Uploaded June 2021 | Updated September 2026, 20 hours ago
The Oljato Trading Post (from the Navajo 'Oljéé'to' ("Moonwater") was constructed in 1921 by Joseph Heffernan. Heffernan owned the post and constructed a series of additions until he sold it in 1936. Ownership of the trading post went through a series of traders during the 20th century and saw transitions in how trading posts were used and how ownership changed over time, especially after WWII. The Oljato Trading Post remains one of the oldest and one of the few remaining trading posts in the Region. After sitting vacant for a number of years and showing physical signs of its age, questions about the future of the Trading Post are being asked and in an effort to stabilize the Trading Post against further deterioration, a partnership was formed between the Navajo Nation's Oljato Chapter, San Juan County, San Juan County Historical Commission, Utah Division of State History, the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), the Utah Division of Indian Affairs, and the Navajo Nation Historic Department and a three-day work project was organized to carry out this first phase of work.
The Oljato Trading Post (from the Navajo 'Oljéé'to' ("Moonwater") was constructed in 1921 by Joseph Heffernan. Heffernan owned the post and constructed a series of additions until he sold it in 1936. Ownership of the trading post went through a series of traders during the 20th century and saw transitions in how trading posts were used and how ownership changed over time, especially after WWII. The Oljato Trading Post remains one of the oldest and one of the few remaining trading posts in the Region. After sitting vacant for a number of years and showing physical signs of its age, questions about the future of the Trading Post are being asked and in an effort to stabilize the Trading Post against further deterioration, a partnership was formed between the Navajo Nation's Oljato Chapter, San Juan County, San Juan County Historical Commission, Utah Division of State History, the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), the Utah Division of Indian Affairs, and the Navajo Nation Historic Department and a three-day work project was organized to carry out this first phase of work.
