Kit Carson is widely regarded as one of the individuals who opened up the west in most American History texts. Does Navajo history respect him as an honorable man?
No. He is despised. He ravaged the land. He burnt crops and orchards. He slaughtered the flocks and starved the Navajo people into submission. Most Navajos were forced to leave their homeland and travel by foot, wagon, or horseback the 300 miles to Fort Sumner, New Mexico. This journey is remembered as “The Long Walk.” Thousands died, either on the journey, or at Bosque Redondo, where they were confined. This might have been an end to the Churro sheep, but some bands did not go to Fort Sumner and others abandoned their flocks to canyons where the sheep were able to fare for themselves and survive the predators until the owners came home. Some have questioned conditions during Long Walk and the confinement at Ft.Sumner. The death toll alone should provide a clue. Not commonly known are losses from raids by neighboring Comanches from Texas, lack of shelter, long searches for firewood for cooking and warmth, sacks of grain infested with “worms”, or larvae and rancid tinned beef. Had the D
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