The "Indian fighter" Kit Carson, who led the forced removal of the Navajo people to Bosque Redondo. Photo from U.S. Library of Congress
The city council in Taos, New Mexico, will be voting again on a new name for Kit Carson Park. The council voted 3-1 on June 10 to change the name after residents questioned why the park was named for Kit Carson, an Indian fighter who led the forced removal of the Navajo people to Bosque Redondo in the 1860s. The decision has drawn statewide attention and city officials now say they acted too quickly and without first consulting Taos Pueblo. The city chose Red Willow Park as the new name but didn't ask the tribe about it. The tribe's name means "red willow" in the Tiwa language. The issue will be considered again at a meeting on July 8. Get the Story:
Mayor apologizes to Pueblo for ‘very fast’ decision on Kit Carson Park (The Taos News 6/26) An Opinion:
Donald R. Baucom: Egregious error to judge Carson by today’s standards (The Albuquerque Journal 6/27)
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