Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site
Much has changed since 1878. Today, we drive cars, talk on cell phones, and launch astronauts into space.
But at the Hubbell Trading Post, everything still looks pretty much the same.
Much has changed since 1878. Today, we drive cars, talk on cell phones, and launch astronauts into space.
But at the Hubbell Trading Post, everything still looks pretty much the same.
The original sandstone building still hugs the Pueblo Colorado Wash. The wooden floor is scuffed with bootmarks and polished by the soft soles of moccasins.
The shelves still carry many of the goods John Lorenzo Hubbell once sold to the Navajo—sugar, flour, coffee, tobacco. In the back, a Navajo woman weaves geometric patterns into a colorful rug.
Hubbell’s family ran the trading post until 1965, when it was purchased by the National Park Service. At Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site, you can “trade” your cash for authentic Navajo baskets, rugs, and jewelry. Chat with locals in the Bullpen, where the Navajo have shopped for more than 130 years.
You can also visit the Hubbell family home, filled with the family’s furnishings and personal effects. Tour the barn, the bunkhouse, and a Navajo hogan. Pet a Navajo Churro sheep, which the Navajo have bred since the 1700s.
Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site continues the long tradition of peaceful trade among people in the American Southwest.
If You Go:
This is a great opportunity to gain a true appreciation for the fine art of the Navajo. Watch artisans craft baskets, weave rugs, and paint pottery. Attend an auction of Navajo art, held at the site twice a year.
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