When did Navajos arrive in Arizona?
Dr. James Collins
Portland, Oregon
In July 1960, scientists tested tree rings on a Navajo three-fork dwelling and found it dated to 1389 C.E. That’s the earliest confirmed arrival in Arizona, in the Four Corners area, to date.
Navajos and Apaches are the only Arizona Indians to be classified in the Athabaskan linguistic group. Archaeologists and anthropologists theorize this group began migrating south from Canada and Alaska around 1100 C.E.
Marshall Trimble is Arizona’s official historian and vice president of the Wild West History Association. His latest book is Arizona Outlaws and Lawmen; The History Press, 2015. If you have a question, write: Ask the Marshall, P.O. Box 8008, Cave Creek, AZ 85327 or email him at marshall.trimble@scottsdalecc.edu.
Related Articles
-
Were the Earp's pivotal figures in settling Arizona?
-
What was the cost of room and board at a Harvey House?
-
What’s the history of Yuma, Arizona? Scott Gastineau Prescott Valley, Arizona Louis J.F. Jaeger arrived…
