Navajo Code Talkers Museum Slated to Break Ground on December 1

Are you familiar with the Navajo Code Talkers who served during World War II? New Mexico will soon build a structure honoring more than 400 Navajo marines who played a vital role in wartime communications. The Office of the Governor announced that the state and Navajo Preparatory School will hold a historic groundbreaking for the Navajo Code Talkers Museum on December 1 in Farmington. 

Nearly $20 million in state funding will support the museum honoring those who created the “only military code in modern history that was never broken.” It will preserve the legacy of the Navajo Code Talkers and celebrate the Diné language, cultural knowledge, and traditions that made their contributions possible, the executive office said in a news release. 

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, through the press release, said the Navajo Code Talkers served the nation with their language, courage, and lives. She added that the museum fulfills New Mexico’s promise to preserve their legacy for generations in a space built by and for the Diné community. 

The Office of the Governor said Navajo Preparatory School will host the museum on tribal land under a 99-year lease with the Navajo Nation. The plans include about 6,000 square feet of exhibit space and an outreach center that will promote the Navajo language and support youth leadership.

The museum’s location carries a historical significance because Navajo Preparatory School stands on the former campus of the Navajo Methodist Mission School. At least 17 men who later served as Navajo Code Talkers attended the mission school, according to the Office of the Governor.