Garden of the Gods Trading Post facts for kids
The Garden of the Gods Trading Post is a special old place in Manitou Springs, Colorado. It's right next to the famous Garden of the Gods park in Colorado Springs. It's a popular spot where people can find unique gifts and learn about local history.
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History of the Trading Post
The story of the trading post began in 1900 with a young boy named Charles E. Strausenback. When he was just 10 years old, Charles started selling small figures he carved from gypsum. He sold them to people visiting the beautiful Garden of the Gods.
As Charles grew older, he decided to start his own business around 1917. He opened several small shops near the park. Then, in 1929, he built a bigger, special store. It was designed to look like a traditional Pueblo village. This new store was called the Garden of the Gods Trading Post. Charles wanted it to sell "real Indian curios," like silver jewelry, Navajo blankets, and pottery.
Native American Artists
Charles Strausenback invited talented Navajo and Pueblo artists to work at the trading post. They would show visitors how they created their amazing art. Some of these artists were:
- Awa Tsireh (also known as Alfonso Roybal) from San Ildefonso Pueblo
- Ca-Ping (also known as Severo Tafoya) from Santa Clara Pueblo
- William Goodluck (often called Billy Goodluck), a Navajo artist
These artists, especially the silversmiths, worked at the trading post during certain seasons until about 1955.
The Trading Post Through the Years
Charles Strausenback passed away in 1957. His wife, Esther, continued to run the trading post until 1979. After that, a company called T.A.T. Enterprises took over, and they still own it today.
When it was first built in 1929, the main sales area was quite large, about 40 feet by 60 feet. There were also living spaces upstairs. Over the years, the trading post has grown a lot! The current owners have made it much bigger, expanding it six times. Now, it's a huge 22,000 square feet.
Today, the Garden of the Gods Trading Post is many things in one. It's an art gallery showing Native American works, a gift shop, a cafe, a place for meetings, and even a spot for weddings. Many of the original parts from 1929 are still there. This includes the fireplace, floors, and roof beams. This helps keep Charles Strausenback's original idea of an Indian trading post alive. It is one of the oldest and largest souvenir stores in the Southwest that has been open continuously since it started. It's a very popular attraction in Colorado Springs.
The Thunderbird Logo
In 1926, Charles Strausenback created a special logo for his trading post. It showed a Pueblo-style thunderbird attacking a rattlesnake. This design was based on a drawing by the artist Awa Tsireh. This logo became very famous and was closely linked to the trading post.
The thunderbird logo was painted on the front of the building. It was also used on printed papers and business cards. Silversmiths even used stamps of this logo on the jewelry they made. This showed that the jewelry came from the Garden of the Gods Trading Post.
