Gouldings

The Gouldings Story

Harry Goulding was a sheep merchant in need of a new business venture and a new family start. Harry and his wife Leone, who went by the nickname "Mike," toured Monument Valley in the early 1920s and fell in love with it. About the fact that Monument Valley was once part of the Paiute Indian Reserve, the reservation was transferred and land became available for purchase. The Gouldings leapt at the opportunity to buy a large piece of land in Monument Valley and set up a Trading Post right away.

The Gouldings began trading with the local Navajo people in tents, exchanging food and other products for handcrafted objects such as rugs and jewelry. After living and working in tents for many years, Harry and Mike decided to create a permanent structure, which is now the Goulding's Trading Post Museum.

The Navajo Reservation suffered greatly during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Harry had learned that a film production company was searching sites in the Southwest for filming. He claimed that moving movie production to Monument Valley would provide much-needed revenue to the local Navajos.

So, with their last $60, Harry and Mike embarked on a trip to Hollywood, California. Harry encountered John Ford, the renowned director, through chance and perseverance. When Ford saw Harry's photographs of Monument Valley, he realized it would be the ideal setting for his next film. The Gouldings were paid in advance, and John Ford and his crew started shooting Stagecoach, starring John Wayne, within a few days.

The Gouldings continued to attract film crews, photographers, musicians, and visitors through the years. To attract their visitors, they constructed lodge rooms and a dining facility. Since then, Goulding's Resort has grown to accommodate thousands of tourists to Monument Valley from all over the world.

The Trading Post and Lodge was taken over by Knox College of Illinois in 1962, and the Gouldings moved to Arizona. Unfortunately, Harry's condition deteriorated. The land was purchased by the LaFont family in 1981, the same year that Harry died. Mike was able to return to her home in Monument Valley shortly after, where she spent her remaining days before passing away in 1992.

Monument Valley has become a symbol of the American West thanks to the Gouldings' visionary spirit. People from all over the world now walk the same paths as Mike and Harry to enjoy the incredible beauty of the region.