Hubbell Trading Post Administrative History

Charles V. Wyatt 1987-present

Charlie Wyatt has been with the National Park Service for all of his adult life. The notion that he wanted to be a Park Ranger came to him "just out of the blue" while he was still a senior in high school. He now has thirty-four years with the Park Service and he has been Superintendent of Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site since December 6, 1987.

Charlie's father was a Park Ranger at Casa Grande and Canyon de Chelly National Monuments before World War II. Charlie himself started to work for the Park Service seasonally when he was nineteen and still in college, then went to work for the Park Service as soon as he finished college, taking a position at Carlsbad Caverns as a Tour Leader. After fifteen months at Carlsbad, he transferred to Bandelier for about a year and a half, then moved to Petrified Forest as a Park Ranger. After only six months or so at Petrified Forest, he transferred to Lake Mead National Recreation Area for about two and a half years; he was first a radio dispatcher and then, at the Willow Beach Sub-District, a Sub-District Ranger. Charlie Wyatt was the first permanent year-round Ranger assigned to Natural Bridges, soon after Canyonlands National Park was established. He spent some time in the Needles District of the Canyonlands Group and also in the Island in the Sky District. He was the first River Ranger at Canyonlands (in charge of river traffic).

Charlie Wyatt's first tour of duty in administration was at Timpanogos Cave National Monument as Administrative Officer. After a year in Utah, he was selected to attend the Departmental Manager Training Course at the National Park Service headquarters. While in Washington he worked in the finance branch, then in the training division as the Administrative Officer. His next move was to the Grand Canyon to be Administrative Officer for the training center there. Returning to the East, he became Administrative Officer at Wolf Trap Farm Park in Virginia for two years, then moved to Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park as Chief Ranger for seven years, and for the next eight years he was at Fort Sumter. Charlie was transferred from Fort Sumter to become Superintendent of Hubbell Trading Post NHS, his first superintendency.

Some of the accomplishments during Charlie Wyatt's tenure at the trading post: Work on employee housing has moved forward; three or four three-bedroom houses will be started in FY92. It is hoped that five or six more houses will go up the next year. An erosion control project along the stream was completed since Charlie has been at Hubbell. The Trading post, curatorial storage building, and the Hubbell home were reroofed. The barn was reroofed (again). The site has been almost fully computerized; Hubbell Trading Post has electronic access to the regional office. The storage cellar behind the office was converted to a library. The Guest Hogan is being restored so that it can be used by Park Service personnel who have work at the site. The fire suppression system was rearranged; the Hubbell home is now on a separate system, and the Manager's Residence (Ranger's Residence) had sprinklers installed under the same contract. Charlie's future plans include an expansion of the office area.

Charlie Wyatt enjoys being Superintendent of Hubbell Trading Post. The historic site, the general area, and his neighbors suit him perfectly.

Figure 58. Charles D. Wyatt. Superintendent of Hubbell Trading Post NHS from 1987 to present. NPS photo by Edward M. Chamberlin. 25 August, 1990. HUTR Neg. R328#8.