Once a mainstay of the tiny Navajo community, the crumbling church stands as a reminder of what was lost when many of the younger residents moved into the cities.

In its peak, the community — which lies within view of Chaco Culture National Historical Park — included a preschool, a trading post and a landing strip for small aircraft, said Chaco resident Leonard Dempsey.

"It was a thriving place," he said. "We had cows and sheep and horses, and there were a lot of young people running around chasing sheep and throwing rocks at each other."

About 25 residents remain, Dempsey said, and most live without running water or electricity, even though power lines run through the center of the community and into the national monument.

Many of the Chaco residents are descendants of the Navajo people who were forcibly removed from their homes inside Chaco Canyon when the federal government took over in 1907. Nearly all of the residents gathered Saturday near the old church for a commemoration of the day — 100 years ago — when their ancestors left the canyon and started rebuilding.

"There can be nothing more troubling, nothing more traumatic, nothing more devastating than being forcibly removed from your homeland and not being allowed to return," said Tony Atkinson, chairman of the San Juan County Commission. "Looking at this sacred and historical place, one cannot help but imagine just what suffering must have been endured."

Set under a tent amid sand and sagebrush, the commemoration also provided residents and officials a forum in which to protest current living conditions — conditions which force people to look elsewhere for homes and jobs.

Dempsey, 38, grew up in the community and took a bus over primitive roads every day to get to school. On winter days when the roads were muddy, the drive took more than two hours, he said, and sometimes the bus never made it.

"The bus always had a radio in it, so we could call for help," he said. "There were some incidents when the bus got stuck in the mud."

Since Dempsey's school days, not much in the community has changed.

"The only thing that changes around here is the piles of dirt," he said.

Representing the county, Atkinson told residents he was working to remove the hardships they still endure. The county is addressing the long-standing issue of paving County Roads 7900 and 7950, he said, which may lead the way to additional paving in south San Juan County — a network of about 350 miles of unpaved roads serving small Navajo communities.

The Nageezi, Pueblo Pintado, Lake Valley and Counselor chapters already have passed resolutions supporting road improvements — which would include creating a 25-foot, chip-sealed driving surface — but opposition is strong, Atkinson said. For Chaco residents who travel the roads every day, conditions are dangerous at best and impassable at worst.

"I believe it is essential for us to improve San Juan County Roads 7900 and 7950," he said, "but my feelings are not shared by some (self)-righteous, self-proclaimed experts ... who write me and complain that it would ruin their once-a-year commune with nature. These people who oppose the improvements have not once mentioned any consideration for the health and well-being of the San Juan County citizens who live in this community."

Among those who have historically opposed paving are National Park Service employees. The roads lead to the park's main entrance, and employees fear an improved road would increase traffic to the site, which is already near capacity at 60,000 visitors per year, Russ Bodnar, chief of interpretation at Chaco Culture National Historical Park, said. Although he does not oppose paving, Bodnar said the park would first need upgrades so employees can protect the sites.

"If traffic increases, we'll have to do things differently," he said. "We're glad to ... come up with ways to take care of local needs, park visitor needs and the park itself."

The dispute over the land is just another in a long history of quarrels between the Navajo Nation and the federal government, said Navajo Vice President Ben Shelly. Although Navajos are concerned about the environment and the integrity of the park, those matters shouldn't take precedence over quality of life for those who live outside the park boundaries, he said.

"Why do you make it a national monument if you don't want people to be in there?" he said. "If you're trying to prevent people from coming (into the park), have them stand on the rim, and let them see with binoculars."

Although humorous, Shelly's solution represents a compromise he believes can be reached by the Nation and the federal government. He told Chaco residents Saturday to stop complaining about the roads and start forming partnerships with government entities.

"The hardships Navajo people go through is nothing new, but the Navajo people are survivors," he said. "Let's make negative feelings positive."

Alysa Landry: alandry@daily-times.com