50 Years Ago

The Navajo Tribal Fair was held this week and, yes, there was a controversy.

As the 21st annual Navajo Tribal Fair was on the verge of starting, Navajo Tribal Chairman Raymond Nakai was reportedly feeling very good about the past year and he wanted to send a message to fairgoers.

It was a tragedy of unbelievable proportions, according to one tribal police official — the murder of a Navajo medicine man.

Back in the 1960s, it was big news when a long-time trader on the Navajo Reservation died so it was no surprise when the Navajo Times put the news of Rueben Heflin’s passing on the front page of the August 24, 1967, issue.