Tuba City's Yellowman Park
to open on May 10
Facility named after well-known Navajo educator, legislator

By John Christian Hopkins
Diné Bureau

TUBA CITY — Founded in 1903, Tuba City is about to welcome its first public park.

The grand opening of the Louise Yellowman County Park will be at 9 a.m. May 10.

The park is named for Yellowman, the first Native American to serve as a Coconino County commissioner.

Located at Main and Moenave Streets, the park features picnic tables, a water fountain, skateboard/bicycle park, basketball court, shady ramada, playground equipment, a pavilion, grills and a public restroom.

Yellowman was first elected to the Board of County Commissioners in 1980 and has served District 5 ever since.

She sees her life as one of harmony and balance, where she was had to walk in two worlds. She didn’t speak English until she was 14. She went on to earn a master’s in education from Northern Arizona University and worked as an educator for 31 years.

While working for Navajo Head Start, Yellowman implemented the Navajo Bilingual Program.

She worked on the need for schools in the Gap and Cameron, and was instrumental in getting a Diné College extension in Tuba City.

Yellowman has also been heavily involved in local environmental issues, including the landfill.

The park is one of 20 projects sponsored by the Coconino Parks and Open Space program. Funded in part by a sales tax initiative approved by voters in 2002, the project has been two years in the making. It is a combined effort of the open space program, county supervisors and the Coconino County Parks and Recreation department.

Information: (928) 679-8000.
John Christian Hopkins can be reached at Hopkins1960@hotmail.com