Hubbell Trading Post
On our way to Canyon de Chelly, we stopped off at the Hubbell Trading Post, a National Historic Site in Ganado. It was built in the 1880s after the Navajos returned from the "Long Walk" and needed the trade goods white traders brought. John Hubbell established the trading post and also helped open markets for Navajo goods. 
Navajos weaved beautiful blankets, which did not sell well with Anglos. Hubbell suggested they make them thicker so they could be sold as rugs. It was a success. In the Hubbell Trading Post we saw one rug priced at $7500! Others sell for much more. (The large one on the wall is priced at $7500.)
Y
ou can take a self-guided walking tour through the grounds. A tour of the Hubbell house is available several times a day for a small fee. There is no entrance fee or fee to tour the grounds. In the visitor center is a loom where visitors can try their hand at weaving. When I visited here several years ago with my grandchildren, we each took a turn with help and supervision.
The trading post itself is open too. Snacks, gift items, jewelry a
nd rugs can be purchased. The old trading post today looks much like it did years ago, though price tags are higher!
Trading posts were a vital part of life on the reservation, especially since the Navajos returned from the Long Walk to find their herds decimated and fields destroyed. Jaimie Hal-Bruzenak
Photos by Gerge Bruzenak
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