I had occasion to visit the Carson Trading Post south of Farmington, NM. It has had better days. Navajos came to the trading post as pretty much the sole source of goods after relocating back to their native lands from Fort Sumner. It was well located along an active wash and close to the local Chapter House. The trading post is built into the side of a sandstone cliff and the main room has a substantial ceiling braced by pondersa pines not unlike those that brace the ceilings in the Great Houses at Chaco Canyon. Petrified wood was used to supplement materials for the walls. Once bustling, today it is pretty quiet except for folks in cars and trucks passing by on the black top road toward town to do their shopping.
