J.L. “Don” Hubbell & the Hubbell Trading Post
Nestled within the vast expanse of the Navajo Nation in Ganado, Arizona, stands a testament to cultural exchange and enduring legacy: the Hubbell Trading Post. Established in 1878 by John Lorenzo Hubbell, this historic site represents a pivotal point where the diverse traditions of Native Americans, Spanish settlers, and Anglo-Americans converged, fostering an environment of mutual benefit and economic interdependence. For nearly a century, the Hubbell family presided over this bustling hub, welcoming traders, dignitaries, and everyday visitors to engage in commerce with the Navajo people. The family’s Spanish heritage deeply influenced not only the lives of the Navajo but also the experiences of all who crossed its threshold.
In the 1960s, the Hubbell family relinquished ownership of the post to the National Park System, ensuring its preservation for future generations. Today, the Western National Parks Association continues to operate the Hubbell Trading Post with the same spirit and dedication that characterized the Hubbell family’s tenure. Visitors are invited to delve into the rich tapestry of Navajo heritage, observe traditional trading practices, learn the intricate art of Navajo rug weaving, and acquire authentic Native American crafts and artwork from the trading post’s various shops.
The story of the Hubbell Trading Post, however, extends far beyond its establishment in 1878. It begins in the tumultuous years of the early 1860s, a period marked by the forced removal of the Navajo people from their ancestral lands. Driven by the ambition to exploit the region’s mineral resources, General James H. Carleton initiated a brutal campaign to relocate the Navajo, entrusting the task to Colonel Christopher "Kit" Carson.
Under Carleton’s directive, Carson implemented a "scorched earth" policy, systematically decimating the Navajo’s means of survival. His troops destroyed livestock, burned homes and crops, and perpetrated unspeakable atrocities against Navajo men, women, and children. These acts of terror were intended to coerce the Navajo into abandoning their homelands and submitting to the will of the U.S. government.
By the winter of 1863, the Navajo, weakened by starvation and fearing further loss of life, surrendered to Carson’s forces. The following year, Carson and his troops rounded up over 8,000 Navajo survivors and forced them to embark on the harrowing "Long Walk to the Bosque Redondo," a 300-mile journey from northeastern Arizona to Fort Sumner in eastern New Mexico. This arduous march led to a 40-square-mile reservation on the Pecos River, forever altering the Navajo’s world, profoundly impacting their material culture and economic pursuits.
During their confinement at the Bosque Redondo reservation, the Navajo were subjected to assimilation efforts, including mandatory schooling and religious instruction. They were also introduced to new materials and techniques that would later be incorporated into their craftwork. These crafts became a vital means of exchange, allowing the Navajo to acquire food and other essential commodities from traders.
Following their return from the Bosque Redondo, traders played a crucial role in providing the Navajo with the materials they had become accustomed to during their exile. John Lorenzo Hubbell emerged as a prominent figure in this era, establishing a thriving trading empire and fostering a strong relationship with the Navajo people. Recognizing the potential of Navajo crafts, Hubbell helped the Navajo adapt to their new circumstances and reintegrate into reservation life. His fluency in the Navajo language and deep understanding of their traditions, gained through his work as a Spanish interpreter for the U.S. military, enabled him to build what is now the Hubbell Trading Post in 1878, a decade after the Navajo’s return from exile, and become one of the most successful trading operations in the Southwest.
John (a.k.a. Don) Lorenzo Hubbell (1853-1930)
John Lorenzo Hubbell, a man of many names and even greater influence, was born on November 27, 1853, in Pajarito, New Mexico Territory. He was the son of James Santiago Hubbell, a trader from Connecticut who traversed the Santa Fe Trail, and Juliana Gutierrez, a descendant of a Spanish colonial land grant family. James Santiago Hubbell was a prominent merchant trader, and he further cemented his standing by serving in the Union Army during the Civil War and later becoming a military contractor, supplying posts such as Fort Wingate, New Mexico. The couple held considerable sway in New Mexico Territorial affairs.
Young John, who would later be known as "Don," a Spanish term of respect, did not learn English until the age of 12. His early career included stints as a clerk in an Albuquerque post office and at a Mormon trading post in Kanab, Utah. In the summer of 1873, he ventured to Arizona, where his linguistic skills – proficiency in English, Spanish, and Navajo – secured him a position as an interpreter for the U.S. Army at Fort Defiance.
By 1876, Hubbell had acquired his first trading post, followed by a second in 1878. He established a permanent homestead at this second post, which he called home for the next half-century. Its strategic location, midway between the Navajo Agency at Fort Defiance and the Hopi Agency at Keams Canyon, made it a vital stopping point for government officials and other prominent figures. Hubbell’s multilingualism allowed him to communicate effortlessly with nearly all of his patrons.
Situated on the Navajo Reservation, Hubbell encouraged the Navajo to produce silver jewelry, woven baskets, and Navajo rugs, which he would purchase in exchange for money and groceries. The Navajo also traded wool, sheep, corn, and piñon nuts for cloth, flour, seeds, and canned goods. Beyond trade, Hubbell employed local Navajos to construct his house and a local Indian school, donating land for the project. A settlement soon emerged around the trading post, named Ganado in honor of a Navajo friend of Hubbell’s, Tom Ganado, who had a camp near the Pueblo Colorado Wash.
Hubbell’s success as a trader stemmed from his deep respect for Navajo culture, his commitment to fairness and honesty, and his amiable relationships with Navajo leaders. In the late 1870s and early 1880s, he expanded his trading empire, establishing posts throughout Navajo lands. During this time, he had a relationship with Lina Rubi, with whom he had three children – Adella, Barbara, and Lorenzo, Jr. – before marrying her on July 27, 1891, in St. Johns, Arizona. Their fourth child, Roman, was born later that year. Lina and the children maintained a home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where the children attended school.
The trading post at Ganado became the central hub of Hubbell’s diverse business ventures, which included wholesale houses, ranches, farms, commercial properties, saloons, and stage, freight, and mail lines. His enterprises employed more people than any other regional post, many of whom were members of the Navajo tribe and extended family.
These employees held various positions, including clerks in the posts, domestic workers, farmhands, livestock herders, freight haulers, mail carriers, blacksmiths, construction workers, tourist guides, and demonstration weavers. They were typically paid in trading post tokens redeemable only at Hubbell posts. However, Hubbell provided housing, food, and clothing to many of his employees, even during the Depression years.
Don Lorenzo Hubbell earned widespread respect and recognition as one of the most influential Navajo Indian Traders of his time. He was known by different names: the Navajo called him Nakeznilib ("Double Glasses" or "Wearing Spectacles") or Naakaii Sanf ("Old Mexican"), his Hispanic relatives referred to him as Don Lorenzo, and his business associates called him J.L. The Rubi family affectionately called the Hubbell Family "Los Hobles," suggesting their Hispanic heritage.
Hubbell served as a senator in the Territorial Government in 1912. The following year, his wife, Lina, passed away at the age of 54 and was buried on Hubbell Hill in Ganado, Arizona. After Arizona achieved statehood in 1912, Hubbell became a State Senator. In 1914, he ended his political career with an unsuccessful run for the U.S. Senate.
In his later years, Hubbell penned his memoirs, "Fifty Years an Indian Trader," met every American president from Grover Cleveland to Warren G. Harding, hosted Theodore Roosevelt at his home for a week, and expanded his businesses to include an automobile dealership and a gas station in Winslow, Arizona. In 1930, Don Lorenzo Hubbell died at the age of 77 at his home in Ganado and was buried on Hubbell Hill.
After his death, his sons took over his businesses. In 1954, the Hubbell family declared bankruptcy and sold or closed their remaining enterprises, leaving only the Hubbell Trading Post at Ganado still operating. The last family member to run the trading post was his daughter-in-law, Dorothy Smith Hubbell. She ran it as a museum until the National Park Service took responsibility for it as a National Historic Site in 1967.
Today, the Hubbell Trading Post is a National Historic Site and National Historic Landmark. It is still active and operated by the non-profit organization Western National Parks Association for the National Park Service, which continues the trading traditions the Hubbell family started.
Visitors to the trading post will find a salesroom, a large storage room, and two office rooms that once housed all of the trading post’s records. These rooms now house a unique collection of pioneer artifacts and Navajo art. Behind the trading post is the Hubbell family home, which displays a collection of Navajo artwork.
The trading post and Hubbell home remain much as they were during Lorenzo Hubbell’s time. Visitors can learn how to weave an authentic Navajo rug from a skilled Navajo artist, purchase food and other goods at the bullpen, buy a Navajo rug, jewelry, and baskets, attend the "Sheep is Life" workshop, and attend a Native American art auction.
Beyond the trading post, visitors can take a guided tour of the Hubbell family home and explore the grounds, which include a barn, bunkhouse, guest hogan, historic farm equipment, horses, chickens, and Navajo Churro sheep. They can also view a private collection of Southwestern and Native American arts and crafts.
The Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site is located one mile west of Highway 191 on U.S. Highway 264 in Ganado, Arizona.