Wandering Lizard
Arizona

Apache County

St. Johns - County Seat

St. Johns is the county seat of Apache County located on U.S. Highway 191 close to the New Mexico border. It is believed that Coronado crossed the Little Colorado River here in 1540 and was thus the first European to visit the area. Long before and after that time several Native American peoples lived in the vicinity, particularly members of the Navajo Nation. Spanish explorers in the area called the river crossing El Vadito. As early as 1864 Soloman Barth traded in the area and in 1866 William R. Milligan settled at El Vadito. Others followed and the community that grew up around the river crossing was called San Juan. In the 1870s Mormon missionaries arrived and in 1880 established a Mormon settlement. In April 1880 a post office was established and the official name of the community was changed to Saint Johns. It was changed again in 1893 when it became St. Johns.