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C−History
History · Window Rock

Window Rock’s post office opened in 1936, and 2 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 25% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Most of Window Rock was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1981. Below: 1 old photo or paper from 1936 on.

1936first post office
2on the National Register
3%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Window Rock’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Window Rock began

When was Window Rock founded?

1936

The Window Rock post office opened in 1936, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 2,50090 years

How historic is Window Rock?

C−

More historic than 25% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Window Rock post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade

What drives Window Rock’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Window Rock is more historic than 25% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Window Rock’s overall grade.
Founding era1936, from the first post office: founded 1900–1944, an older era than 9% of U.S. townsDHomes built before 19402.9% of homes (±2.6) · typical AZ town 0.4% · U.S. 8.4%C−National Register2 listings, 8.1 per 10,000 residents · typical AZ town 0.1 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 25%
NewerOlder

Few Arizona towns list much on the Register (a typical Arizona town has 0.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Window Rock’s 8.1 sits above most of its state (77% of Arizona towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C+. The pre-1940 share (±2.6 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Window Rock’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.A National Historic Landmark2 places on the National Register, including Navajo Nation Council Chamber, a National Historic Landmark.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Window Rock’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewMable Burnside (Myers) at Navajo fairgr…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the National Register

2 historic places in Window Rock

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmark
1
Navajo Nation Council Chamber
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
1975
St. Michael's Mission
St. Michael's MissionNavajo Nation Council Chamber, built 1935★
Buildings★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Navajo Vernacular Revival1
★ Landmark
Navajo Nation Council ChamberNavajo Vernacular Revival · Built 1935
St. Michael's MissionBuilding

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story so far

Window Rock, in brief

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

Window Rock, known in Navajo as Tségháhoodzání (pronounced [tsʰéɰáhòːtsání]), is a city and census-designated place that serves as the capital of the Navajo Nation, the largest Native American tribe by both land and tribal enrollment. The capital lies in Apache County, and is within the boundaries of the St. Michaels Chapter, adjacent to the Arizona and New Mexico state line. Window Rock is the site of the Navajo Nation governmental campus, which contains the Navajo Nation Council, Navajo Nation Supreme Court, the offices of the Navajo Nation President and Vice President, and many Navajo government buildings. Window Rock's population was 2,500 at the 2020 census. It is estimated to reach ar…

Its first post office opened in 1936. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 2,712 to 2,500 (-8%).

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

Timeline

Window Rock, 1935 to 2004

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1935BuiltNavajo Nation Council Chamber is built
  3. 1936In the archiveMable Burnside (Myers) at Navajo fairgrounds
  4. 1936Post officeThe Window Rock post office opens
  5. 1967Born hereEugene Tapahe is born here
  6. 21st century
  7. 2004LandmarkNavajo Nation Council Chamber named a National Historic Landmark
By decade

Window Rock, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1930s1 item
Mable Burnside (Myers) at Navajo fairgrounds1936–1956Mable Burnside (Myers) at Navajo fairgrounds
1940s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today4 recent
Karte der Navajo Volcanic Fields2011Karte der Navajo Volcanic FieldsAnnie Wauneka Arena2011Annie Wauneka ArenaMap of the Navajo Volcanic Fields2011Map of the Navajo Volcanic FieldsMapAZMap-doton-Window Rock2004AZMap-doton-Window Rock
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Mable Burnside (Myers) at Navajo fairgrounds
Retake this viewMable Burnside (Myers) at Navajo fairgrounds, 1936–1956

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Window Rock’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

St. MichaelsIts storyD−

Questions about Window Rock’s history

What year was Window Rock founded?

The Window Rock post office opened in 1936, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Window Rock rank for history?

Window Rock is more historic than 25% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Window Rock?

Two places: the Navajo Nation Council Chamber (listed 2004) and the St. Michael's Mission (1975).

How old are the homes in Window Rock?

3% of Window Rock’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.6 points), against a typical 0.4% for an Arizona town; the median home was built in 1981.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.