Fort Sumner

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Fort Sumner was a military fort in south eastern New Mexico charged with the internment of nearby Navajo and Mescalero Apache populations from 1863-1868.

History

On October 31, 1862, Congress authorized the creation of the military Fort Sumner in the Bosque Redondo reservation, a 40 miles square area. The purpose of the fort was to gather the indigenous population into one area and turn them into farmers. In order to accomplish their goal, the U.S. Army went to war with the Mescalero Apache and Navajo native tribes. Officers in the army tried to dissuade the fort from being set up on the Bosque Redondo due to its poor water and the lack of firewood but the fort was set up anyway. Those that survived the war with the U.S. were rounded up and forced to march 400 miles from Northeastern Arizona to the new Fort. Approximately 200 Navajo died during the two month long march. This was known as the Long Walk of the Navajo.

There were about 9,000 Navajo and several hundred Mescalero Apache interned at the Fort. Conditions in the camp were poor. The Navajo and Mescalero Apache had long been enemies and now that they were in forced proximity to each other, fighting often broke out. The environmental situation was not better. The interned Natives had no clean water, it was full of alkaline and there was no firewood to cook with. The water from the nearby Pecos River caused severe intestinal problems and disease quickly spread throughout the camp. Food was also in short supply. In 1865, the Mescalero Apache, or those strong enough to travel, managed to escape to their own country. The Navajo were not allowed to leave until three years later when it was agreed by the Army that Fort Sumner was a failure. A treaty was negotiated with the Navajos and they were allowed to return to their homeland.

References

http://www.southernnewmexico.com/Articles/Southeast/De_Baca/FortSumner/BosqueRedondo-destination.html
http://www.desertusa.com/mag03/trails/trails09.html

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