Day Family

The Day Family became known in the Colorado Plateau region for their activities as traders on the Navajo Reservation. In addition to business activities, they also served as agents on the Reservation, and maintained close ties with the people there.

Samuel Day, Sr. (1845-1925) was born in Canton, Ohio. He studied at a university in Newark, New Jersey, enlisted in the military for a brief period of time, and lived in various cities throughout the United States. He lived briefly in Iowa, where he married Anna Burbridge in 1878, and the couple soon relocated to Colorado. In 1883, Day moved his family to northeastern Arizona, where he served as a trader and agent on the Navajo Reservation. During this time, he surveyed extensions of borders on the Navajo Reservation. He held a position on the Territorial Legislature for two terms beginning in 1906, and was United States Indian Commissioner from 1920 to 1925. While in Arizona, he and Anna raised their three children, Charles, Sam Jr., and William. Day passed away in 1925 at the age of 80.

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