Hubbell Trading Post Cultural Landscape Report

ANALYSIS OF LANDSCAPE CHARACTERISTICS (continued)

Views and Vistas

Historically, the views and vistas associated with the Hubbell property were open and expansive with few, if any visual barriers. The naturally low rolling terrain and mid-story scrubby vegetation that comprise this landscape promote its open nature. Even prior to the extensive land clearing for the establishment of agricultural fields, the views and vistas would have been somewhat restricted for those entering or occupying the site of the trading post. However, the higher elevation locations would have provided some open views of the surrounding landscape.

The long straight wagons roads leading into and from the trading post provided linear views of the landscape and allowed the family to sight the freight and mail wagons coming in from several miles in many directions. The distinctiveness of the Hubbell farm and trading post landscape with its expansive green fields and combination of cottonwood and fruit trees also served to draw visitors and customers alike to the Hubbell's door. Signs and other forms of advertisement were not needed at the early trading posts as few if any of the customers read either English or Spanish and generally learned of the posts existence and its offerings by word of mouth.

While there are some modern visual intrusions, these are relatively few and many of the views and vistas enjoyed by the present day visitor provide an excellent overview of the historical layout of this significant and characteristic trading post operation and many of the views are remarkably similar to those enjoyed throughout the site's history. The visual quality and viewing range of this area contributes as one of the character-defining elements within this cultural landscape and should be protected.

Archaeological Resources

Based on oral histories, it is obvious that the Hubbell family was well aware of the numerous archeological ruins and sites found across their homestead property. The large readily visible sites with structural ruins such as Wide Reed Ruin were avoided and left virtually undisturbed out of deference to the concerns and taboos of the Navajo community. During an interview Dorothy Hubbell noted that:

Mr. Hubbell was very particular not to let anyone disturb Wide Reeds Ruin. I would feel sure that no stones were taken from there for use in the building here. He was always hoping to have it restored. He talked to me many times about it. [172]

Some of the smaller sites and artifact scatters were included within the lands that were cleared, ditched, terraced, and plowed for cultivation. Artifacts from some of these sites were collected by the family and added to personal collections or used for either site or building ornamentation. Dorothy Hubbell mentioned that "over by the west fence there is a ruin and some burials and some of the pottery is from there (pottery used in the fireplace of the guest hogan). [173]

The scatters of artifacts associated with several of these sites are still readily evident today as one traverses the old field terraces. Along the southern boundary of the big field there is a fairly large archeological site that is somewhat mounded and contains a moderate to high artifact density on the ground surface. It appears that the Hubbells began to run the head ditch through this site and at a later date diverted the excavation and brought the ditch along the south side of it rather than through it. Their reasoning for this switch has not been documented but might possibly reflect a hesitancy on the part of the workers to further disturb the archeological site.

Boundaries

During Hubbell's early years at the Ganado site the land had not been surveyed and therefore no official boundaries established. With the expansion of the Navajo Reservation boundaries in 1880 and the coming of the railroad and the land grab that followed Hubbell likely became more aware of trying to establish his claim on a 160 acre homestead.

By the early 1900s Hubbell began to establish property boundaries by clearing and fencing off his agricultural fields, yet he continued to make active use of lands clearly not included within his homestead claim. The construction of the holding pond or reservoir was officially off of his property as was the land selected for the construction of the Ganado dam and the main canal that brought water to his farm fields.

The Hubbell family's active use of property not officially held in their ownership continued throughout their occupation and management of the site. The cattle corrals located north of the Pueblo Colorado Wash were located beyond their homestead boundaries as was Hubbell Hill where seven of the Hubbell family are buried.

The concept of boundaries seems to have been beneficial to the family with regard to legal matters and claims but on a daily operational basis they were likely established through locally regulated agreements with neighboring Navajo families.

Small Scale Features

Historically, the landscape associated with the Hubbell trading post and farm was comprised of a plethora of small scale features many of which are still present today. Early on the Hubbell family maintained a simple complex that provided for housing and trading but as the operation grew and additional buildings and activities were incorporated the number of small scale features within the landscape also increased.

During the years that the original Leonard complex was occupied and added to by the Hubbell family the primary character-defining small scale features included the various types of fencing used to enclose the yard (Appendix 5) and other use areas, as well as water troughs, water buckets and barrels, and wood piles. As with most vernacular landscapes, the amount of small scale features (often confused as "clutter") that characterize the function and use areas of the landscape increases over time. This is certainly true of the Hubbell landscape as revealed through historic photographs.

With the addition of the agricultural fields came the need for an irrigation system with all of its associated features such as ditches, headgates, siphons, and flumes; fencing was then needed to protect the fields from free-ranging livestock, gates were needed for fences and stiles were needed for easy pedestrian access across the property as most early customers arrived at the trading post either on foot or horseback and later by wagon. As the years went on more site amenities were added to the landscape and included stepping stone or boardwalk paths, clotheslines, and eventually decorative features and garden ornamentation. By the mid 1920's members of the family (primarily Roman) had brought in old wagon wheels and numerous mineral specimens for delineating flower beds or just placing around the trading post and residential landscape for ornamentation.

Through the availability of detailed oral histories there is some very specific information regarding several of the site's existing small scale features. For example, "the wagon wheel (against the west side of the porch) originally came from here. When I was in Winslow I wanted one for our patio and Roman brought it to Winslow for that purpose. When we returned to Ganado it was brought back here." [174]

Hubbell's granddaughter LaCharles was living at the trading post as a small child and remembered that "the dinner bell was once over the kitchen door. I do remember when it was on the rafters coming out from the kitchen there, but I don't remember why they moved it." [175] Then Hubbell's daughter-in-law adds, "the dinner bell was on the same rack as at present when I came (1920). It was necessary to climb the ladder to ring it. The bell on the ground by the old elm tree between the trading post and the house is probably the one that was on top of the old house. I think Roman brought in the bell now on the post by the corner of the house. .I do not know just where it came from." [176]

As for other small scale features Dorothy mentioned that "the swing (on the front porch) was here when I arrived (1920)...and the log trough between the trading post and the home was originally at the pump down toward the arroyo. I had it moved to its present location to use as a planter...it used to be filled with nasturtiums." [177] She also noted that the big iron kettle by the guest hogan was used to render lard and that the sundial in the garden was given to John Hubbell by W.B. Meyers. An early photograph reveals the sundial is in approximately the same location today.

Dorothy also mentioned the iron gate in the stone wall between the trading post and the Hubbell home with Hubbell's initials "JLH" incorporated into the design and noted that this gate as well as the large iron gates in the area of the barn were made by the family's blacksmith Joe Borrego. [178]

The presence of pets and animals within a landscape might also be considered character-defining small scale features and the Hubbell landscape certainly had its share or these. Again the oral histories and historic photographs are essential to identify the variety of animal life that were an integral part of the Hubbell landscape.

Dorothy Hubbell commented:

We (the Hubbells) sold very little livestock to the Indians. At one time we got some rambouille rams to sell to the Navajos, but that is the only time I recall. We bought lambs and kept them on the place. There were some years that we couldn't sell the lambs and had to feed them until they could be sold in January. For feeding we sometimes sent them to Loveland, CO and once to Kansas City and once to the Phoenix area. During the last years we only bought what was brought in here, but Roman used to go from hogan to hogan, camping out, and start all the sheep from various places to meet here then drive them to the railroad. At first the herds were just driven to the railroad on foot. Later they used trucks...when herds were driven...had to coordinate movement from different posts. It was always a regular thing to buy lambs in the fall. We did not buy in any quantity through the rest of the year...only an occasional animal for use for meat here. I bought lambs until the last four years I was here....I was here until March 1st, 1967. [179]

She also mentioned that:

We had 66 horses and mules including those used for hauling freight, and the saddle horses. We had one burro that the children used to ride. We never maintained a herd of sheep. We bought a few cattle from the Indians. There were no oxen here while I was here.

For a couple of years only we had pigs. We didn't like them. The pigs would always get out. We had chickens. We found eggs in the hay. We also had turkeys, guinea hens, and peacocks. The peacocks would also lay eggs. The Indians would chase them for their feathers. They were lost in very cold weather. They had them in 1920, for how long before I don't know. [180]

It is interesting to note that many trading posts throughout the desert southwest maintained at least a few if not a small flock of pea fowl as they not only served as watchdogs of sorts but also are said to keep an area "free of rattlesnakes".

Dorothy continues her description of the animals associated with the Hubbell landscape:

In the 20's we had two milk cows. We had chickens. .some were Rhode Island Reds, but most were no special variety. We had 15 to 18 turkeys. We had peacocks all through the 20's. One real cold winter in the 30's they froze. We had two with beautiful tails and 8 or 10 altogether with the hens. We had guinea hens, but for only a year or two. We bought and sold some goats. We had no ducks or geese. We did have a couple of eagles when John was a boy. We found them in a nest and John fed them raw meat. They were sort of dangerous. We also had a pet crow. John found the crow's nest and watched until the egg hatched and the baby grew a little and then brought it home. He called it Jimmy. [181]

The crow ate the peacock eggs. The crow really bothered Saiz. Saiz would be putting in onion sets and the crow would follow right behind him pulling them out. It also used to steal his nails while he was repairing the fences. [182]

We also one time had a little badger in a cage. Then at one time he had guinea pigs. Once he had a white rat but I made him give it away. We had two Airedales, Hobo and Charlie. Diane was a beautiful little German Shepherd pup. Then there was "Big Ox" who was just a dog...also a little terrier named Roscoe...LaCharles had a St. Bernard.

We had a pet bobcat at one time. We had to keep it in a cage all the time...we didn't keep it long. The children had little turtles from time to time...we also had canaries. We had a tank of little guppies several times. John raised them. We also had a pet monkey,"Eva". We kept a big bull snake in the wareroom to get the mice. [183]

With the exception of the assemblage of pets and other animals (figures 99 and 100), the majority of the small scale features described above continue to be found within the Hubbell landscape along with myriad other features that date from the landscape's period of historic significance such as the "bone yard", stockpiles of wood and stone, and a vast assortment of farm equipment including wagons, haybalers, manure spreaders, and plows. Peterson provides good descriptive and operational information for these various features as they were utilized by the Hubbell family. [184] The continued presence of all of these features contribute greatly to the integrity of the vernacular landscape and should be retained to fully convey the "spirit" of the working landscape.

It should be noted that there are a few small scale features that at various times were extremely character-defining with regard to the daily operations of the Hubbell landscape, and their absence should be recognized as part of the evolution of this resource. These features include stockpiles of fuel materials, such as wood and coal, and play structures for the children (figure 101). As the family modified their energy sources the fuels were no longer required for either cooking or heating. When the Hubbell children and grandchildren grew up and moved away the small scale play features disappeared from the landscape with the exception of the remnants of a small tree house in one of the surviving apple trees along an irrigation lateral just south of the corrals.

The final category of small scale features that were once a distinctive part of the evolution of the Hubbell trading post and its associated landscape pertains to motor fuels or petroleum products. Dorothy Hubbell mentioned that the family "sold different kinds of gasoline at the different posts, depending on the company that would deliver in the different places...at Ganado it was Conoco." [185] With the introduction of the automobile to the Hubbell landscape in the early teens the family began hauling drums of gasoline, primarily for their personal use and occasionally for resale to an area visitor. Two historic photographs dated circa 1915 show a row of large above ground storage tanks running in a north-south alignment along the fence line immediately east of the trading post and south of the school house tract (figures 102 and 103). It has been hypothesized by the author that these may have served as fuel storage tanks but this has not been confirmed through historic documentation. Another historic photograph taken of the same general area circa 1920 shows an above ground lantern topped fuel pump and what appears to be a large cylinder tank for diesel adjacent to the little stone and adobe generator house on the school house tract (figure 104).

Figure 99. Roman Hubbell and his pet monkey, Eva, 1928. (HUTR 7115 & 22964).

Figure 100. Roman holding baby with Jimmy the crow, and Eva on his shoulder. Jack standing to the right. (HUTR 23058).

Figure 101. Roman D. (Monnie) and John L. (Jack) Hubbell on seesaw. (HUTR 22812).

Figure 102. Miles, Charlotte Chain, and LaCharles near tanks east of Trading Post, around 1915. (HUTR 7266).

Figure 103. Charlie Ballreich in auto just east of Trading Post with tanks in background, around 1915. (HUTR 4766).

It has not been established as to when underground gasoline storage tanks became commonplace but it appears that by the early 1920's the Hubbell family was set up for commercial gasoline sales. By the early 1950's the family had switched to a more modern gas pump and relocated it to within a few yards of the trading post's east entrance (figure 105). The pump was removed in the 1960's. Several of the historic gas pumps can still be found either in the sheds or in the "bone yard" area south of the sheds.

Figure 104. Daisy and Elizabeth east of Trading Post with Delco building in background, around 1920. Note gravity fed gas pump. (HUTR 7126).

Figure 105. Gas pump immediately east of Trading Post, 1965.