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Shiprock
New Mexico, United States
Also known as: Needles
News •
FBI investigates death of prominent doctor who worked in Navajo clinic
• Nov. 7, 2026, 1:30 AM ET (Sante Fe New Mexican)
Ship Rock, New MexicoShip Rock, northwestern New Mexico.
Shiprock, town, San Juan county, northwestern New Mexico, U.S. Lying on the vast Navajo reservation, the town, originally called Needles, was founded in 1903 as a center of tribal government. It served as such until 1938, when the Navajo nation established its capital at Window Rock, Arizona. The town takes its name from Ship Rock, a volcanic rock located 10 miles (16 km) to the southwest. This rock rises 1,400 feet (420 meters) from the desert; in Navajo the peak is called tse bida’hi, “winged rock,” and it figures prominently in Navajo mythology. Pop. (2010) 8,295; (2020) 7,718.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Barbara A. Schreiber.
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