Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Park, Arizona

The Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site and park in Arizona is steeped in history. It attracts a large following, including many school field trip groups who come to learn about the stories and events that unraveled between the Navajo tribe and the new European settlers so many years ago.

What better place to educate children about the history of the settlement of Arizona and its relationship with native tribes like the Navajo, than taking them to see the wonders of the Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site and park. Even adults cannot resist its charms, traveling thousands of miles to see it.

The park was once the famous assembly point of Navajo and European pioneers who arrived in the region to live, in late nineteenth century. These newcomers came in from Mexico and the eastern parts of the United States. A trading post was constructed 1878, many years after the Navajo nation was permitted to come back to the homeland that they had been exiled from by the federal government. This was a traumatic period in Navajo tribal history, known to them as the long walk. By 1960, the site was finally given park status, but the bitterness left behind over their losses has haunted the Navajo ever since.

The main buildings were built from nearby sandstone, and even to this day, local native goods are still sold their as souvenirs. In fact, the site houses a museum with original collections of artwork, implements of the day, clothing and other important historical artifacts.