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Old Red Lake Trading Post Tonalea AZPhoto: Neeta Lind · CC BY 2.0
–Not graded
History · Tonalea

Tonalea’s post office opened in 1926

Most of Tonalea was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1987. Below: maps from 1970 on and the census since 2000.

1926first post office
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Neeta Lind · CC BY 2.0
Quick answers

How Tonalea began

When was Tonalea founded?

1926

The Tonalea post office opened in 1926, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 562 in 20002020 census: 451100 years
Founding year: the first Tonalea post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Tonalea’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Tonalea are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Tonalea’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Tonalea’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story so far

Tonalea, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Tonalea yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Tonalea (Navajo: Tó Nehelį́į́h) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Coconino County, Arizona, United States. The population was 549 at the 2010 census. It has also been known as Red Lake.

Its first post office opened in 1926. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 549 to 451 (-18%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Tonalea, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Arizona National Guard2020Arizona National GuardArizona National Guard2020Arizona National GuardArizona National Guard2020Arizona National GuardArizona National Guard2020Arizona National GuardTonalea, Arizona, United States Post Office, May 20192019Tonalea, Arizona, United States Post Office, May 2019Old Red Lake Trading Post2014Old Red Lake Trading Post
On the map

Tonalea on the map, 1970 to 1982

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Tonalea. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Tonalea on the 1970 USGS mapTonalea on the 1982 USGS map1970Tonalea sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Tonalea.

People over time

Tonalea, census by census

010020030040050060020002020Peak: 562

Between 451 and 562 people in every census since 2000.

3 censuses, 2000–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Tonalea’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Old corners

Tonalea’s post office has been open since 1926.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Red Lake

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Tonalea’s history

What year was Tonalea founded?

The Tonalea post office opened in 1926, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (6), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.