Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site

Visited: April 2024

Nearby town: Ganado, AZ

At 27,413 square miles, the Navajo Nation is the largest Indian Reservation in the United States. This vast land stretches over northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and a small portion of southeastern Utah. In the town of Ganado, which lies near the center of the Navajo Nation, you will find the Hubbell Trading Post.

Established in 1878, it is the oldest continuously operating trading post in the Navajo Nation. Trading posts served a vital role in Navajo society, particularly during the late 19th - early 20th century. Hubbell Trading Post was an important financial and commerical hub. It functioned as a store, post office, and a bank (where natives could pawn silver and turquoise, etc.) The trading post acted as a conduit between two cultures: native Navajo and Anglo-American settlers. In the days before cash, Navajo people bartered wool, sheep, rugs, jewelry, baskets, pottery in exchange for the trader's goods: flour, sugar, coffee, tobacco, baking powder, canned goods. 

The Hubbell Trading Post was established by John Lorenzo Hubbell. 

J. Lorenzo Hubbell

Born on November 27, 1853 near Albuquerque, New Mexico to an Anglo father and an Hispanic mother, Hubbell moved to St. Johns, Arizona at 23-years old to work as a clerk in a trading post. He began operating what is now the Hubbell Trading Post on the Navajo Nation in 1878. He homesteaded the acerage and lived in a home adjacent to the trading post. He spoke English, Spanish, and quickly learned Navajo. Hubbell was instrumental in making Navajo crafts, such as concho belts, turquoise bracelets, and traditional blankets (dubbed "Ganado blankets"), popular among Anglos in the U.S. Southwest and the rest of the country. He married a Hispanic woman, Lena Rubi, in 1879 and they had 4 children. Hubbell expanded his trading business, eventually owning 30 trading posts throughout the Navajo Nation and the neighboring Hopi Reservation. Hubbell served as the Apache County Sheriff in the 1880s and served a term in the Arizona State Senate from 1912-1914.

Hubbell was popular among the Navajo people due to his honesty, integrity, fair dealing, and knowledge of Navajo language and customs. He became good friends with tribal leaders, including Manuelito and Henry Chee Dodge. The Navajos called him Nak'eznilih ("double glasses"), and Naakaii Saani ("old Mexican"). Many visitors also called him "Don Lorenzo" due to his reputation for hospitality and generosity. A prominent Republican, Hubbell hosted former President Teddy Roosevelt at his ranch in Ganado in 1912. Hubbell passed away on November 12, 1930, at the age of 76. 

Hubbell's family continued to run the trading post until 1967, when they sold the land to the National Park Service. The trading post is still active, operated by a non-profit organization, the Western National Parks Association, as a partner with the NPS. The NPS also preserves the Hubbell family home, guest hogan, barn, blacksmith shop, and the small family farm on the grounds.

 

Start at the Visitor Center to learn about the history and importance of this site. Then visit the store and the grounds. If you have time, you can take a ranger-led tour inside the Hubbell family home. 

entrance to the trading post

chicken coop

covered patio of the family home

Hubbell hill. Hubbell and his wife are buried on this hill

guest Hogan. Hogans are the primary and traditional dwelling of the Navajo people.

They are usually circular or octagonal in shape. 

barn and blacksmith shop

Head inside the trading post and step into the past. 

the squeaky planks of the wooden floor greet you as you enter the trading post.

We concluded our stop at the Hubbell Trading Post with a picnic lunch on the grounds. 

For more info: https://www.nps.gov/hutr/index.htm

El Morro National Monument

Visited: April 2024

Nearby towns: Grants, NM; Gallup, NM

"When by great effort I arrived at the foot of some lofty cliffs at which I sat down, and then saw that there was a quiet tank of cold water, above whose crystalline waters, almost blind, I was with difficulty conquering the great madness of the insatiable thirst which overwhelmed me, when trembling, all exhausted, the wet liquor injected strength."

Capt. Gaspar Perez de Villagra, from the account of his travels in 1598

A prominent sandstone bluff, El Morro, rises high above the lonely landscape of western New Mexico. At an elevation of 7,296-ft, this landmark lies along a vital trade route used by the Ancestral Puebloans for thousands of years. The trail connected two important population centers, the Acoma Pueblo and the Zuni Pueblo, a distance of approximately 150 miles.

El Morro was a crucial water source along the Zuni-Acoma trail. At the base of the cliff lies a pool fed by rain and melting snow. This natural pool, almost permanently in the shade of the hulking mass of El Morro, is always cold. When full, the water hole is approximately 12-ft deep and can accommodate over 200,000 gallons of water. It was the only water source for a 30-mile radius.

The Zuni peoples used this bluff, which they dubbed A'ts'ina ("Place of writings on the rock"), as a resting spot along the trail to recuperate and rejuvenate in the clear, clean water. They also carved many petroglyphs on the cliff walls. 

The Spanish Conquistadors named the promontory El Morro ("The Headland"). The first European to document the landmark was Gaspar Perez de Villagra, an officer and captain in Onate's expedition to colonize these lands for the Spanish crown. The colony, Santa Fe de Nuevo Mexico, covered portions of present-day New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Colorado. In 1598, de Villagra was scouting the area when he was separated from his horse and became hopelessly lost. After wandering for hours without provisions, he stumbled upon the oasis at the base of the cliffs. The cool waters saved his life.

The natural pool

Anglo-Americans, who named the landmark "Inscription Rock," first passed through the area in 1849, on their way to California during the gold rush. Many gold-seekers and wagon trains made their presence known by carving their names on the cliff walls, as the Spanish had done centuries earlier. 

El Morro was designated as a National Monument by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906. From the visitors center, you can hike up to the top of El Morro. At the top you will find the remains of a 355-room Pueblo, inhabited by the Ancestral Puebloans from approximately 1275 - 1350 AD. It was a pleasant hike on an absolutely gorgeous day.

A beautiful blue sky as we climbed El Morro

the Pueblo ruins

excavations continue at the site

These circular rooms, known as kivas, served a significant religious and social function in Ancestral Puebloan life.

Pueblo walls

After scrambling on the top of El Morro and taking in the scenic views, we headed back down and walked along the base of the cliffs to see the oasis and the rock carvings/petroglyphs.

there are thousands of inscriptions along the cliff walls

This is the oldest legible inscription on El Morro. Written over 400 years ago by Juan de Onate, the leader of the Spanish Empire's expedition to Santa Fe de Nuevo Mexico and the first governor of the colony. It reads: Paso por aqqúi at adelantado Don Juan de Oñnate del descubrimiento de la mar del sur a 16 de Abril de 1605. ("Passed by here the Governor Don Juan de Onate, from the discovery of the Sea of the South [Gulf of California] on the 16th of April, 1605.") 

As you can see, Onate partially wrote over an existing petroglyph carved by Ancestral Puebloans.   

another shot of Onate's inscription.

many of the carvings in this photo were from the 1800s

"paso por aqui" (Spanish for "passed by here") is a commonly used phrase found in many of the inscriptions.

Mr. E. Pen Long of Baltimore, intricately carved his name in cursive, in 1857. Long traveled through this area as a member of the U.S. Army's "Camel Corps" a short-lived experiment of the use of camels from Egypt as pack animals in the deserts of the American Southwest. 

There's a small museum at the Visitor Center to learn more about the history of the area.

tools used by Ancestral Puebloans

navigational tools and surveying equipment

Camel bell used by the U.S. Army's "Camel Corps" 

Spanish Conquistador uniform and weapons

We had a great time at El Morro. Very interesting and well-worth a visit. 

More info: https://www.nps.gov/elmo/index.htm