By Jim Mimiaga

Scenic White Mesa, a little-known community of 200 or so tribal members and their families, is a unique band of the Ute Mountain Indian tribe that has lately been experiencing a good dose of growth and prosperity.

Situated just south of Blanding, Utah, in the shadow of the snow-capped Abajo Mountains, the peaceful reservation town of 83 homes is an hour’s drive from Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Headquarters in Towaoc.

"Not too many people know that we’re even here," remarked Virginia Ketchum, White Mesa resident and employee of the newly built Texaco Travel Center, located in the middle of town.

Yet the Native American community, interspersed throughout a checkerboard pattern of reservation and private land allotments, holds its own, and is in the process of more development. Established in 1953, White Mesa initially suffered from a severe lack of basic services -- problems that many early newspaper accounts of the region blamed on its remote location.

Sewer and water service did not arrive into the area until 1978 (electricity came in 1964), and other major needs such as education, employment, health care, and law enforcement were severely lacking, contributing to a diminished quality of life for residents.

That has all changed now, thanks to an independent nine-member White Mesa Ute Council that has over the last two decades successfully solved many of these problems, a tribute to the small community’s commitment to self-reliance. The non-profit government board, organized in 1978 under a Utah state charter, contracts services from the Ute Mountain Ute Tribal government and other county and federal entities. Council members are elected by White Mesa residents to serve three-year terms and directly receive tribal funds in order to hire staff and oversee various programs.

"Our people settled here initially during the winter months after grazing livestock all summer long. At one point we were known as the Allen Canyon Band of the Utes," recalled White Mesa Chairperson Mary Jane Yazzie, speaking from a modest tribal headquarters building. She is referring to a nearby canyon where tribal members still farm traditional gardens of corn, squash and green chilies, in addition to raising cattle and horses. Willows are also collected here to weave the intricate designs of traditional Ute wedding baskets, displayed alongside Ute beadwork at the Edge of Cedars Museum and Blue Mountain Trading Post in Blanding.

Assembled around a well-used work table, the reserved but clearly dedicated staff nod in proud approval as Yazzie clicks off the satellite tribe’s many successes: Infrastructure development, a senior center, a Head Start facility, recreation and education departments, an artist league, an alcohol rehabilitation program, a new convenience store, and a profitable farm and ranch operation. And just recently the Bureau of Indian Affairs Law Enforcement division placed a long-awaited-for policeman in White Mesa, Officer Andy McKinney.

"It’s been difficult to respond effectively to calls out here, because of the distance," said Ute Mountain Police Chief Dusty Whiting, "and a quick response time is one of our obligations to this community. I bet that in just the last three weeks since Andy moved out here we have had more calls for service than in the past six months."

A brief tour of the area included a stop at the White Mesa Head Start school where McKinney and Whiting visited with a gaggle of curious youngsters. The visit is part of the BIA’s recent focus on "community policing," a philosophy that works to establish a better rapport with residents in order to build-up trust and improve public safety. Local police presence, absent for the last six months in White Mesa, has been well received.

"There were a lot less calls before because citizens didn’t feel that they had someone to go to right away when there was some smaller problem," Whiting said, adding that a cross-deputizing program with San Juan County Sheriff officers has been helpful in aiding Ute Mountain Police with more serious criminal activity.

To the obvious relief of tribal leaders, McKinney noted during an informal meeting with the local council that he has already curtailed speeders traveling through White Mesa along Utah Highway 191. Plus his background as a paramedic fits well with long term plans to bring fire and rescue service to White Mesa. He recently graduated from Sam Houston University with a degree in criminal justice.

"They’re keeping me somewhat busy and the people have made me feel welcome. I’m just glad to be here and work with y’all," McKinney said with a native Texan drawl.

More improvements to the community are forthcoming. Ute Mountain Ute Council member Eddie Dutchie Jr., who represents White Mesa’s interests back in Towaoc, said that the town is installing a new main water and storage tank, and will be building five new Housing and Urban Development (HUD) homes to ease the housing crunch created by recent growth in the area.

"The growth is slow, but people who leave and then return in six months have noticed the changes," he said. "We’ve accomplished quite a bit."

Still there is much more to be done. Getting tribal members motivated to sign-up for job training and higher education programs has been a big challenge, Dutchie Jr. said. While there has been some interest in classes at the nearby Blanding Jr. College, community leaders want more tribal members will take advantage of the $1 million in available scholarship funds.

"I wish that amount was a lot lower," Dutchie, Jr. said, "because at least that would mean people were utilizing those funds. We need to get the word out to our members of these education opportunities and then get them motivated to participate.

"White Mesa tribal members can receive a four-year degree without ever leaving the county, and our scholarships will cover it all."