Oljato Trading Post
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Oljato Trading Post was a trading post located on the western edge of
Oljato–Monument Valley, Utah Oljato-Monument Valley () is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Juan County, Utah, United States. The population was 864 at the 2000 census. It is the location of Monument Valley. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, t ...
. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 20, 1980. In 2021, it was named by the
National Trust for Historic Preservation The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 ...
in its list of
America's Most Endangered Places America's 11 Most Endangered Places or America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places is a list of places in the United States that the National Trust for Historic Preservation considers the most endangered. It aims to inspire Americans to preserve ...
.


History

The name of Oljato Trading Post comes from the
Navajo The Navajo or Diné are an Indigenous people of the Southwestern United States. Their traditional language is Diné bizaad, a Southern Athabascan language. The states with the largest Diné populations are Arizona (140,263) and New Mexico (1 ...
‘Oljéé’to’ (“Moonwater”). The trading post was founded in 1906 by John and
Louisa Wade Wetherill Louisa Wade Wetherill (2 September 1877 – 18 September 1945) lived with her husband and children in remote trading posts among the Navajo people in New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona for more than 25 years and became an authority on Navajo culture. S ...
. Oljato was one of the most isolated places in the United States and the local Navajos had been little influenced by Hispanic and Anglo culture. The Wetherills brought in supplies by horse-drawn wagon from
Gallup, New Mexico Gallup is a city in McKinley County, New Mexico, United States, with a population of 21,899 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A substantial percentage of its population is Native Americans in the United States, Native American, wi ...
, a 21-day round trip. The Wetherills moved to
Kayenta Kayenta ( meaning "Fingers of Water" because of how water runs down the rocks when it rains) is a U.S. town which is part of the Navajo Nation and is in Navajo County, Arizona, United States. Established November 13, 1986, the Kayenta Township ...
in 1910. The present day structure was constructed in 1921 by Joseph Hefferman, a licensed Anglo trader, who then sold it in 1936. In the following years the trading post had a series of owners. In 2020 it was stabilized by the State Historic Preservation Office, the Navajo Nation Historic Preservation Department and organizations. The original structure of the traditional Navajo trading post included designated areas for trading wool and lambs, loading areas for wagons, storage, and an elevated area for overseeing the trading area. The trading post was a venue for Navajo producers to trade and sell their products. It also served as a social hub in the community.


See also

*
Navajo trading posts Navajo trading posts flourished on the Navajo Indian Reservation in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah from 1868 until about 1970. Trading posts, usually owned by non-Navajos, were the origin of many populated places on the reservation. They were often ...


References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite web , title = Oljato Trading Post , date = 1980-06-20 , website = National Park Service - NPGallery , url = https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/1cf6690d-fee8-43fa-b824-7fba65d4436a , access-date = 2019-01-21 {{NRISref , version=2013a , dateform=iso , accessdate=2019-01-21 , refnum=80003939 , name=Oljato Trading Post Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Utah Trading posts in the United States Navajo Nation