Fruitland, New Mexico facts for kids

Fruitland is a small community in San Juan County, New Mexico, United States. It is not a city but an unincorporated community and a Census-designated place. Fruitland is located on the north side of the San Juan River. It sits just west of Kirtland and across the river from the Navajo Nation and Upper Fruitland. To the east of Fruitland is Waterflow. The community shares its name with a special rock layer found in the area, called the Fruitland Formation.

A Look Back at Fruitland's Past

The land where Fruitland now stands was originally the traditional home of the Navajo people. In their language, they called this place Bááh Díílid.

Around 1877, people from other parts of America and Europe began to settle here. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints first arrived in 1878. A larger group of settlers came in 1881, with Luther C. Burnham being an important leader among them. Burnham became a local leader, known as a bishop, for the church's local group, or ward, in 1883. This group was named the Burnham Ward. Because of this, many residents called the area Burnham instead of Fruitland until the 1930s.

For some time, Brigham Young, Jr., who was a notable leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, had one of his homes in Fruitland.

Learning in Fruitland

Fruitland is part of the Central Consolidated Schools district. This means students in Fruitland attend schools within this district.

There is also a school called Nenahnezad Community School, which is part of the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE). This school is located in Nenahnezad but uses a Fruitland postal address.

A Famous Person from Fruitland

• Mamie Deschillie, a talented artist, came from Fruitland.