Navajo Trading Post Coming to Santa Monica Mountains August 24-25

Hubbell Trading Post's Edison Eskeets shares information about this history and artistry of Navajo rug-making.

WNPA

News Release Date: August 7, 2013

Contact: Kate Kuykendall (NPS), 805-370-2343

Contact: Sophia Wong (WNPA), 805-370-2302

CALABASAS, Calif. – The Santa Monica Mountains Visitor Center will host a Navajo rug and jewelry show, complete with artist talks and demonstrations, on August 24 and 25. Running from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day, the free event is known as the Hubbell Trading Post and is the oldest continuously operated trading post on the Navajo Nation.

With special rug talks at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., Hubbell's trader Edison Eskeets and master weaver Brenda Spencer will describe the history, symbolism, artistry and production of the rugs and how to choose and care for them. Like the weavers themselves, no two rugs are alike, but each evokes a sense of place and incorporates traditional designs and colors.

Throughout the day, master weaver Brenda Spencer will demonstrate traditional weaving techniques. It takes a weaver 400 hours to produce a medium-sized rug from start to finish.

The Navajo Rug & Jewelry Show is supported by Western National Parks Association, a nonprofit partner of the National Park Service. More information can be found at www.wnpa.org or by calling 805-370-2302. Proceeds from the event help WNPA provide direct support to 66 partner parks across the west. 

DIRECTIONS: The Santa Monica Mountains Visitor Center is located at King Gillette Ranch, near the intersection of Mulholland Highway and Las Virgenes/Malibu Canyon Road at 26876 Mulholland Highway, Calabasas, CA 91302. 

About Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site:
Located in Ganado, Arizona, Hubbell Trading Post was established in 1876 by famed trader John Lorenzo Hubbell. It quickly became a premier source for Navajo rugs and jewelry. Hubbell's is the oldest continuously operated trading post on the Navajo Nation, offering visitors an authentic trading experience and a historic glimpse into the famed Hubbell family trading empire. Hubbell's operations even extended to Hollywood and Long Beach, California for a brief time in the 1920s. Since 1967, the trading post has been operated by Western National Parks Association for the National Park Service.

About Western National Parks Association:
Western National Parks Association helps makes the national park experience possible for everyone. As a nonprofit partner of the National Park Service, WNPA supports parks across the West, developing products, services, and programs that enrich the visitor experience. Since 1938, WNPA has worked to connect new generations to parks in meaningful ways, all with one simple goal: Create advocates who want to preserve and protect these special places for everyone, for all time. For more information on WNPA visit www.wnpa.org.  

About Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area:
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) is the largest urban national park in the country, encompassing more than 150,000 acres of mountains and coastline in Ventura and Los Angeles counties. A unit of the National Park Service, it comprises a seamless network of local, state and federal parks interwoven with private lands and communities. As one of only five Mediterranean ecosystems in the world, SMMNRA preserves the rich biological diversity of more than 450 animal species and 26 distinct plant communities. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/samo.

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