• Grades Served K-8
• Mailing AddressP.O. Box 748
• Physical Address
  Hywy371 North for 30 Miles, Milepost 54, Crownpoint, NM, 87313
• Phone: 505-786-5392
• Fax: 505-786-5956

HISTORY of lAKE vALLEY SCHOOL

“[The] oral history booklet was produced by and contains the stories of the people of the Lake Valley and Whiterock Navajo communities. Both communities are joined side by side at the west end of Chaco Canyon. The major ruins of the Anasazi are less than ten miles from the Lake Valley School.”

“Both Chapters helped each other in building the Lake Valley School.” In the early 1920s, both communities came together to start discussing the location of the school and with extensive discussion; everyone agreed upon the present site of Lake Valley Navajo School. “The first building was built in 1935 out of stones from the area and consisted of three or four classrooms, a dormitory, and a kitchen – these three rooms were all in one building.”

“After the building of the school was completed, both the communities of Lake Valley and Whiterock had a prize-winning contest on the best agricultural produce in the area just north of Lake Valley School.” “Lake Valley School rapidly became a community center, which was helped with the installation of telephones. Everyone would do their laundry at Lake Valley and pick up mail. Community fairs were held and everybody would come and have a good time. Sometimes these events would last for two or three days.”

“At that time it was a day school. However, transportation and communication problems presented difficulties, and it was decided that a boarding school would resolve these problems. Consequently, the old day school was torn down, and a new boarding school was built in its place: The Lake Valley Navajo School.”

“In 1963, the Bureau of Indian Affairs constructed a new modern school and dormitory facilities for a full elementary school program. At the present time (December 1981), 114 children are enrolled at Lake Valley Navajo School from Kindergarten through grade eight.”

-Community Members, Lake Valley & Whiterock. An Oral History of the Lake Valley and Whiterock Communities Be’ak’id Halgaii Doo Tselgaii Baa Hane’. 1981. translated by Juan Etcitty, edited by Patty Chee, 1st ed., vol. 1, Grant from the U.S. Office of Education, Department of Health, Education and Welfare, 1981.

Images from An Oral History of the Lake Valley and Whiterock Communities Be’ak’id Halgaii Doo Tselgaii Baa Hane’