Aneth is a small community on a point North of the junction of McElmo Creek and the San Juan River. It was the site of a Navajo trading post during the early 1880s. In 1886 it was named Holyoak after an early settler. In the 1900s the name was changed to Anseth, then Aneth for an operator of the local trading post. The discovery of oil and gas in the area accelerated settlement and population growth.