My rural travelogue (Part XXXI): Apache County, Arizona

Apache County office in Chinle, Arizona,
District 1

I have been intrigued with Apache County, Arizona, population 71,518, since 2010, when I started writing a law review article about the delivery of indigent defense services in Arizona.  That piece, called "Justice Deserts: Spatial Inequality and Local Funding of Indigent Defense," was published in a symposium issue of the Arizona Law Review on "Funding Justice."  

Navajo Nation Corrections
Chinle, Arizona
(c) Lisa R. Pruitt 2022

Apache County, dominated by Native American land, was one of the counties I studied, and I was struck by its sparse population, the small size of its handful of population clusters.  I was also struck that the county seat, St. Johns, was far in the southern part of the county, more than 150 miles to the Utah State line.  

Canyon de Chelly from Junction overlook

I was excited this spring to have the opportunity to visit parts of Apache County.  From several days in Moab, Utah, we headed south for a few nights in Chinle, population 4518, which would be our jumping off point for visiting Canyon de Chelly.  We crossed into Apache County from San Juan County, Utah, population 14,746.  Like Apache County, AZ, San Juan County, UT has a significant native population, dominated by the Navajo nation and a great deal of the Navajo land. (These are two of the famous four corners, the others in Montezuma County, Colorado and San Juan County, New Mexico.)   

Apache County Offices

Canyon de Chelly did not disappoint us (see photos), and the Navajo hospitality was terrific.  On my last morning in Chinle, I drove around to take photos of the infrastructure--including that related to government and health care.  I'm sharing some of those photos here. They are of local government buildings associate with both Apache County and the sovereign Navajo Nation.  As the Apache County sign (above) indicates, among the services at the county's District 1 office in Chinle are a Roads Department, Sheriff Joseph Dedman, an "Elections" office, a "Justice of the Peace," and a "Motor Vehicle Division."  The Supervisor for the district also keeps and office there.  In the same compound (which is behind a chain link fence and locked outside business hours) are several road maintenance vehicles. 

A massive school complex dominates the town of Chinle, but sadly I didn't manage to capture any good photos of it.  I did capture several photos of the housing for the teachers, which sits across the road from the Navajo/Dine Justice Center.  Like the Justice Center, much of the housing is recent construction.  

A 2008 trip through some of these parts (including parts of Apache and Navajo County) is here.  The Moab, Utah, leg of this 2022 trip is the topic of this post.  

All photos are Chinle and environs, (c) Lisa R. Pruitt 2022 (April)

Sign at Canyon de Chelly from North Rim

Canyon de Chelly from North Rim; sign above overlooks canyon floor

Canyon de Chelly, Chinle

Defunct Navajo Nation Courthouse, Chinle

Arizona Dept. of Transportation Office, Chinle

Apache County Government Office, Chinle

Navajo Nation Courts and Justice Center Offices
were close due to pandemic, even 2 years on