Navajo Springs is an
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
located on the
Navajo Nation
The Navajo Nation ( nv, Naabeehó Bináhásdzo), also known as Navajoland, is a Native Americans in the United States, Native American Indian reservation, reservation in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwe ...
, near
Holbrook, Arizona. The community is almost exclusively
Native American, and a permit is required from the Navajo Nation for off-road travel in that area. During the time of the
Old West
The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...
, this area was frequented by notable western characters, such as
Commodore Perry Owens
Commodore Perry Owens (July 29, 1852 – May 10, 1919) was an American lawman and gunfighter of the Old West. One of his many exploits was the Owens-Blevins Shootout in Arizona Territory during the Pleasant Valley War.
Early life
Anthony Per ...
. Navajo Springs was a stopping place for travelers to water their horses and themselves. The Beale Wagon Road, a precursor of the transcontinental railroad built through the area in 1882 as well as the "mother road",
U.S. Route 66, (now
Interstate 40
Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to ea ...
) ran through Navajo Springs. The Arizona territorial government was organized here, and later a monument at the springs was erected to commemorate the event. At the insistence of the Santa Fe Railway company, all Navajos were forcibly moved away from the Navajo Springs area, and by the 1930s, all allotted lands within the area were extinguished and the lands forcibly vacated. But by the late 1980s, the lands were once again occupied by Navajos, this time by Navajo "refugees" from the Navajo-Hopi land dispute.
History
Navajo Springs was first noted by white men when Lt. Amiel W. Whipple passed through in 1853 and observed a "fine pool of water which breaks through the surface of the valley". Later, on September 1, 1857, Lt.
Edward Fitzgerald Beale
Edward Fitzgerald "Ned" Beale (February 4, 1822 – April 22, 1893) was a national figure in the 19th-century United States. He was a naval officer, military general, explorer, frontiersman, Indian affairs superintendent, California rancher, ...
found Whipple's trail while scouting for a wagon road to be used by emigrants. At this point, Navajo Springs began to develop as a rest stop for travelers heading further west. In 1863, it was designated an official route by Major G. B. Willis. On December 27, 1863, the first gubernatorial party for Arizona crossed from New Mexico to Arizona. However, as they were unsure as to where the border between the states was, they proceeded to Navajo Springs, where on the 29th the first territorial governor of Arizona,
John Noble Goodwin
John Noble Goodwin (October 18, 1824 – April 29, 1887) was a United States attorney and politician who served as the first Governor of Arizona Territory. He was also a Congressman from Maine and served as Arizona Territory's delegate to the Un ...
, was sworn in by
Richard Cunningham McCormick
Richard Cunningham McCormick, Jr. (May 23, 1832June 2, 1901) was an American politician, businessman and journalist. He was the second Governor of Arizona Territory, three times delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona Territor ...
, the first secretary of the territory and Goodwin's eventual successor.
Further reading
Where Is Navajo Springs?
References
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Unincorporated communities in Apache County, Arizona
U.S. Route 66 in Arizona
Unincorporated communities in Arizona
Geography of the Navajo Nation