Peach Springs Trading Post: A Hualapai Heritage Landmark on Route 66

The Peach Springs Trading Post: Where Commerce and Culture Meet on Route 66

In the small community of Peach Springs, the administrative seat of the Hualapai Nation on Historic Route 66, a modest stone building on the north side of the highway has played an outsized role in the life of the community for nearly a century. The Peach Springs Trading Post — built in 1928, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and operated at various times as a general store, post office, and community hub — is one of the few original commercial buildings from the Route 66 era that remain standing in this remote and historically rich corridor. It is a quiet landmark, but an essential one.

Where is the Peach Springs Trading Post?

The trading post is located on the north side of Historic Route 66 in Peach Springs, approximately 25 miles west of the Grand Canyon Caverns and 63 miles east of Kingman. It sits near the corner of Route 66 and Diamond Creek Road, adjacent to the John Osterman Gas Station (another National Register landmark). Peach Springs is the largest community on this remote stretch of Route 66 between Seligman and Kingman.

The History of the Peach Springs Trading Post

Early Commerce in Peach Springs

Peach Springs developed as a trading community in the late 19th century, when the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad established a stop here within the traditional territory of the Hualapai people. The railroad brought the first wave of non-Native commerce to the area, and trading posts emerged to serve both the Hualapai and the growing stream of travelers passing through.

The first trading post at the site was a wood-frame structure established around 1917. In 1921, postal service employee and entrepreneur Ancel Earl Taylor acquired a half-interest in the trading post from its then-owner E. H. Carpenter, and in 1924 he became the sole owner. Taylor moved to Peach Springs and threw himself into the business of serving both local Hualapai residents and the increasing traffic on the National Old Trails Highway.

The 1928 Stone Building

In 1926, the Old Trails Highway was officially designated as U.S. Route 66, and traffic through Peach Springs began to increase rapidly. Taylor recognized the opportunity and invested in expansion. In 1928, he replaced the original wood-frame structure with the stone building that stands today — a solid, well-constructed edifice designed to serve the booming trade generated by the new national highway.

The trading post quickly became known for its Hualapai basketry, which was among the most prized merchandise available. Exquisite baskets sold for prices ranging from 50 cents to $4.00, and the post attracted buyers of means and fame. According to trader Taylor’s own account, a chauffeured limousine once pulled up to the trading post and its passenger — revealed by her check to be Mrs. William Wrigley, wife of the chewing-gum magnate — purchased every basket in the store, a transaction totaling $100. The post also carried Navajo rugs, Hopi pottery, and jewelry sourced from Taylor’s regular trips to the Hopi and Navajo reservations.

Hualapai Ownership and Community Service

Around 1950, the Hualapai Tribe took ownership of the Peach Springs Trading Post, transitioning it from a privately operated enterprise to a tribal institution. Under tribal management, the building served primarily as a store meeting local community needs — meat, bread, canned goods, dry goods, tools — while continuing to accommodate Route 66 motorists. The tribal store provided employment for Hualapai workers and generated income that helped diversify the reservation economy.

In the early 1970s, a new tribal convenience store opened in Peach Springs, making the old trading post building somewhat redundant for retail purposes. The tribe continued to find uses for the structure, however, and it has survived where so many Route 66-era buildings have been lost to neglect, demolition, or fire.

The Trading Post Today

The Peach Springs Trading Post is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is recognized as a significant example of the Route 66-era commercial architecture that once sustained communities like Peach Springs. The stone building remains standing, its solid construction having outlasted most of its contemporaries in this remote stretch of the highway.

Visitors to Peach Springs can view the trading post building as part of a broader exploration of the community’s Route 66 heritage, which also includes the nearby John Osterman Gas Station (another National Register property), the Hualapai Lodge (which serves as the base for Grand Canyon West and Diamond Creek Road excursions), and the surrounding landscape of the Hualapai homeland. Together, these landmarks make Peach Springs one of the most historically layered stops on the entire stretch of Route 66 between Seligman and Kingman.

Tips for Visiting Peach Springs

Approach Peach Springs as an active, living community of the Hualapai people — explore respectfully and support local businesses where possible.
The Hualapai Lodge is the primary lodging and services hub for this remote corridor — book in advance if you plan to stay overnight.
Combine your visit with the John Osterman Gas Station, just east of the trading post on Route 66.
For the most dramatic Route 66 experience in this area, arrange a permit through the Hualapai Tribe for Diamond Creek Road — the only public road descending to the Colorado River within the Grand Canyon.
The Grand Canyon Caverns are located 25 miles east on Route 66 — combine both stops for an exceptional day on the most remote section of Arizona’s Mother Road.

Final Thoughts on the Peach Springs Trading Post

The Peach Springs Trading Post is not a glamorous attraction — it won’t offer you neon signs or retro diners. What it offers instead is something more profound: a direct connection to the way Route 66 functioned as an economic lifeline for small communities, how it brought the wider world into contact with Native American culture and commerce, and how the Hualapai people have maintained their presence and stewardship along this corridor through more than a century of change. It is a quiet but essential stop on Arizona’s Route 66.