indian harvest

While traveling on Highway 66 through Union Missouri we happened upon this unique road side gift shop/photo opportunity. It's one of those places along the road with nothing else around it, you can see it from the highway and have time to turn off if you are traveling west. The teepees make a wonderful nostalgic background for the fun route 66 flavor. Although they will charge you $2 or $3 dollars a person to go inside, it was worth it to us. So many of these little shops close or go out of business because people look or take a quick photo and move on, it's a shame, this type of place is what makes the drive so fun. If they all had a dollar or two from each person who took a picture they might be able to survive. We did pay the money to shop and ended up finding some unique things that you don't find in the big stores, (your entry fee is deducted from your purchase, win win situation). As a gift shop it's what one would expect from a roadside stop in the middle of nowhere but the fun and experience was well worth it. We enjoyed talking to the owners for almost 45 minutes. Nice stop. Fun photos for the scrapbook.

I seem to remember the owner who served us being reasonably polite and softly spoken. While we were in here there was a guy trying out some kind of native American weapon and there was no issue with us taking photos outside before leaving. Don't remember being asked to pay $2 for entry and I bought a cool dream catcher here and an arrow. (Visited in March 2013, can't go back that far).

DON'T STOP HERE!! Recently stopped at the teepees for directions. The lady owner was SCREAMING saying to get out and get off her property!! Saying "I will not help you!" I was literally chased out of there! She had that crazy look in her eye. Then, while pulling out, a man was cutting grass nearby and stopped and asked if I needed help. She then came out of the teepee telling him not to help me! I have never experienced anything like this! How does this place stay in business?!?!

So, of course- I pulled off here like everyone else. I was getting out of my car to take pictures and the lady came out and I asked her if she was closing for the day. She was snotty and said no, I'm going to the mailbox. Then she said that it was $2 to come inside and I could take $2 off my purchase. Well- I figured- what the hell. I paid my $2 to go in. There was a lot of junky stuff, but some interesting crafts and jewelery- all of it overpriced. I figured that maybe I could find something to buy and the $2 would go towards it. Found nothing to buy and was in there for maybe 5 minutes. I asked her if the other teepees were open and she said no- it's private. That was my experience. I took a bunch of photos and she didn't say anything to me- but maybe it's because I already paid $2. Interesting to read others equally terrible experiences.

...this is really the best description I can give. If the concept of aggression had a human face it would be that of the bewilderingly belligerent woman who dwells here waiting to come out and shout at people.Driving Route 66 you see a lot of odd little buildings by the side of the road. Abandoned petrol stations, attractions, houses and motels. Given that one guidebook specifically mentioned tee-pee shaped motels this is what we assumed the place to be. That particular stretch of Old 66 ran alongside the interstate and was empty and easy enough to stop on so it seemed worth a look.What we had not counted on when we stopped was the most insane and hilarious display of misguided aggression I've ever personally witnessed.The first sign that something was up was when we saw a dog barking and generally going mad in the doorway of one tent. I wound my window down mainly to see if I could hear it but instead was greeted by the angriest woman I've ever seen yelling 'You can't stop that thing there' and 'get back on the road' whilst brandishing a camera and gesticulating wildly.For a moment it wasn't particularly clear what the issue was. After all when someone jumps out of a concrete wigwam waving a camera around and screaming like a lollypop deprived toddler your mind does tend to wander...As it transpired she didn't like that we had pulled off 66 onto the thin stretch of grass that ran alongside. This fact soon became clear when she started frantically shouting 'GET OFF MY GRASS!' whilst taking photos of us.I was inclined to just ignore her. I mean our RV was comfortably off the road on what passed for the shoulder with a good six foot ditch beside us and another ten foot hill beyond that. How it was 'her' grass was anyone's guess. Later when we regailed this story to a local park ranger he informed us that the verge six foot either side of the road is owned and maintained by the state. He himself had also had a bizarre run in with the couple when he ran out of petrol along the road and they plain refused to help.The peculiar woman didn't seem to care whose property we were actually on however and she soon trekked down the hill to photograph us further. She started screeching even more about how her husband worked hard to keep the grass looking good and how they were sick of people stopping outside.Well I'm sorry but if you purchase a series of large concrete tee-pees alongside the most famous road in the world what do you really expect?Before we pulled away she actually clambered over our flat tow gear to photograph the plates on our RV and tow car. Dangerous? Yes. Weird? Very. Pointless? Oh hell yes.If we had decided to do as she requested and get off 'her' grass at that moment we'd have flattened her and brought her days of harassing passing motorists to an abrupt end. Other than printing out the photos and decorating her walls with a historical record of her day to day shouting endeavours I can't see any point. Guaranteed the police would hang up on the mad old woman the moment she tried to contact them. Not that we'd done anything wrong anyway.It was only actually when I looked back at some of the photos I took that I realised the place was, amazingly, a shop.Now at every other place on Route 66 that we stopped at before or after we were given a ridiculously warm welcome. Store owners and museum volunteers went well out of their way to accommodate us, often for very little profit in their bargain stores. It was how friendly people were that encouraged us to buy stuff a lot of the time though. How anyone can possibly stay in business when their policy is simply to shout at everyone who comes within earshot of their store is beyond me.We told this story to many locals in the towns that followed and pretty much all of them had heard of this place and the insane people who run it.Other reviews claim that they charge you to enter the store and demand money if you take photos. I wouldn't be surprised. They clearly have no concept of how to run a business.After reading similar horror stories online I've come up with a new theory. The owners of this property didn't buy it because they wanted to greet passing travellers and sell their wares. No, they are simply fans of shouting and wanted a new audience...

My husband & I recently travelled past this site & decided it was so unique we would like a snapshot. Business appeared to be closed from the roadside as their gate was closed so we decided we would just take a snapshot & leave, not wanting to disturb anyone. Owner's dog stated barking, owners both started shouting at us and screaming for us to get out of their driveway. At first we thought that they were screaming at the dog. the old bat drove there pickup out to scream it us face to face. And that we were to leave the area saying we were upsetting their dog. These people aren't smart enough to understand their dog reacts to it's owners moods and the dog would be calm if the owners were. Owners kept shouting so we ended up moving our car to the very next driveway, which was a cell tower access driveway, and the woman actually drove her beat-up truck over to us, shouting profanities all the time, telling us to move on - we only wanted a snapshot & we never left the side of our car! These people ruined this part of our trip & I feel if they don't want to have people taking pictures maybe they need to live in a cave instead of a teepee OR put up a BIG privacy fence so nobody can see the teepees! If you live in something different you have to expect sight-seers. AND this is certainly no way to run any kind of a business! We noted that it was for sale, I would like to purchase it just to get rid of the crazy lady!

We were doing Route 66, when we noticed the tee-pees, and decided to have a look. After exiting our car, and as I was about to snap a photo, a woman comes out and yells that there is a $2 entrance fee, which could be used toward merchandise in her store. She then went on yelling "Photo's don't pay the bills!" I was not about to pay $2 just to go into her store, particularly after the rude greeting, so we declined, and started back to our car. The woman continued to rant, saying "Thank You for Wasting My Time!!", and that she knew our type and that we wouldn't have purchased anything anyway! For the record, we made several purchase along 66, before and after this woman's place. As we were leaving a man came out with a camera pointed at us. I honestly don't see how someone like this stays in business!! Save yourself the frustration, stay away from Indian Harvest, this is unquestionably the WORST stop along Route 66!

People are looking at this place entirely the wrong way... This is one of the few Route 66 destinations where you are guaranteed a show. Think of it as a piece of performance art on Route 66; or think of it like one of those restaurants where the staff is supposed to act overly mean (like Ed Debevics).I was there in 2009 and got the show. Indian guy looking mean, glaring at me, holding a shovel; his wife yelling about us taking a picture and turning around messing up the rocks. She was in exceptionally fine voice that day and it was very entertaining. The consistency of the performance is really impressive - as is their commitment. There are always there. Have you ever heard of someone that visited without meeting them?This place affords a good opportunity to take Route 66 'noobs' there so they can get yelled at. Encourage them to start taking pictures right when they get out of the car AND then ask the lady where they can throw away some garbage out of the car.... Hilarity will ensue!The only thing that would make it better was if I actually could have gotten INTO the teepees to see the stuff for sale. That sounds like it's pretty rare; kinda like getting backstage at 'Cats' or something. Hardy anyone gets out of the driveway. Well, maybe next time.

My girlfriend tried to visit this place to just be ran off before even getting out of her car. She always carries a camera with her and loves taking pictures with other potential visitors. When she pulled in to the parking lot she took a picture started to pull forward to park and get out and this man started screaming at her to leave. Then a woman came out and started screaming. She told the woman she wanted to see their shop and the woman called her a bold face liar. In the mean time another car pulled in behind her and an elderly couple maybe in their late sixties got out of their car and as they approached the building tried to take a picture. The man and women started screaming at them too and told them to leave. As my girlfriend was backing up the lady told the man to take pictures of both the car's plates. My girlfriend really felt sickened by the way they treated her. She really did want to go in and see what they have for sale. Being of American Indian blood it meant a lot to her…

I can't say much that hasn't already been said. I do want to start out by saying that this is the worst stop on Route 66, and if you're reading this while on Route 66, please know that this is the worst it will ever get and your experience will be much better everywhere else. These are the only people on Route 66 who are anything like this.I pulled up in my '68 Ford and they came running out of the tee pees and yelling that I couldn't take pictures. The man complained about me messing up the rocks, telling me that when I was on the road my tax dollars from gasolien paid for it but he had to pay for his rocks. He told me it was $2 to take pictures or see what they had and I told him if he wanted to treat me like that I would leave. He insisted that my dad back straight back out and not turn around in his driveway and mess it up, then called me a "Loser like all the other tourists" and told me to get away from their property.These people should be homeless. This place is the worst I have ever been treated in my entire life and I am still dumbfounded two weeks later that these people treated me as poorly as they did. I have filed complained with the BBB of Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois and with the Route 66 Association of Missouri, which lists this place as one of their supporting business members.

My husband and I stopped here today as we are travelling along Route 66. We were driving past and saw the tepees and we were interested as to what was there. Unlike the other reviews we were not met by a crazy woman but it was raining heavily. We went straight into the tepee that had an open sign on it and there was a man in there and we were welcomed and he did chat a little. We browsed abit but felt uncomfortable as the man kept staring at us and he was constantly saying prices of things. The shop was ok but not to our taste it just seemed like alot of expensive old tat. I tried to start a conversation with the man but he just ignored me. We then decided to leave and go and take a picture of the tepees before we left. The man followed us out and locked the door of the tepee and he went into another tepee and in that tepee I could see a woman standing at the door. It was still raining so I decided to go back to our rental car and my husband was going to take a photo and come to the car. Once I got into the car a woman came out of the tepee and shouted at my husband "go away get out of here you can't take photos here". There was no mention of the $2 fee but I can very much believe it. It is people like this that can ruin Route 66 and maybe they should take and interest in people and not be so rude and have abit more than old Indian tat in their shop! Certainly would not recommend!

I agree with the other reviews. Don't bother to stop at this place. I drive I44 every few weeks and have been curious about it. So one day I stopped and go the same treatment. Foolishly I paid the $2.00 and entered the shop. Just junk, no real Indian made items. Don't stop here,

My husband and I stopped at the Indian Harvest Trading Post; my husband has passed it a couple of times and was intrigued. We were greeted at the edge of the parking lot by a woman, the owner?, who stated there was a $2 per person fee to enter the retail store. I couldn't comprehend it. We looked at each other and said, "No thanks, we'll pass." She started to mutter that nothing is for free. Then she turned around and saw I was snapping a picture of the teepee with my phone and said only people who paid the entry fee could take pictures, and when I kept my pose, she lost it and started screaming that we were users and losers, to leave her property, we were rude, and other profanities. Then she turned around, stuck her rear end at us, pointed at it and wagged it at us! If I hadn't been there, I would not have believed it!

Whilst travelling along Route 66, in September 2012, with over $2,000 dollars burning a hole in my pocket, I was attracted by a couple of teepees at the side of the road. As my wife and I got out of our hire car a woman approached us who said that we could only take photographs of the teepees if we paid her 2 dollars each, which she said would be deducted from our anything we would purchase. When we declined, because we had not seen what she wanted to sell, she became very rude and abusive. The insults and profanity continued as we drove out of the property and back on to the road, at which time a large man appeared to join her. A few miles down the road, I mentioned what had happened to the staff of the Meramec Caverns and they told me that they had heard similar stories before about this woman and her husband. I would advise travellers not to expose themselves to this sort of insulting behaviour. I found plenty of other legitimate trading posts further on down Route 66, such as the Cherokee Trading Post, that were happy to accept my money and extend me courtesy in equal measure. If the woman and her husband are able to read this review, then they should know that I did spent all of my $2,000 (and more on plastic) before leaving the USA. My advice is to avoid like the plague.

We unwittingly stopped to shop at this business as we saw the concrete teepees on the side of route 66. this place advertises indian artifacts, as my girlfriend and I exited our car the first thing I noticed were cheap mexican made rugs with pictures of wolves like the ones sold at wal-mart hanging outside. we were immediately met in the parking lot by a very rude and obnoxious woman screaming at us not to take pictures unless we paid her 2 dollars apiece and that we could not shop there without paying for the privilege to enter her shop. As I had no intention to spend my money there after being treated in such a manner, we turned to walk back to our car and the women followed us screaming at the top of her lungs "GET THE %^&* OFF MY PROPERTY, I"M NOT OUT HERE TO GET A $%^&*@# SUN TAN, I KNOW YOUR TYPE" this barrage of insults and profanity continued all the way across the parking lot and onto the highway as we left. The next morning and over 200 miles away in Baxter Springs Kansas I made mention to a friendly gentleman about the bad experience, before I could tell him the name of the place he said "You're not the only ones, the other businesses on the route have been hearing horror stories about this woman and her husband for years" upon returning home I researched it on the web and found numerous blogs with stories of rude behavior and intimidation by these people. Do Not expose yourself or your family to this sort of treatment. this business and it's owners are a blight on route 66, there are plenty of businesses on 66 in Missouri that welcome your patronage, and many more places to shop. BEWARE