Monument Valley - Navajo Nation Utah/Arizona

This is part fifteen in a series of posts about my visit through parts of Arizona and Utah in September 2019.
​(Click words that are bolded for more information.)

Passing through Navajo Nation

Our bus tour through Arizona and Utah was coming to a close. Heading back to Phoenix via the scenic route took us through iconic Monument Valley, a desolate desert punctuated by isolated towering buttes of tremendous beauty. The backdrop of numerous films, this landscape has been photographed by many who pass through this unique area, which is home to the Native Americans who live within the Navajo Indian Reservation that straddles the border of Utah and Arizona and encompasses 27,000 square miles. Due to the health concerns that have dominated 2020, Monument Valley is indefinitely closed to visitors, so I am especially thankful for the opportunity to pass through last year.

Monument Valley in Navajoland

It was a dreary day with threatening rain clouds, but the rain held off while we stopped briefly at Goulding's Trading Post. In the 1920s Harry Goulding and his wife purchased land in the area and began trading with the Navajo people who lived nearby, eventually building a two story stone trading post, with a store on the first level and their residence upstairs. It was the Gouldings who first brought Hollywood to Monument Valley in 1939 with the film Stagecoach, which starred John Wayne. More movies have been filmed here, bringing economic support to the Navajo people. Now a museum, Goulding's Trading Post offers a glimpse into the life of this couple who lived in Monument Valley for decades. The trading post also offers another vantage of the stunning landscape.

The view from Goulding's Trading Post

Dramatic landscape of Monument Valley

I enjoyed the rustic wooden fence, wagon wheels, and other props around the trading post. It would have been nice to linger awhile longer, but the rain finally began to fall and our next stop was the Navajo Museum. There we would meet one of the four remaining Navajo Code Talkers, a 90 year old World War II veteran who had a fascinating story to tell.

Goulding's Trading Post and Museum

Wagon Wheel

Monument Valley as seen from Goulding's Trading Post

What an honor it was to meet a WWII veteran who had served in such a unique capacity! Initially, 29 Navajos were recruited by the United States Marines in 1942 to develop a secret code for use during the war. Up until then, the Japanese had cracked every code that had been used. Based on the unwritten Navajo language, this code enabled the success of the Pacific campaigns of WWII. Beginning with these first 29 young men, over 400 Navajos became Code Talkers.

Many of the Navajos who joined the Marines were underage, including the gentleman we heard at Navajo Museum. Because secrecy was vital to the successful development and implementation of the code, these young men did not even know what they had signed up for. Those first 29 men developed the code and the others memorized the code. All learned to transmit the code with uncommon speed and accuracy. The Navajo Code Talkers played a fascinating role during WWII and are worthy of honor and respect. 

Navajo Sand Art

The next day we headed back to Phoenix. The bus tour had ended, but we still had one last day to enjoy the Sonoran Desert before traveling back to our home in Florida.

~ Debbie
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If you missed the earlier stops, follow the links and enjoy the view. 

First stop - Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden here.
Second stop - Montezuma's Castle here.
Third stop - Sedona here.
Fourth stop - The Grand Canyon here.
Fifth stop - The Desert Watch Tower here.
Sixth stop - Glen Canyon and Lake Powell here.
Seventh stop - Zion National Park here.
Eighth stop - Between canyons here. 
Ninth stop - Bryce Canyon here.
Tenth stop - Utah's Scenic Byway 12 here.
Eleventh stop - Ancient Petroglyphs here. 
Twelfth stop - Goblin Valley State Park here. 
Thirteenth stop - Arches National Park here.
Fourteenth stop - Moab, Utah here.