, the White Mountain Apache Indian tribe has 11,000 members.

History:
The first fort built in this area was called Camp Ord. Later, the name was changed to Camp Thomas, in honor of the Civil War General George W. Thomas. Then, in 1870 the name was changed one last time to Fort Apache. The name was chosen after a visit from the Apache Indian chieftain, Cochise.

The Indian Land was established in 1897 and was named after the fort. When the White Mountain Apaches first began to live here, their number was only 2,000. Prior to the placement of the tribe on the Indian Land, the Apaches had been the most independent and determined Indian tribe in Arizona. The Apaches call themselves, “DiNeh” meaning “The People.”

The Fort was manned up until 1924 when the fort was turned into a school for Indian children. During the 1950’s, the White Mountain Apaches decided to make themselves self-sufficient and improve their standard of living. In order to do this, the tribe designed a plan to make their Indian Land the largest privately owned recreational area in the United States. This was accomplished by building a number of dams to create lakes and constructing access roads and campgrounds. Throughout the process, the tribe did not lose sight of maintaining nature’s natural beauty by treating the land with respect.

Today, the Fort Apache Indian Land is a recreation enthusiast and vacationer’s destination spot. Whiteriver is the center of the Indian Land and the seat of tribal government.

Indian Arts:
Fort Apache Indians are known for their burden baskets and beadwork.

Attractions:
The land has been turned into an outstanding recreational area. The tribe is proud of its Sunrise Ski Resort with its excellent varying ability levels of trails covering three mountains. There are six chair lifts and several lodges located nearby.

Hawley Lake is one of 25 lakes available for fishing. There are also 420 miles of streams that are stocked regularly. This makes them a fisherman’s paradise. With more than 7000 campsites, vacationer’s can always find a spot to spend the night.

The Salt River’s waters originate where the White and Black Rivers join on Fort Apache Indian Land. The Salt River offers water fun for kayakers and canoers or if white water rafting is more your speed tours are available. The river forms the Salt River Canyon, which is a spectacular sight. There are several lookout points along U.S. 60, north of Globe, which allow visitors a glimpse of this beautiful canyon.

Kinishba Ruins are a few miles southwest of Whiteriver. The ruins are of a large Indian apartment complex. It is believed that Kinishba or “The Brown House” was developed sometime around 700 A.D. and the community reached its peak around 1200 A.D. Today, the ruins are a national historic landmark.

Fort Apache National Historic Park is world famous. The Fort was the headquarters for Apache Scouts in the late 1800’s. The scouts were charged with the task of locating renegade Apaches and Navajos. The park also has a recreation of an Apache Village. There are several unique buildings at the fort. The gift shop is housed in General Cook’s log cabin. The fort is located just seven miles south of Whiteriver and walking tours are available.

The land is home to Hon-Dah Casino.

White Mountain Apache Tribal Fair and Rodeo September

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Tuba City

Tuba City is in the western portion of the Navajo Reservation. The written history of the town goes back more than 200 years. When Father Francisco Garcés visited the area in 1776, he recorded that the Indians were cultivating crops.

The town was settled by Mormons in the late 1870s, but in 1903 it was discovered that the town was built on Indian land, and the U.S. government bought out the improvements. Tuba City was made the headquarters of the western Navajo Agency. The first boarding school was built in the community at that time. Tuba City is at the junction of state Highway 264 and U.S. 160, about 80 miles northeast of Flagstaff, at an elevation of approximately 5,000 feet.

Today, the community is an urban center within the Tuba City Chapter, a local government unit of the reservation. As an administrative and educational center, Tuba City has developed rapidly and has been designated a major “growth center” on the Navajo Reservation by the tribal government.

There are various theories about who chose the name “Tuba,ª” but most agree it came from the Hopi word “Toova.” The Navajo name for Tuba City, “Tonanesdizi” or “tangled waters,” probably refers to the many springs below the surface of the ground which are the source of several reservoirs. The springs of Tuba City have made it the basis of the surrounding desert country.

There are numerous Navajo Tribal and National Parks in the vicinity of Tuba City. These include Grand Canyon National Park, Navajo National Park, Sunset Crater National Monument, Wupatki National Monument, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Monument Valley Tribal Park, and Rainbow Bridge National Monument. There are also three overnight camping areas in the community with hookups for campers. Pasture Canyon Reservoir and Mohave Reservoir offer good fishing. The Navajo Western Fair has held annually in late October.

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Window Rock

The Window Rock/Fort Defiance area is in the southeast corner of the Navajo Reservation, which extends into portions of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. In the early 1930s, Commissioner of Indian Affairs, John Collier, declared that Tseghahodzani, “the rock with the hole in it,” should be the center of administration for the Navajo Tribe.

In 1966, the Bureau of Indian Affairs established an area office in Window Rock. Six miles north of Window Rock, at the junction of Navajo Routes 12 and 110, is Fort Defiance. Early Navajo settlers were attracted to Tsehotsoi meaning “meadow between the rocks.” Then, in the summer of 1851, Colonel Edwin Sumner selected the site as a military outpost and named it Fort Defiance. The Fort was used as headquarters for Colonel Kit Carson’s Navajo Campaign in the summer of 1863.

Today the Window Rock/Fort Defiance area is a bustling commercial and administrative growth center on the Navajo Nation. As the capital of the Navajo Nation, Window Rock boasts many facilities such as the Navajo Tribal Fairgrounds and the Tribal Museum and Zoo. As the capital of the Nation, the administrative services provided through the Tribal Administration Complex assure the government of a key role in the economy.

Window Rock, the capital of the Navajo Nation, has a 70-acre fairgrounds site, which hosts the Annual Navajo Tribal Fair. The Navajo Tribal Museum features exhibits on the history of the Navajo Nation, examples of Navajo handicrafts and artifacts, and a tribal zoo that has animals indigenous to the region. The “Window Rock” itself, carved by centuries of wind, sand, and water, is 47 feet in diameter and is a major tourist attraction.

The Navajo Nation is a varied land of mountains and desert. Many of the scenic wonders of the Southwest lie within the reservation boundaries. These include Monument Valley, Canyon de Chelly, Grand Falls and the Rainbow Bridge on the southern shore of Lake Powell.

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Kayenta

Kayenta, in the Northeastern portion of Navajo County, is approximately 20 miles south of the Utah border on U.S. 163. It is 148 miles north-northeast of Flagstaff, Arizona, and 98 miles west of Shiprock, New Mexico.

Because of its remoteness, in the early days, the Kayenta region was seldom visited by non-Indians. Although in 1874, Mormon emigrants moved their wagons through on their route from Tuba City to Aneth on the San Juan River, the Navajos, and Paiutes of the area were only occasionally disturbed by itinerant traders and wandering prospectors.

In 1910 things changed with the opening of a trading post at Kayenta. In 1914, the March Pass School opened its doors. By 1916, another trading post had opened for business. Since that time, and especially since the paving of roads through the area, Kayenta, at an elevation of 5,660 feet, has had considerably more traffic and has been designated a “growth center” of the Reservation.

Today, its position as a gateway to the tourist attractions of Monument Valley as well as its midpoint location on state Highway 160 between Shiprock and Tuba City have helped establish Kayenta as a major community on the Navajo Reservation. Navajos refer to Kayenta as Tohdenasshai.

The Four Corners area, a junction of Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico – the only spot in the United States where four states meet – is less than 80 miles away. Within a 150-mile radius of the community are a variety of parks and recreational facilities. Arizona is the home of Grand Canyon National Park with the Vermillion Cliffs and Paria Canyon. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Lake Powell are the results of the construction of Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River.
The prehistoric Indian dwellings of Canyon de Chelly National Monument and the monoliths and arches of Monument Valley, Rainbow Bridge National Monument, and the Navajo Scenic Area are nearby.

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Leupp

Leupp is in Eastern Arizona. It is in Coconino County. The town is situated along the southwest bank of the Little Colorado River, in the southwest corner of the Navajo Indian Lands. It is just off of Interstate 40, on State Highway 99.

Overview:
Leupp has always been a town of change and growth. The warm desert climate has a summer high temperature of 100 degrees and a winter low temperature of 30 degrees.

Community Features:
Leupp has so many outdoor activities. Wupatki National Monument is located just northwest of Leupp. Here you will see countless ruins of a community from long ago. The three-story dwelling at Wupatki is the most striking. Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument is almost directly to the west. The monument is a spectacular sight. There are two trails that visitors can take to get an up close look at the volcanic formations. Meteor Crater is to the south, off of Interstate 40. It is truly amazing. A 570-foot deep and 4,000-foot diameter hole was created after a meteor slammed into the earth. Meteor Crater has a rim walk that lets you see the crater from all angles.

History:

During the 1800’s, there were scattered settlements near the Little Colorado River. The river’s water drew many to the area. This region has long been a path of travel by the Navajo Indians.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs established a school in Leupp in 1902. The town’s name is pronounced LOOP. Soon afterward, the school was moved to a new location known as Old Leupp. Old Leupp is a few miles to the southeast of Leupp. Later in 1907, Leupp became the headquarters of the Leupp Indian Land. It was one of five Navajo Indian Lands that existed before 1936.

The Navajo Indian Nation combined all its lands in 1936. The center for the Navajo Nation was also established during this period in Window Rock, Arizona. The Navajo Nation decided that there would be Navajo chapter organizations dispersed throughout the Indian Land. These chapters evolved into local government units servicing the local residents. Leupp was selected as one of 110 Navajo chapters.

In 1961, the Bureau of Indian Affairs rebuilt the boarding school. The school became the center for social and political activities.
Leupp is one of the Navajo Indian Land’s fastest growing towns. Today, it is focusing on the high tech industry and was designated by the Navajo Indian Land as a secondary growth center.