Red Mesa Trading Post is located about 20 miles west of Teec Nos Pos, Arizona on US 160. Today it is primarily a gas station and convenience store, but there was a day when some very nice and unusual Navajo rugs were woven and sold through this post.
Red Mesa opened in 1971, three miles north on the Utah state line. The original post was owned by a Navajo trader by the name of Robert Martin who ran it until 1932. While Navajo-owned posts were not the norm, they were not unusual. He sold it to Willard Stolworthy who in turn sold part interest in it to Rosco McGee.
It was when these two had the post that orange became a popular color in Red Mesa weaving. The rugs strongly resembled the weavings sold at Teec Nos Pos Trading Post, with Oriental type motifs and outline patterns. When you added the orange color, you got a unique look.
The first time I saw one of these rugs was when my dad bought a collection of weavings from Brad Blair, who was Roscoe’s brother-in-law. You never knew how these wild trades came about, but Brad, who was the trader from 1945 until 1965, brought them to Durango in the early 70s and he and my dad worked out some sort of deal. Brad had overextended himself in moving the store to its present location on the highway and needed the cash.
The rugs were all from the ‘30s and ‘40s.
I remember asking Dad about the orange color that was in most of them. He told me that Roscoe liked it. He also told me they didn’t sell very well. He was wrong. We sold them at the Denver Gift and Jewelry Show that year to our wholesale customers. One of the people that bought several was Charles Eagle Plume from Estes Park.
The Red Mesa Trading Post was really a hub for Navajo life in the area. In the 1950s until the Red Mesa Chapter House (Local Navajo Government) was built, meetings were held on the front porch of the store.
As transportation and access to supermarkets and Walmarts in border towns like Farmington, Holbrook, Flagstaff and Gallup became easier, most of the small trading posts like Red Mesa either became convenience stores or closed.
The Red Mesa weaving of the ‘30s and ‘40s marked a unique period.
This Red Mesa rug closely resembles the style from Teec Nos Pos during the same period. The weaving has three borders and has an interlocking pattern in the center. Some of the interesting features in this piece are the zig zag white and black pattern in the center border and if you look at the red “hook” border on the outside, you will find that there are two interesting elements on the right-hand border in the photo. Check it out and see if you can find them! I love this kind of thing!
It is woven with hand spun wool and the red and orange are the only dyes in the weaving. The rest is natural wool color. There are a couple of small holes in the weaving, but if you are hanging it on a wall, I’d leave them. If you want to walk on the piece, we can have them repaired. Or you can wait and do that later if you wish. It measures 45” x 74”.
