Fruitland is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in San Juan County,

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

, 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 Nation The Navajo Nation ( nv, Naabeehó Bináhásdzo), also known as Navajoland, is a Native American reservation in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah; at roughly , the ...

and Upper Fruitland. Fruitland is east of Waterflow. Fruitland shares its name with a geological formation, the

Fruitland Formation The Fruitland Formation is a geologic formation found in the San Juan Basin in the states of New Mexico and Colorado, in the United States of America. It contains fossils dating it to the Campanian age of the late Cretaceous.

History

The area now known as Fruitland was traditional

Navajo The Navajo (; British English: Navaho; nv, Diné or ') are a Native American people of the Southwestern United States. With more than 399,494 enrolled tribal members , the Navajo Nation is the largest federally recognized tribe in the United ...

territory. This place is called Bááh Díílid in Navajo. Euro-American settlers were allowed in 1877, and members of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

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 A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

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. For a time

Brigham Young, Jr. Brigham Young Jr. (December 18, 1836 – April 11, 1903) served as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (LDS Church), president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) fr ...

maintained one of his residences at Fruitland. In 1930 the Burnham Ward had 718 members, including unbaptized children under age eight. The Young Stake was organized with headquarters at Burnham in 1912. By the 1970s the stake headquarters was

Farmington Farmington may refer to: Places Canada *Farmington, British Columbia * Farmington, Nova Scotia (disambiguation) United States *Farmington, Arkansas *Farmington, California *Farmington, Connecticut *Farmington, Delaware * Farmington, Georgia * ...

. In 1982 a Kirtland Stake was formed, which today covers from Kirtland west to

Shiprock, New Mexico Shiprock ( nv, ) is a unincorporated community on the Navajo Nation, Navajo reservation in San Juan County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 7,718 people in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. For statistical purposes, the Un ...

, and beyond.

Population history

Fruitland had about 400 people in 1950 according to the Columbia-Lippincott Gazetteer. Other sources place the population at this point at 200.

Education

It is within

Central Consolidated Schools Central Consolidated Schools (also known as the Central Consolidated School District) is a public school district based in Shiprock, New Mexico, United States. The district covers a area in western San Juan County. Service area In addition to Sh ...

Notable people from Fruitland

Mamie Deschillie Mamie Deschillie (1920–2010) was a Navajo folk artist. Born in either Chaco or Burnham, New Mexico, on the Navajo Nation Reservation, Deschillie lived near Farmington. Described at her death as "a traditional Navajo", she spoke limited Engl ...

, artist *

Jay Foutz A jay is a member of a number of species of medium-sized, usually colorful and noisy, passerine birds in the Crow family, Corvidae. The evolutionary relationships between the jays and the magpies are rather complex. For example, the Eurasian ...

(professional trader)

Notes

{{authority control Populated places established in 1878 Unincorporated communities in San Juan County, New Mexico Unincorporated communities in New Mexico 1878 establishments in New Mexico Territory