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Babbitt's
Special Edition |
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Babbitt's
Wholesale, Inc.
AND
Pendleton Woolen Mills
PRESENT
The Historic Babbitt
Trading Posts
Commemorative Blanket Series |
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Number
Two
Oraibi Trading Post |
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| The
Babbitt Brothers |
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| The
Babbitt brothers - David, George, William,
Charles, and Edward - came to Flagstaff in 1886 to
go into the cattle ranching business. The
brothers established the C.O. Bar ranch on lands
between Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon. The
historic C.O. Bar is one of the largest cattle
ranches in the Southwest and continues in
operation to this day. The C.O. Bar brand
recalls the former Babbitt home of Cincinnati,
Ohio. |
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| By
1889, the Babbitt brothers also had established a
general mercantile store in Flagstaff. This
store supplied goods such as oil lamps, saddles,
wool shears, canned food, hardware, and trade
blankets to the trading posts which were beginning
to spring up across the vast Indian Country of
northeastern Arizona. Construction of the
Atlantic & Pacific Railway along the 35th
Parallel across northern Arizona in 1882 brought
manufactured goods to the area for the first
time. Since currency was almost unknown in
Indian Country until the turn of the century,
these manufactured goods were bartered or traded
for Indian-made items such as baskets, pottery,
rugs, and silver and turquoise jewelry.
Centers of such commerce with Native American
tribes dubbed "trading posts". |
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| Oraibi
Trading Post |
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| In the
late 1800's, Frederick Volz established a trading
post beside the Atlantic & Pacific Railway
track at Canyon Diablo east of Flagstaff. During
the summer months, Volz would take tourists from
the train station to the Hopi mesas to see the
tribe's ceremonial dances. He opened a trading
post and lodging at the village of New Oraibi (Kykotsmovi)
to accommodate the travelers. Around 1914, the
trading post was taken over by J.L. Hubbell the
renowned trader from Ganado. Operated by Hubbell's
sons, Roman and Lorenzo, the post became the
center of commerce and an important gathering
place for the people of the Third Mesa village. |
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| Eventually,
the trading post was purchased by Babbitt
brothers and was substantially remodeled
in the 1950's. |
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| The
village of Kykotsmovi has owned and operated the
store since the mid 1990's. |
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| Pendleton
Trade Blankets |
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| Some
of the first manufactured goods to
be available to the Native
Americans tribes of the Southwest
were machine-made woolen blankets.
These blankets gradually replaced
the fine hand-woven wearing
garments produced by the Pueblo
and Navajo Peoples. |
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The
oldest and best-known manufacturer of trade blankets
is Pendleton Woolen Mills headquartered in Portland,
Oregon. Since the late 1890's. Pendleton has
produced a vast array of woolen blankets designed
for the Native American trade. Through their fine
blankets, the Pendleton Woolen Mills - owned since
1909 by the Bishop family - continue a legacy of
friendship with and respect for Native American
tribes, particularly those of the Southwest. |
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| The
Historic Babbitt Trading Posts Commemorative Series |
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| To
commemorate the Babbitt family's proud and colorful
history in the Indian Trading business, Babbitt's
Wholesale, Inc. and Pendleton Woolen Mills plan to
issue a series of unique trade blankets recalling
individual Babbitt Brothers trading posts.
Number One - Red Lake Trading Post - will be
followed by other specially labeled blankets in the
order in which Babbitt trading posts were
established. We hope this series will be
valued by all those who are interested in trade
blankets and in the rich history of the trading
posts which served the Native American peoples of
the Southwest. |
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James
& Helene Babbitt
Babbitt's Wholesale, Inc.
Flagstaff, Arizona
March 2006 |
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BABBITT
BROS.
FLAGSTAFF,
ARIZONA
U.S. LICENSED
INDIAN TRADER
SINCE 1891 |
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Babbitt's
Wholesale, Inc.
Distributors of
Pendleton Native American
Robes, Shawls & Accessories
1-877-527-0479
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