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GALLUP (Staff) - Navajo Inn, the controversial liquor store on State Road 264 at the entrance to the Navajo Reser vation, will close permanently May 14. The Pittsburg-Midway Coal Co. has purchased 300 acres of property from Emmett Garcia, and will tear down the store building in order to construct “a direct access road” to the big PM coal mine there, PM President James A. Borders said. Garcia has not sold his liquor license. A former mayor of Gallup, Garcia came under fire during his term of office for owning the Navajo Inn, approxi mately 20 miles northwest of Gallup. Garcia said that in the 15 years he has owned the Inn he has received several offers from prospective purchasers, and pressure from the Navajo Tribe to sell out. He commented, ‘I have been in busi ness there for years and I know how de sirous the tribe is of moving (me). But I am selling mainly because of good pub lic relations, since I did have other of fers.’ Garcia said he doesn't feel ‘an obligation to the tribe. ’ He warned that Navajos who have been buying liquor from him will now have to travel further from the reserva tion “to deal with a legitimate liquor dealer. “With actions being taken in the area of liquor today, the doors are open only for bootleggers and people taking ad vantage of the tribe's position. After many years in the business I can see that the tribe would be much better off hav ing its own liquor store on the reserva tion where it could control consumption and travel.” The sale of Navajo Inn is contingent on the closing by June 1 at the latest, but Garcia added that he would try to close the establishment that sells liquor by the bottle only by Saturday, June 14. Ownership of the store has varied in the past 15 years, with Garcia at one time owning all of the establishment and then sharing it with various partners. The greatest objections to the Inn came about during Garcia’s two year term as mayor which began in 1971. It was during that term that he was ab ducted from his offices at City Hall over four years ago. During the shootout that followed one of the abductors was shot, but the Navajo Inn was an issue in the abduction. Garcia was also hanged in effigy by the Kiva Club as a protest to the Navajo Inn during that time. OPEN FOR BUSINESS — vores Village on Highway 32 began selling liquor this week, two weeks a license transfer was granted the establishment, and only days after the vice-chairman of the Navajo tribe promised to have tribal police arrest Indians purchasing liquor at the new location. No Navajo police were stationed outside Vonder wagen Village yesterday and this man, like all other customers, purch ased liquor unmolested.
Newspaper Details
Gallup Independent
Gallup, New Mexico, US
Wed, May 04, 1977
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