Fruitland, New Mexico

Fruitland is an unincorporated community in San Juan County, New Mexico, United States, on the north side of the San Juan River. It is immediately west of central Kirtland and north across the river from the Navajo Indian Reservation and Upper Fruitland. It is east of Waterflow.[1]

History

The area now known as Fruitland was traditional Navajo territory. This place is called Bááh Díílid by the Diné.

White settlers were allowed in 1877, and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints first settled in the area in 1878 and an organized group of settlers was sent there by the church in 1881 with Luther C. Burnham being prominent among them. Burnham was made bishop of the LDS ward there in 1883, which was named the Burnham Ward. From this time until the 1930s most of the residents called the area Burnham instead of Fruitland.[2][3]

For a time Brigham Young, Jr. maintained one of his residences at Fruitland.[4]

In 1930 the Burnham Ward had 718 members, including unbaptized children under age eight.[5]

The Young Stake was organized with headquarters at Burnham in 1912. By the 1970s the stake headquarters was Farmington.[6] In 1982 a Kirtland Stake was formed, which today covers from Kirtland west to Shiprock, New Mexico, and beyond.[7]

Population history

Fruitland had about 400 people in 1950 according to the Columbia-Lippincott Gazeteer.[8] Other sources place the population at this point at 200.[9]

Notable people from Fruitland

Notes

  1. ↑ compare maps at and to see the location of Fruitland.
  2. ↑ Jenson, Andrew. Encyclopedic History of the CHurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1941) p. 100
  3. ↑ http://www.chiricahua-apache.com/chiricahua-apache-pow-history/who-are-the-chiricahua-apaches/early-chiricahua-apache-reservations/
  4. ↑ Church News, December 4th, 2004.
  5. ↑ Jenson, Andrew. Encyclopedic History. p. 101
  6. ↑ LDS Church Almanac, 2007, p. 241
  7. ↑ Kirtland New Mexico Stake homepage
  8. ↑ Columbia-Lippincott Gazeteer. p. 647
  9. ↑ Hammonds Complete World Atlas (New York: C. S. Hammond and Co., 1951) p. 348

Coordinates: 36°44′21″N 108°23′44″W / 36.73917°N 108.39556°W / 36.73917; -108.39556

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