Seniors Set Sites For Shiprock

Shiprock, New Mexico the largest Navajo community on the Navajo Nation is located 28 miles west of Farmington, New Mexico on U.S. 64.  Seniors, Shiprock is a key junction for truck traffic and tourists visiting the Four Corners, Mesa Verde, Shiprock and the Grand Canyon.

Shiprock was originally named Naat’áanii Nééz (Tall Chief) after Superintendent William T. Shelton, who founded Shiprock as a government settlement for the San Juan School and Agency in 1903. The population runs just over 8,000.

Shiprock is named after the nearby rock formation. This landform, located in northwestern New Mexico, is the remnant of an explosive volcanic eruption that occurred around 30 million years ago. A striking feature of Shiprock are the dikes, or wall-like sheets of lava that radiate away from the central neck.

Seniors Visit The Northern Navajo Fair

The annual Northern Navajo Fair that coincides with the harvest season is the oldest traditional event on the Navajo (Diné) reservation. Since 1984, the community has hosted the Shiprock Marathon and Relay.

It is also home to Diné College, a tribally controlled community college with seven other campuses across the Navajo Nation. It is the site of a Chapter House for the Navajo, a Bureau of Indian Affairs agency, an Indian Health Service hospital, and a branch of Farmington Public Library.

Shiprock is a point of interest for rock climbers and photographers and has been featured in several film productions and novels. A death in 1970 caused the Navajo Nation to ban and forbid rock climbing not only on Shiprock but all over the Navajo Nation.

 Seniors Awed By Landmark

Shiprock, the most prominent landmark in northwestern New Mexico, and the surrounding land have religious and historical significance to the Navajo people. It is mentioned in many of their myths and legends. Foremost is the peak’s role as the agent that brought the Navajo to the southwest.

 In nearby Farmington senior visitors can enjoy the Yucca House National Monument and the Aztec Ruins National Monument. Then there is Jaquez Site Ruin, the Bloomfield Irrigation Ditch Historic Site, the La Plata Highway Historic Site and the Thomas Jefferson Arrington House Historic Site.

Senior visitors will find a changing landmark according to the season and time of day. Despite its location at the confluence of two substantial roads and close to many tourist locations, the town is notable for having no hotels or motels, the nearest options are in Farmington and Cortez.

Senior travelers, enjoy your stop in Shiprock. -jeb