What happened to all the trading posts?
Trading posts outlived their function. The increased numbers of vehicles and better roads, combined with stricter laws governing their operation, made most unprofitable to run. They could not compete with large chains in their prices, nor variety. They could not undersell discount gas stations and convenience stations that popped up at reservation junctions providing the gas to get to town. Those that survive either do so because of tourism, or a change in marketing. In the mid 1980’s many were gone. Some burned down, with traders collecting insurance, until the law was changed making insurance payments directly to the tribes. Other laws required traders to risk everything with no security. Few were willing risk financial futures.
