Fort Sumner facts for kids
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Fort Sumner Ruins
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Fort Sumner
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| Nearest city | Fort Sumner, New Mexico |
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| Area | 50 acres (20 ha) |
| Built | 1862 |
| Architect | Alexander LaRue |
| NRHP reference No. | 74001194 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | August 13, 1974 |
Fort Sumner was a military fort built in New Mexico Territory. From 1863 to 1868, it was used to hold Navajo and Mescalero Apache people. They were kept at a nearby place called Bosque Redondo.
Contents
Fort Sumner: A Historic Military Post
Why Fort Sumner Was Built
The United States Congress approved building Fort Sumner on October 31, 1862. General James Henry Carleton said the fort would protect settlers in the Pecos River valley. These settlers were worried about attacks from the Mescalero Apache, Kiowa, and Comanche tribes.
General Carleton also created the Bosque Redondo reservation. This was a large area, about 1,600-square-mile (4,100 km2; 1,000,000-acre), where over 9,000 Navajo and Mescalero Apaches were forced to live. They were moved there because they were accused of raiding white settlements. The fort was named after General Edwin Vose Sumner.
Life at Bosque Redondo
The idea for the reservation was that the Native American people would become self-sufficient. They would learn how to be modern farmers. Earlier, General Edward Canby had suggested moving the Navajo people to reservations. He thought they could learn new skills there.
Some people in Washington, D.C. believed the Navajo should not be moved. They thought a reservation should be made on the Navajo's own land. However, some New Mexico citizens wanted the Navajo removed from their lands.
The crops at Bosque Redondo did not always grow well. In 1865 and 1866, the corn harvest was good. But in 1867, the crops completely failed. Army officers and Indian Agents realized that Bosque Redondo was not working. The land had poor water and not enough firewood for all the people living there. The Mescalero people soon escaped. The Navajo stayed longer, but in May 1868, they were allowed to go back to their homelands.
The Long Walk
When Bosque Redondo was created, General Carleton ordered Colonel Christopher "Kit" Carson to bring the Mescalero and then the Navajo people there. All the Mescalero Apache were moved by the end of 1862. But most Navajo were not resettled until early 1864.
The Navajo call this journey from their homeland to Bosque Redondo the Long Walk. More than 300 Navajo people died during this difficult trip. It became a very sad memory for many Navajo. One man described it as confusing: "If there was room the soldiers put the women and children on the wagons. Some even let them ride behind them on their horses. I have never been able to understand a people who killed you one day and on the next played with your children...?"
By April 1865, about 8,500 Navajo and 500 Mescalero Apache were held at Bosque Redondo. The Army had only planned for 5,000 people. This meant there was not enough food from the start. The Navajo and Mescalero Apache had been enemies for a long time. Being forced to live so close together often led to fighting.
The living conditions got worse. The people did not have clean water; it was full of alkali. There was also no firewood for cooking. The water from the nearby Pecos River caused serious stomach problems. Diseases quickly spread through the camp. Food was scarce because crops failed and there were problems with how the Army and Indian Agents managed supplies.
In 1865, the Mescalero Apache who were strong enough managed to escape. The Navajo were not allowed to leave until May 1868. At that time, the U.S. Army finally agreed that Fort Sumner and the Bosque Redondo reservation had failed.
The End of Fort Sumner
In 1868, the Treaty of Bosque Redondo was signed with the Navajo. This treaty allowed them to return to their homeland. They went back to a "new reservation." Thousands of Navajo who had been hiding in the Arizona Territory also joined them. This difficult experience made the Navajo people stronger and more determined. They were never again caught off guard by raiders from the Rio Grande valley. In the years that followed, they expanded their "new reservation" to over 16 million acres (65,000 km2).
Fort Sumner was closed in 1869. It was then bought by rancher and cattle owner Lucien Maxwell. Maxwell rebuilt one of the officers' houses into a large 20-room home. On July 14, 1881, Sheriff Pat Garrett shot and killed Billy the Kid in this house. Today, this house is known as the Maxwell House.
Visiting Fort Sumner Today
One hundred years after the treaty was signed, Fort Sumner was named a New Mexico State Monument in 1968. This was a way to remember the history of the Navajo people returning home.
Today, the property is managed by the New Mexico Historic Sites. This is a part of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs. On June 4, 2005, a new museum opened at the site. It was designed by Navajo architect David N. Sloan and is called the Bosque Redondo Memorial. The U.S. Congress had approved building this memorial in 2000, which provided money for its construction.
The Bosque Redondo Memorial and Fort Sumner Historic Site are located 6.5 miles (10.5 km) southeast of Fort Sumner, New Mexico. To get there, you go 3 miles (4.8 km) east on U.S. Route 60/U.S. Route 84. Then, you turn south for 3.5 miles (5.6 km) on Billy The Kid Road.
