The Flute Shop

Instead of finding a mint on your pillow or a few bottles of travel-size shampoo, how about bringing home a custom-made musical instrument? Part trading post and part motel (albeit only four rooms), The Flute Shop offers its guests one-of-a-kind hospitality that’s deeply committed to sharing Native American culture. And, as suggested quite subtly by its name, their specialty is the wooden flute.

Some might place The Flute Shop in the middle of nowhere, but this singular motel is in Torrey, Utah, a town founded by Mormons in the late 1880s, though the region had been inhabited by Native Americans for millennia—when the Ute, Paiute, and Navajo called the area home. These tribes flourished within their respective stretches of history, each with their own cultures and customs, all of which included music. Indigenous peoples have used various wind instruments since prehistoric times, but the Native American wooden flute (as we know it today) emerged in this region during the mid-nineteenth century.

The Flute Shop was founded within that region over twenty years ago by Vance and Elaine Morrill, who cared for it and watched it flourish. In 2021, they passed the family business along to their son and daughter-in law, who have worked to uphold the spirit of the establishment by providing warm accommodations, regional knowledge, and Native American–inspired handmade wooden flutes. These are produced right in their workshop in several melodic keys, depending on preference. Along with the flutes, visitors can peruse Native American jewelry, rugs, pottery, and other wares. However, The Flute Shop’s greatest gift is its commitment to sharing with their guests a sound awareness of the land’s history and its people.

📖 Featured in Whalebone Magazine’s The National Parks Issue

📖 Full Story Page 23