And, it was through the traders and their families that the Nation was able to gain much of its knowledge of Indian ways, for most early writers relied more upon the traders than on the Indians themselves for information. In recent years, social scientists who have made serious studies of Indian culture also have found the traders helpful. Theodore Roosevelt, Nelson A. Miles, Lew Wallace, and Mary Roberts Rinehart were among the many distinguished visitors. The Hubbell home portrays vividly the Navajo and the Southwest. Bookcases overflow with rare and invaluable collections of Americana.
Indian rugs lie everywhere.
Priceless reminders of a courageous pioneer family, the era they helped to shape, and their remarkable customers and guests fill the rooms. Today Shortly after World War II, trading posts on the Navajo Reservation began to decline. The impact of changing times had lessened the Indian's dependence on the reservation trader. Many Navajos had served in the military forces and had returned from the war with a greater knowledge of the outside world. During this period, large-scale exploitation of oil, gas, and uranium deposits brought big business to the Navajo country.