The Wetherill family first arrived in the Colorado Plateau region in 1880, when Benjamin and Marion Wetherill moved their family to a homestead in the region. For the next several years, members of the family operated trading posts throughout the Colorado Plateau in Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. Some Wetherills are also credited with archaeological and exploratory activity in the area, including the discovery of Rainbow Bridge.
Benjamin Kite Wetherill (1832-1898) married Marion Thompson in 1856, and together they had Richard (1858-1910), Benjamin Alfred “Al” (1861-1950), Clayton [1861-1921], Anna (1865- 1935), John (1866-1944), Winslow [1870-1939], and Alice (birth date unknown, died in infancy). B.K. Wetherill relocated to Colorado in 1879, began homesteading near the Mancos River in Colorado in 1880, and was joined by the rest of the family the following year. In 1882, the family began construction of a log house, which would be called the Alamo Ranch.
John Wetherill married Louisa Wade in 1896, and in 1900, the couple moved with their two children to New Mexico. There, they operated three trading posts at Ojo Alamo, Chavez, and Chaco Canyon, and organized guided tours of the area. In 1906, the couple relocated to Oljato in southern Utah, where they built and operated their own trading post. John Wetherill is known for organizing discovery expeditions in the region, and in 1909, he explored and is often credited with discovering the Rainbow Bridge. He also led a number of expeditions throughout remains of cliff dwellings, and in Tsegi Canyon, Tsegiotsosi Canyon, Monument Valley and Navajo Mountain. In 1910, the couple moved their trading post to Kayenta, Arizona, where they remained until the 1940s. He also served as U.S. Deputy Marshall at the National Parks Service’s Navajo National Monument from 1909 until 1938, for which he never collected a salary. In 1934, John Wetherill’s nephew, Milton Wetherill was selected to act as seasonal ranger at the Navajo National Monument. He continued to serve in this post for a total of five summers.
From the guide to the Wetherill Family collection, 1867-1964, predominant 1906-1946, (The Museum of Northern Arizona)
