In the last few days, there’s been much discussion in the Route 66 yahoogroup about Indian Harvest Trading Post, located along Route 66 near Union, Mo.
Indian Harvest is an arts-and-crafts business inside a tepee-shaped building near Exit 242 of Interstate 44. It’s been there for 11 years, and is a member of the Route 66 Association of Missouri.
The discussion has centered on Indian Harvest’s $2 admission charge and some treatment by the owners that several visitors regarded as rude or unwelcoming.
I called Bob Atkinson, who co-owns Indian Harvest with his wife. They only two employees at the business, which is open six days a week, with many 12-hour days.
He confirmed the $2 charge is waived with a purchase. They started charging the fee four years ago because of theft and other problems.
“We had vanloads of people coming through the store and not buying. It was interrupting the people who were interested in buying, or we had outright theft,” he said. “As long as there’s a purchase, there’s no charge. In fact, depending on how you’re buying, you sometimes get a gift.
“Nothing against anybody, but we had to eliminate some bad experiences we were having. Some would come in to look around while someone else outside would leave a (soiled) diaper behind or let their dog run loose. We were being used too much as a rest area. ”
Atkinson said that a few years ago, a band of locals was coming twice a week and shoplifting merchandise while Bob and his wife were busy with those posing as customers. They were eventually caught, he said.
He also encourages potential customers to surf to Indian Harvest’s Web site so they can narrow down what they’re looking for and expedite the purchase.
I’ve been to Indian Harvest five or six times, and I’ve always been treated well there. We usually buy the buffalo sausage, and other products it sells range from good to excellent. It’s the only Indian store on Route 66 I’m aware of for hundreds of miles. The next-closest is in Oklahoma. The only other one that’s comparable to the east is in St. Elmo, Ill.
That said, I’ve always had the impression that Bob and his wife are somewhat reticent people. He mentioned during my conversation that he was “overwhelmed” for the first few years before they started the admission fee, which is telling. They simply are not natural businesspeople, like Bill Kinder of the Blue Swallow Motel is.
This sort of situation is not unique. Country Classic Cars near Staunton, Ill., once had a $1 admission fee because it wanted keep the “just looking” crowd to a controllable level. And Lucille Hamons, the famed “Mother of the Mother Road” and owner of Lucille’s near Hydro, Okla., was known in the last few years of her life to be coarse and grouchy — anything but mother-like.
I admit I’m torn. I’m not sure whether the admission fee is the best way to handle their problem, and brusque hospitality certainly isn’t.
But Indian Harvest is one of the few honest mom-and-pop businesses on the road. They’ve managed to keep it operating longer than many others. And Route 66 wouldn’t be as fascinating without a few shades of gray to deal with.
Until Indian Harvest’s business practices become intolerable, I’m inclined to not judge them until I’ve walked a mile in their moccasins (pun intended).
One of my more memorable experiences at Indian Harvest (which, incidentally, has AWESOME bison summer sausage) involved sitting on the floor, trying to make friends with the dog curled up behind the counter. Bob’s wife told me not to bother, because the dog wouldn’t come to me. At first, I thought she meant it was shy, but when I said something to that effect, she said, “No, she won’t come to you because she knows she’ll get in trouble if she does.” She explained that she’d had to train the dog to be aloof with strangers because someone had actually stolen her last dog, who was apparently a little too trusting, and she didn’t want to take a chance on that happening again.
Knowing that about her, I’ve been inclined to cut her a lot of slack. If someone stole one of my dogs, I’d probably put up a razor-wire fence and hire a shotgun-toting bouncer to screen all my visitors. It just ain’t right to mess with a girl’s dog, y’know?
I’ve no problem paying a fee to such places; I’ve done so a number of times. I do have a problem with someone (the woman in this case) running out to the car and yelling and waving her arms at me before I even have the car door open. I couldn’t even understand her, but it was obvious she was very angry about something. The first thing I heard was that this was not a public parking area and I was to leave immediately unless I intended to go into the business. (Wasn’t thy why I had parked next to the building in the first place?) Then I was told there was a $2 “parking fee” (her words). Then she said that if I bought anything I’d get the $2 refunded. Something like “I’m not running this place because I like it, you know!” By that time I was back in the car. I don’t need attacks by irrational people on a vacation. Now, everyone has a bad day now and then, but within four days I heard three other couples complain of the same experience from the same person. I’ll shop someplace that welcomes me… or at least tolerates my presence.
I concur with Ron. I haven’t been out there for awhile and have not experienced the problems others have voiced; I will say that when I was out there both of them were nice, “reserved” but nice, happy to show you their wares and meats…and they were one of the few outlets for Buffalo meat around, which we always enjoyed…I have read a lot of posts about the bad experiences, but all I can say is give these folks a chance…most 66 travelers I know have a knack of bringing out the best in people, and I know we can here.
I will not stop there!
I just e-mailed them the other night to inquire about hours and buffalo sausage prices. I explained that I would be passing through there sometime on Monday afternoon or evening and would probably stop to buy a couple of sticks of summer sausage. They e-mailed me back and offered to stay open late if necessary so I could stop in and get my sausage on the way through.
We went there on our way back from Meramec. There are no signs indicating the $2 fee, and when we found out about it, we decided to leave. The insane woman started screaming at my wife, and yelling at my kids that she was angry because we were “wasting her time” and called my wife a rude name. This is no way to run a business, and frankly, we will not ever stop there again
Yesterday we had the exact same experience. We are 8 people visiting from New Zealand and Australia and it really upset us for the day. We are sure that it won’t happen again on Route66 as everyone else has been lovely to us.
Almost identical experience as Bob 2008! My wife and I stopped in with our three kids (4, 6, & 7). My wife fully complied with the woman’s request not to photograph before patronizing their business. As we awaited a 6’4ish man to open the padlocked door, the woman told us there was a $2 fee (no signs) which meant $10 just to look to a family of 5. My wife simply said to me in a normal tone, “let’s just go then”. The couple became hostile and threatening as they screamed for us to leave and not waste their time. She yelled that I was an a__hole three times as my kids were still climbing into the van. My four year old daughter was terrified for the rest of our trip. Mean spirited people that should not be allowed to hang a shingle.
Unfortunately, it get’s worse. No, I don’t think a retail business should be charging a fee unless they feature displays that are “museum like,” which this place does not. Unfortunately, we have heard several terrible complaints about the business, including the last one that said the business owners stated they didn’t want to deal with “Route 66 Trash.” To see more, check here:
https://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/post/legends/vpost?id=2777241
We just left this place. Same experience as others. We have a five year old boy and he was so excited about seeing it. She came out to first say no photos and then was so rude about having to pay the $2 each. My husband asked a few questions about the history and her tribe. She again got really rude and asked “are you all going to pay?” we decided to leave after her shocking behavior but my husband had to go back and talk with her on her rudeness. She went off on him. When my husband said he wanted to teach our son some history, she said “we are not here to give a history lesson. If you want to learn about us, give us your money!” she also said “if you want to learn about indians, go to the library and get a book!” This couple is a prime example of how to NOT run a business…buffalo sausage or not! We used it as a teaching point to our son and then we prayed for her.
Yes, I was also verbally assaulted today as I left this establishment. I might have been willing to pay the cover charge it is wasn’t demanded so rudely from me before even leaving the car. This business should be boycotted.
I also was verbally assaulted and felt threatened being by myself and having a man running out of the building pointing his finger and shouting at me. Please drive on!!! You should not have to pay to shop or take a photo of a business that is a flip’n teepee! I rely on the public to buy my products and services where I work to make a living… Greeting them at their car door yelling and demanding they pay me before they can even find out what we have to offer would not go over well. I hope the word spreads about this place and they fail. Theft in the past is no reason to charge people who might actually be willing to give you their money. Perhaps they could invest in a security system?
This place is UNSAFE, unreasonable, and unbelievable!
She is one crazy lunatic. I travel back and forth yearly from Chicago to Arkansas with my family and my daughters have always wanted to stop there, mostly because of the intriguing tepees, we are of native American decent. This past summer, July 3 2009 we drove through and I told my girls we would stop there on our way home. Traveling back on July 8 we stopped only to be greeted by this mad woman, raving about me not taking my dog out of the car and I have to pay to go into the place. I told her I would walk the dog down the road and paid for my girls to go on inside. Before I got down the driveway, she started yelling at me to leave and I told her I was taking the dog for a walk and would leave soon…she became this insane maniac running toward me complaining about the dog, who had done nothing on her property and I told her I would pick up any mess he made down the road…she was having such a fit that I told her to give me my money back and I told my girls to get back in the car. I pulled out of her driveway and went down the road to a small driveway, what looked like government land and pulled in there. She came charging down the road in her pick-up truck and pulled in so fast on gravel that she almost hit my van…yelling back at her husband to “call Ben” I told her she was one crazy, sick bi— and I got my family out of there…I swear I felt like I was in some “Deliverance” type movie…I have vowed to not patronized any Missouri touristy type places as long as that one is in business….Missouri Better Business needs to know that this place is giving their state a REALLY BAD REPUTATION !!!!!
Same thing as others. Guy approached me threatingly with shovel in hand as soon as I pulled in. Told us not to take pictures and never pull in lot again unless I was going to buy something. Very odd behavior for anyone that owns a business. I won’t go back, he’s got his wish!
I visited Indian Harvest on Nov. 11, 2010 and was greeted by a woman. She asked if I had been there before and I replied “Yes – it had been awhile.” (It was about a year or so ago and then, there was a $2.00 fee to go inside the Tee-Pee and it was explained that if I chose to purchase something, the fee would go toward that purchase.)
This time I was greeted with a smile and let in without the charge after responding to this question. She quietly allowed me to take a great deal of time in there,and answered my many questions. She spoke of the tribes and people who created their wares. There was mutual respect. After awhile her husband came in sharing more information and they offered discounts on the items I was interested in. They both spoke of the tools there, showed how they were used, and the husband took great time with each of the wares. He played the drums and flutes and even showed me how to play a flute. Many things were demonstrated with kindness. We spoke of what items were in my price range and when I left, he gifted me an item which was symbolic item for good luck.
I had the nutjob experience. Was verbally assaulted, first by the husband, then by the wife, who I initially thought was coming over to calm her husband down. I then realized she was directing her vitriol at me. My young son and I didn’t even have time to find out what they had to offer before we were driven off the place.
I had wanted to stop here as it looks interesting and, though I was pulling a horse trailer, we had delivered the horses and were taking a leisurely trip home. We parked on the shoulder of the frontage road in front of their place and I made the huge mistake of taking our pet pug out of the truck (on leash) onto the parking lot. My son (part Mayan) is very interested in indigenous crafts and artifacts, so we were excited to stop. Instead of a chance to learn about indigenous items or purchase anything, he received a huge lesson in psychotic behavior. It was several hours before he could relax and stop replaying the events.
The crowning events were when they screamed at me for wanting to “dump my son on them to babysit while I went and did what I wanted.” Huh? Then, as we were fleeing, they screamed at us for blocking their view from the highway with our parked rig.
If anyone can actually speak to these two in a rational fashion, perhaps a suggestion to place appropriate signage with the “rules” clearly stated would help. Otherwise, they are both headed for early strokes. The last thing I heard as we drove away was the woman screaming that we were the third people with children that day that just wanted to use them? Huh? Oh, and also that we were trespassing? We were on a business (posted open) parking lot.
If it’s any consolation, I think Indian Harvest now has new owners.
Seems to me police should be called on these people for assault…they came charging at my daughter and son in laws vehicle causing him to scrape the old barn white painted gate,,,,she then threatened them and collected 50.00 from daughters insurance as the insurance would pay it and not have to send adjuster out.
I attempted to stop at Indian Harvest today with my Sister, Brother in law and my 5 year old son. We had every intention of looking and possibly buying something. My husband and I love Indian pottery, blankets and such. We collect indian art. But when the woman told me it would be 8.00 for us to enter to even see what was in this very small building I really had an issue with it. How do I know if I want to buy something when I cannot even see it. We said ok no thanks we will move on and the woman started screaming at us and then we saw the man standing at the top of the hill. We ignored them and left but as we were pulling out the man was waving a not so nice hand at us. We had just been at another stop on the road where I alone spend 40.00, I guess they are wanting to go out of business. I will never go to this place again and I am posting on every website I can find my experience in hope that no one goes to this crazy place ever again. They are insane. They should not be in business.
These comments all seem so derogatory,I have had nothing but good relationships with Bob & Kathy. I believe the $2 charge keeps out those who are not serious buyers. They have had horrible theft problems in the past and this does deter people from trying to rip them off. You need to walk a mile in these folks’ shoes to understand why they have to be wary. They have had people park on their property, wonder around the grounds shooting pictures of the teepees,dogs, and run over their gardens. People park in their driveways and let their pets urinate and poop all over, and even have had people pull up in trucks and try to steal their chat piled in the driveways… they’ve had people try to steal their quilts hanging out front and dump trash. Kathy & Bob are really quite honest and kind people who are just trying to protect their property and ask for a little respect.
Theft or not, there is absolutely no reason to be screaming at visitors. Sorry. NO excuse. If you can’t be bothered to NOT be a flaming jerk, close up shop and retire. Most of us would be fired from our jobs if we acted like that and I am surprised someone hasn’t pressed charges for assault yet, against the guy coming out with the shovel (remember, battery is the actual act of violence; the THREAT of violence constitutes assault).
Indian Harvest
Category: Personal Shopping
7/31/2012
After passing this place many times going thru Missouri, my daughter and her husband decided to stop to see what they had to offer. My daughter is very proud of her Native American heritage. They had the WORST experience and did not even get to go in! My son in law got out of the car to see if they were open and spoke to a lady about going in. My daughter got out of the car, first stopping to give her dog a potty break (pee only!) then was going to put the dog back in the car (Yes with A/C!!) ANYWAY…..the lady ran up to her yelling and screaming that :
“she couldn’t let her dog go to the bathroom there, they have people come there from all over the world! This isnt a dog park, we know your kind you need to get out of here!! ”
THEN….a man in a truck came flying up flailing his arms and screaming too!
They were so shocked they couldn’t even get in their car fast enough! You would think that was the end, as they were trying leave as fast as possible, and then when the car tires flung gravel the man was saying “Oh we’ll have none of that! And he started blocking their car so whichever direction they tried to go he was in the way!
It appears this place is run by a group of crazies and if I were you, this would be a tourist trap to stay far far away from!
P.S. If they don’t want dogs there and that is what put them past sanity….
POST A SIGN!!!!
My wife were traveling on our 5 year anniversary trip and we wanted to stop by the trading posts cause we saw the tipi’s from the highway. When I got out of the car and walked towards the store the lady greeted me and I began to ask her questions. She proceeded to tell me that there was a charge for even coming into the store and I told her I would talk to my wife and see if she were interested. She followed me to the car and started being really pushy and saying she “knew our kind” and repeatedly asking “are you going to pay or not?” I told her that we were interested but she was talking us out of it. Just then a man pulled up in a truck and said, “get out of here! You’re wasting my gas!” I proceeded to tell him that we were definitely here it. He told me he didn’t want to hear it and that we needed to get out of there. So my wife and I got back into our car and the lady stood by our rolled up windows yelling at my wife and the man kept yelling at me “get out of here” which I was willing and gladly wanted to by then. He then stood in front of my car with his phone at me yelling, “get out here,” vehemently and red faced. If I tried to turn right to get back out to the outer road he stepped in front of me and the same for the left. I really think he wanted me to hit him so he could sue me. It was a crazy, terrifying, and puzzling visit. I do NOT recommend this place at all. Sorry kids, they are mean people.
I stopped at this place and was somewhat parked and was looking for my lens cap and the woman ran out and started yelling at me “Are you going to buy something?” When I said I did not know as I was not sure what they did or sold. “She yelled ” Leave you are not welcome here”. I told her I would not buy from her now and left. Do not stop here. Gary
I have never been as rudely treated as I was here. My husband and I stopped here to check it out, found out there was a $2 fee and decided not to go in. I didn’t care that much to see it, just curious. We had our 18 month old and dachshund dog in the car and had been in the car for a couple hours so while my husband asked about this I started to change my baby in the backseat. He came back and let our dog go pee. We do not believe in leaving trash of any sort on any property. We weren’t going to be stopping very soon so that’s why the diaper and dog break. The lady came out yelling at us to leave, this is not a rest stop. I thought a potential customer had a right to decide if they wanted to buy or just look. No signs are posted about the things she was angry about. We would have responded to her requests just as well if she had been kind. We will never go here again and will tell others not to go there. Talk about hurting yourself and your business. If they don’t want such traffic, don’t be located off a major highway. Life is hard enough than to have people yell at you for no good reason.
I have been friends with the Atkinsons for many years. Apparently they have had MANY rude people stop in and expect to use their parking lot for free photos, people spinning chat, stealing their stuff, and leaving garbage behind. I believe I would be protective and charge an admission too, given what they’ve been through. I have never been treated badly, never a rough time, and exclusively buy my authentic Indian wares from the Atkinsons and Indian Harvest.
I’m glad you can find justification for them acting like animals. I personally can’t.
I understand they’ve had some bad experiences, it’s too bad and I feel for them, but come on… running after someone with a shovel?
I would never visit there, I would never do business with them and quite frankly, based on your defense of the couple, if you were a small business owner, I wouldn’t do business with you either. Who’s to say you wouldn’t act the same way?
Do not ever stop here!! This is the worst place ever. There are crazy people who run this place. They charge $2.00 to gain entrance to their gift shop. Really??? But don’t worry, your $2.00 will go towards your purchase in the gift shop. Then she got rude and told us that taking pictures don’t pay the bills and don’t pay the electric either and if we want pictures, we have to take them from the road. Whatever. I don’t care how many times people stole stuff or did whatever. They need not be in business if they treat everyone like like they have bad intentions. I am not going to agree to buy something I have never seen. It’s absurb. Most tourist are just that. Touring though an area finding interesting things to have stories about. I hope the owners realize that running people off or badgering them for money will not make people come back or even go in. I had a bad vibe as soon as I parked the car. This place does not have new owner from what I can tell in these postings. They are nutz.
These people are INSANE!!!!! We were traveling Route 66 from St. Louis & thought we’d stop & see this place. After we approached the teepees a lady wanted to charge us $2. We declined & decided to go. The said we could use the $2 toward a purchase but, we can’t see inside we have no clue what they are trying to sell. We were in 2 cars & my MIL was eating some peanuts as she was looking around her car for her sun glasses. The lady came up to my husand & said, “not to be rude but, you need to leave”. Then she went up to my MIL YELLING at her that it’s not a rest stop & we had to leave NOW. My MIL was nice & said, “OK but, I need to find my glasses”. Then the lady started cussing. We were trying to get out of there as fast as we could but, dang, this woman kept cussing at us & in no concern that we have 2 children with us. Then a man was standing at the top of the hill acting as if he was going to charge at us too. We finally made it to Cuba & had to rest at a restraunt. I told the waitress I was so happy she was nice to us. After discussing the situation with her that we just had she knew exactly who we were talking about & said those people are crazy! Very sad situation when you’re trying to drive Route 66 & here these people just ruin the experience. Obviously, it’s still the same owners & this has been going on for several years. I hope one day it bites them in the butt!
We stopped in there on the 11th of July 2013 and was stopped by this mad lady demanding a $2 entry fee, we declined and she really went off the deep end. As we tried to depart she became even more out of control, she must have a mental conditon. Her husband also went crazy, we are thinking what did we do to deserve such treatment. It boils down to, we did not pay their entry fee. Sooner or later they are going to go off on the wrong person and someone is going to get hurt. Do not stop there they are on the verge of being dangerous!!
They came out screaming at my girlfriend and another elderly couple as they got out of the car and photographed the place, ;prior to trying to go in and shop. These people are assholes. How the hell do they expect to do any business when they treat potential customers like shit?
I forgot to mention, they ran all of them off and would not allow them into the store to buy anything.
We recently stopped there and were treated very nicely. We were willing to pay the $2 fee each just to go in – realizing it costs to run a place like that. Both the man and the woman were pleasant, even gave us free samples of the buffalo jerky. We ended up buying over $40 worth of things. When leaving we took pictures of each of us in front of the TP, then the man came out and offered to take a picture of the 2 of us together for us. All in all, we had a nice experience.
I wouldn’t want to take a picture of the place because I wouldn’t want anyone to know I went there . the place and people are a joke .
Ok, until today I’ve never seen a nut house shaped like a Tee Pee!! When we pulled up we were confronted by a dapper gentleman in a hole eaten red T- shirt, he informed us that if we wanted any closer we would be required to pay a $2.00 dollar passage fee per person, including my five year old, for admittance. While answering the request with a puzzled “no thank you” we made the mistake of taking a picture of the property. That’s when the mental midget went off, keep in mind my little girl is standing next to me with an enormous smile on her face fascinated by the Native American replicas. The language was so vile and unexpected I gasped. We were sure we were about to be physically assaulted. My wife grabbed my now crying little girl and RAN back to the car. STAY AWAY FROM THIS NIGHTMARE FOR YOUR OWN SAFTEY! After reading the other posts here it is obvious these people are mentally ill and will eventually, seriously, hurt someone.
Stopped here for directions and was literally chased out of there with EXTREME profanities. They are crazy!!! I have never experienced anything like this in my life. How does this place stay in business???
These people are psychopaths. They scared the crap out of my husband and i as soon as we pulled up on the property scraming that they were going ti call the coos on us. These people are emotionally dusturbed and they need a psyche evaluation. They make up stories im their heads and the should be HEAVILY medicated
I pulled off today with my 6 year-old, fully intending to purchase some souvenirs, and was particularly hoping for a carved wood cane as I am recovering from an injury. Due to that injury, I move slowly, and it took me a few (at most, 5) minutes to get my child’s shoes on and tied, and while I did so, a woman came out and seemed to be checking her gardens. As we stepped away from the car, she approached me and rudely told me that there was a $2 fee to get in. There was no sign stating this. I do not carry cash on long trips, so wouldn’t have stopped had I known. I apologized and said we would just leave, and she started verbally assaulting me and my child. She said I was wasting her time. She called me nasty, derogatory names, shouted obscenities at me, and threatened to call the police on me if I didn’t get off of her property. She said she knew my kind, that I was just trying to use her, and knew I wouldn’t buy anything anyway. She called me more names, insulted my physical appearance and mental abilities, and threatened to sic her dog/husband/somebody on us. I was absolutely terrified and couldn’t get out of there fast enough! My son was traumatized as well. After reading all of the comments on here, yelp, tripadvisor, etc, it seems these people are delusional. They are chasing off customers like me who are willing to pay their fee (had I had cash, I would’ve done so, or even gotten some and come back if she hadn’t been certifiably and horrifyingly insane) and to purchase goods, because they think everyone is out to get them. I wanted to buy something. I didn’t have a pet. I didn’t need food or a rest stop. I purposefully stopped there specifically to buy things. I had a small child with me who hadn’t even made it fully out of the car. I drove in slowly, didn’t get near her gardens, and was polite, even if I was slow. All this, and I was still chased off after being verbally assaulted and threatened by this woman, afraid for my son and myself. This ruined my afternoon and terrified my child. This was a horrible experience, and I will never attempt to shop there again. I feel that their perception of events is drastically different from actuality, whatever story they may tell their friends, and am afraid for the safety of anyone else who unwittingly wanders into their business.
This has been great to read! I have twice experienced what many of you have described. Literally being screamed and cursed at trying to get out of my car. (We were called “RT 66 Trash”). Don’t waste your time here. Unless you want a laugh toying with them. I can’t believe the polite, joyful reviews. Either they are bogus, or she is completely bi-polar.
It’s been a few years since this same incident happened to my family. So very sorry!! We were so shaken by this lady yelling at us. We stopped at Shellie’s in Cuba to sit & rest. Can’t thank them enough for giving us a warm welcome. We explained what happened to us & they had already heard many stories before us.
Terrorism on Route 66. We saw the tee-Pees and wanted to stop to see what they had (I have never met a store I didn’t like!). Once we pull into the lot, my daughter hops out of the car and asks the woman if they have a bathroom. She asks if we’re going to buy something. I tell her we’re coming. My son is cold so I go into the trunk to get a sweatshirt before we head in. She asks what I’m doing, I reply “I’m just getting my son a sweatshirt”. She starts screaming at me to get off her property if we’re not going to patronize her business (huh?) and telling us to leave right now and she’s calling the police. She’s approaching and gesticulating wildly. I’m so startled, I order my daughter to get back in the car, tell my husband to drive off, but in my haste I forget to shut the trunk properly. My husband drives to a utility access road down the road but she can still see us and she’s still shouting. Her husband has gotten in his truck, followed us with headlights blaring, reminiscent of “Mississippi Burning” and he blocks the path of the road! My son is crying, I’m fearful for our lives. We slam the trunk and hightail it out of there! We’re African American so at first I think this reaction is blatant racism, but now I read the other reviews I think it’s just blatant CRAZY!
Unless you want to be terrorized on vacation in front of your children, stay far, far away!
Seriously has nothing to do with racism. If I had known about this website before hand I would never had put my family in harms way. Our incident happened a couple years ago. I still can’t forget about it because I have never had anyone act so crazy towards our family. Sorry your children had to experience that. My girls were terrified too.
BEWARE! This place is unsafe. Owners screamed at my wife and mother because we didn’t leave fast enough because we didn’t want to pay money to get into their “gift shop”. Unsafe and the crap outside looked tacky and not authentic. Be safe and don’t stop there. They were horrible and scary people.
We had the worst experience at Indian Harvest …my husband and I are route 66 enthusiast’s we’ve visited many road side attractions between Illinois Missouri Janess and Oklahoma… Never have I been so insulted…. This was my bday trip literally my bday Bob watches me get out my vehicle turns around to walk the other way not greeting me ….then proceeded to tell me 2$ to enter his stotr…my husband and 1 yr old baby are in the car baby is asleep …Bob said it’s all of the people like me ruining his world coming and not paying was offensive it took me a minute to realize he was angry and insulting me…hey Bob shut your business down you’re clearly not on route for the same reason everyone else is which is supporting American history and enjoying the simple things..I would have paid the 2$ and most likely purchased but when he started saying me and my people referring to white people and my ancestors are native American so this man needs kicked out the route 66 association he’s a real piece
This article misses the point. I don’t think anyone has a problem with them charging $2 (well, maybe some do). The problem is how they harass people, film them as though they are going to turn them into the police for daring to pull into their parking lot, swear at them, chasing people in their car, etc. These people are the absolute worst experience I had on route 66. When I pulled up and got out of my car with the camera in my hand to take a picture of the plywood teepee, the guy runs up shouting no pictures and I can’t come there to “use him”. Them he kept rambling on on how dare I come to “take advantage of them” (by taking a picture). That this behavior is viewed as acceptable by members of the 66 community (until it becomes “intolerable”… which means what? Until they start shooting at people?) is a bit of a disgrace. Trust me, after having an experience like that, it will make most sane people avoid “mom and pop” places for fear they will get the same experience as this nut house teepee.
The guy Bob at Indian harvest spoke very inappropriately to my husband and I asking with our baby when stopping to check out his teepee completely unacceptable we will never stop again
I don’t know how this place stays in business. Whoever wrote this article is definitely missing the point entirely. The problem isn’t that they charge a fee to enter their gift shop. First of all, it seems that this fee is not posted anywhere, so people don’t know about it until they get out of their cars and are told verbally. Then, if they decide they don’t want to pay just to enter a gift shop, or they don’t have any cash – something that is becoming more and more common as people pay for everything with credit or debit cards these days – they are verbally assaulted and threatened. Often this is done in front of their frightened children. Cursing, name-calling, and threats. And these stories aren’t isolated. Practically every review on every travel site tells the same story.
The unusual reviews are the positive ones. I’ve honestly never seen so many bad reviews for one place, all telling the same disturbing story. There is no way I would ever stop at this place based on the reviews. There have just been too many people telling the same story for me to feel comfortable going there. I wish some of these people claiming to know the owners would stop defending them. Maybe instead they could talk to them and explain to them that chasing customers away, while cursing at them and calling them names, is probably not the best business model. I don’t care how many times people have stolen from them. That does not excuse terrorizing people who have done nothing wrong.
Same story. Stopped to go inside and barely got out of classic car before woman came out running and yelling ,
“You can’t take a picture of tee-pee without coming in and buying something. Pictures don’t pay the bills. You can take a picture from the road.”
I was going to go in as I have seen it several times, but chose to leave instead. What a horribly rude woman,
and I am Cherokee Indian, I’m ashamed for her.
Do Not Waste Your Time or Good Mood Going Here!
I pretty much had the exact same experience. My young daughters and I were just starting on a road trip but I was excited to share an Indian trading post with them. The lady totally ruined it. I will never go back there and I always tell other people about the experience as well so they can avoid it. I don’t want to hurt a mom and pop business but I’m not sure if you can call what they’re doing business.