John Lorenzo Hubble Sr. served in the U.S. Army as a Spanish interpreter.  In 1876, he established his first trading post in Ganado, Arizona.  The Hubble family became known for their Trading Posts and expanded their business across the state.  In 1924, John’s son purchased the Richardson’s Trading Post in Winslow and turned it over to his brother and sister-in-law to run.  Roman and Dorothy managed the Trading Post until 1953. 

Hubble Trading Posts helped many Navajo (they call themselves the Diné) families, trading fairly with them and letting them know what designs and items sold the best to broker prosperous deals on all sides.  Navajo/Diné hand-woven wool rugs were a very popular product.  The Hubble traded the finished rugs as well as the products needed to create these works of art. 

In the center of the building, a massive dumbwaiter lowered goods to the basement level.  The basement was used as a work area to clean and bag wool.  A large chain stretches up into the rafters where it connects to a pulley which lowers the dumbwaiter.  The links in the chain are just large enough for a small child’s hand to fit inside.  In the early 20’s, the child of a local trader slipped quietly past the adults in the room and managed to catch his hand into a chain link just as the dumbwaiter was lowered to the basement.  The child was yanked off his feet and his hand caught in the pulley, trapping him in the air.  The child screamed in pain and the adults scrambled to lower him to the ground to free his hand.  The tension in the chain caused the wooden ceiling beams to creak and moan in the background.

To this day, the ceiling creaks and groans against the wind that batters the roof.   The heavy chain hasn’t been moved in years, but staff members have run outside in a panic when they’ve heard the sound of a child’s painful scream; only to find baffled tourists outside, searching for the source of the scream.


         








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