William T. Shelton San Juan County, New Mexico

William T. Shelton, superintendent of the San Tuan Training School, and acting Indian agent for the Navajo Indians at Shiprock, New Mexico, was born at Waynesville. North Carolina, in 1869, and became connected with the Indian Department in 1894, as industrial teacher among the Cherokee Indians in North Carolina. In 1897 he was transferred to the Santa Fe Indian School, New Mexico, as industrial teacher and agricultural instructor, and was there for nearly four years.

He was afterwards transferred to the Hava Supai Indian reservation, Arizona, in charge of the school and reservation, remaining there for three years, when he was promoted and transferred to the San Juan Navajo reservation, as superintendent and acting agent in August. 1903. Soon after his arrival he began the construction of the San Juan agency and the San Juan Training School, which is now nearing completion. The total cost of the complete outfit will be about $100,000. Under his charge are more than 8,000 Navajo Indians, and the reservation covers 6,000 square miles, extending into New Mexico, Arizona and Utah.

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Source: History of New Mexico, Its Resources and People, Volume II, Pacific States Publishing Co., 1907.