Open for Business: The Hubbell Trading Post in Ganado, Ariz., today is owned by the National Park Service and operated by the Western National Parks Association. The association attempts to operate the business just as the Hubbell family did decades ago. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com

By GARY WARREN
Photographer
Formerly of Los Alamos

The Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site is located in Ganado, Ariz., on the Navajo Nation. Ganado is a tiny village in remote country. It lies about 25 miles west of Window Rock, Ariz., and about 40 miles north of I-40. It is a destination as you would not normally be just “passing through” unless you lived in the area.

We last visited Hubbell Trading Post in 2018, long before COVID-19 became a part of our lives. Due to the severity of the virus on the Navajo Nation, the Hubbell Trading Post remains closed until it is safe to open again.

John Lorenzo Hubbell was originally from New Mexico but purchased the post in Ganado in 1878 and moved to Arizona at the age of 23. Hubbell became a close friend to the Navajo people and became one of the largest and most respected traders with the Native Americans. Hubbell’s ability to speak English, Spanish, and Navajo made communication easy for traders and patrons in the early days.

The Hubbell Trading Post traded and sold most anything the people wanted or needed as many old general stores did in the past. Hubbell sold everything from groceries to hardware as well as authentic Native American arts, jewelry and blankets.

Hubbell purchased the property and building and built his homestead on 160 acres where he would live until his death in 1930 at age 77. The Hubbell family continued to operate the Hubbell Trading Post until 1967 when it was sold to the National Park Service.

The Hubbell Trading Post Historic Site consist of the trading post, the homestead, barns, and other structures which belonged to the Hubbell family. The trading post is owned by the National Park Service and operated by the Western National Parks Association.

When you enter the trading post, it looks much like it did when Hubbell operated the facility. The creaking of the wood floors, the wooden displays and the southwestern design of the rock and adobe building give visitors an instant feeling that they are experiencing history. The trading post is alive with the culture, traditions, and history of the Navajo people while the building allows visitors to step back in time.

Once the pandemic we are experiencing has past and the Navajo Nation reopens, the Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site is well worth a visit.

Editor’s note: Longtime Los Alamos photographer Gary Warren and his wife Marilyn are traveling around the country and he shares his photographs, which appear in the ‘Posts from the Road’ series published in the Sunday edition of the Los Alamos Daily Post.

If Walls Could Talk: If walls could talk, these walls could speak volumes. The office area of the trading post is located in a corner of the store. While some “modernization” has been done, the general appearance of the post has not changed. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com

For Sale: A sampling of items for sale sit on old wooden display tables in the Hubbell Trading Post. Notice the baskets hanging from the vigas in this part of the store near the office area. Lighting is simple and is mostly provided by open bulbs hanging from the ceiling. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com

Variety: Variety is the name of the game in many old general stores and trading posts. Hubbell Trading Post sells everything from groceries to hardware to Native American art, jewelry and blankets. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com

Wheels of Time: A wagon wheel from a stagecoach or wagon sits in front of a window at the Hubbell Trading Post in Ganado, Ariz. Many antique items from the Hubbell homestead can be seen around the property. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com

J. L. Hubbell: A simple plaque on the exterior wall of the trading post welcomes visitors to the Hubbell Trading Post Historic Site in Ganado, Ariz. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com