Groceries in the Desert: Hubbell Trading Post Nat'l Historic Site 5/26/10

Hubbell Trading Post is perhaps the only park unit where, after a leisurely walk along the grounds, one can pick up some diapers, peanut butter, and a jar of mayonnaise. It's the 7-11 of the NPS; an odd little destination in the Arizona sun, unworthy of a visit unless afflicted with stamp-itis, or an elderly passenger so cranky that he insists on stopping for everything that has a roadway sign. Claiming to be "the oldest continuously operating trading post in the Navajo Nation" - a fact as unprovable as it is unimpressive - Hubbell is above all an attempt to bridge the bitter divide between Native Americans and their white conquerors, even though the site's patron saint, John Lorenzo Hubbell, was apparently one of the good guys. He was so beloved by the Navajo people, in fact, that he was buried on a hill overlooking the post, an honor indeed considering that the grave sits on tribal land. It is also customary to leave the grave unmarked, so we're not even allowed to pay tribute to Mr. Hubbell for his wonderful selection of jams.

In all fairness, we arrived too late at the site (located in Ganado, AZ) to take the Hubbell home tour, though from the pictures, the interior looks strangely like some Indian's trunk exploded. It's stuffed to the brim with rugs, animal heads, bones, baskets, and petrified wood, befitting a man who was probably the only white person in human history to deal fairly and honorably with native peoples. Over the years, even after Hubbell's death, the post was a gathering place for gossip, friendship, and advice. Despite its centerpiece as a house of trade, artists, writers, and explorers also stopped by for respite from the dust and heat, making it a rare haven for diversity in contentious times. Or maybe it was just about getting a good deal on flour. You make the call.

Other than the home, there are numerous attractions at Hubbell: a barn, the post itself, chicken coop, guest hogan, and bread oven. So yeah, it's like grandpa's farm, only with the veneer of respectability the park service provides. There are also fences, dirt, and trees, which I'm certain can be seen elsewhere without paying a fee. Sure, Hubbell is important in that it is a link to the past - and is something related to Native American history that isn't steeped in sadness and decay - but maybe I expected people in period costume barking their orders to some harried cashier or something. Anything to add some color and life. As it is, it's little more than a walk around a Navajo Piggly Wiggly, where we feel like heels for walking back to our car without having dropped three big ones on some just-off-the-loom blanket.

FINAL RATING

2/10