Kit Carson Park Renamed in Taos, NM

[THE PILGRIM]

There's probably not too much I can add to this. Kit Carson and his wife were buried in what was then the non-Catholic cemetery.
The official cemetery in town was a Catholic cemetery which Kit was not.

A northern New Mexico town council has voted to change the name of Kit Carson Park over concerns by critics that the famed scout and explorer was cruel to American Indians.
The Taos Town Council passed a resolution Tuesday to rename the downtown park Red Willow following a presentation from activists, the Albuquerque Journal reports (http://goo.
Carson, who died in in 1868, is buried in the cemetery at the park and his name is all over Taos. He largely is known as an explorer, trapper, soldier and American Indian agent.
But Carson was ordered by the U.S. Army to relocate around 8,000 Navajo men, women and children 300 miles from Arizona to Fort Sumner, New Mexico, on what's called the "Long Walk." An estimated 200 Navajos died from cold and starvation after traveling in brutal and harsh winter conditions for almost two months.
Taos Pueblo tribal Secretary Ian Chisholm says the pueblo viewed the council's actions as a gesture of "healing and reconciling the past."

Karen Douglas, executive director of the Kit Carson Home and Museum in Taos, declined to comment about the park renaming. "It's not our responsibility or concern," she said. "These are issues people are very sensitive about, and we are aware of that."

 

[galena]

Kit Carson has always been one of my heroes. I made an annual trip to Taos and always visited his house. I also spent quite a bit of money in my three to four day trips. Due to this reported action I will never visit Taos again. This progressive, revisionist history pi------ me off to no end.

 

[rwsmith]

Well, I don't like it.....

I don't like it but it is their town. I hope there are plenty of Kit Carson monuments around. He was right up there in western history.

PS Your post prompted me to read up on Carson. I think the last time I read about him in detail I was a kid.

 

[Faulkner]

Didn't our first president fight native Americans in the French & Indian Wars? Maybe they need to change the name of the Washington Monument to White Marble Obelisk on the National Mall.

 

[Llando88]

Kit Carson has always been one of my heroes. I made an annual trip to Taos and always visited his house. I also spent quite a bit of money in my three to four day trips. Due to this reported action I will never visit Taos again. This progressive, revisionist history pi------ me off to no end.

+1.

Been to the Kit Carson Museum in Taos as part of a Scout trek at Philmont.

The story of the American West is replete with mighty accomplishments and terrible tragedies.

Yet, it happened, the good and the bad.

Diluting the story by ignoring the characters of the times makes our history as a nation that much less rich.

Sad day, I reckon.

 

[David LaPell]

The way things are going on the border it wouldn't surprise me if parts of our country on the Texas/Arizona/New Mexico side don't end with names like Santa Anna, Pancho Villa, and General Huerta within a decade.

 

[jag312]

Well this is just great. I expect the next thing to happen is renaming the Carson Pass in California. Then Nevada has to do something about changing the name of Carson City.

 

[DR505]

You beat me to the punch with this thread. I just shook my head in disgust.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Gov. Charles Bent, the first NM Teritorial Governor, and Kit Carson were brother in laws. They married sisters in Taos.
He and his brother William established Bents Fort on the Arkansas River near present day La Junta, CO.

In 1835 Charles Bent married Maria Ignacia Jaramillo, who was born in Taos, New Mexico. Maria's younger sister Josefa Jaramillo would later marry Kit Carson.

While serving as territorial governor during the Taos Revolt, Charles Bent was shot, scalped alive and assassinated by Pueblo attackers on January 19, 1847. The women and children in the Bent home were not harmed by the insurgents, and the remaining Bents fled to safety next door through a hole in the parlor wall.

Bent and the renowned frontier scout Christopher "Kit" Carson had married sisters. Maria Ignacia Bent outlived her husband by 36 years; she died on April 13, 1883. The Bents had a daughter, Teresina Bent. Charles and Maria Bent and the Carsons are interred at Kit Carson Cemetery in Taos.

 

[moosedog]

As long as we just stand by and let it happen, it will happen.

 

[Jessie]

The way things are going on the border it wouldn't surprise me if parts of our country on the Texas/Arizona/New Mexico side don't end with names like Santa Anna, Pancho Villa, and General Huerta within a decade.

There's a border along there? Huh..

 

[Malpasowildlifer]

very sad; they're re-writing history and no one is doing anything about it

 

[LostintheOzone]

Well, a lot of pretty unpleasant things happened out west in the 1800's. It wasn't exactly life as we know and live it. He probably did some things that we would consider reprehensible today but they didn't live by the same standards that we do. I've read different accounts of Kit Carsons life and came to the conclusion that he was a remarkable frontiersman and scout. Few men could have accomplished as much as he did in one lifetime.

A very good book is "Blood and Thunder" by Hampton Sides. He puts the American west in perspective and accounts for Carsons deeds both good and bad.

 

[brucev]

There were people who would have stopped to look at a park named after Kit Carson, a significant and colorful western personality. No one will waste time stopping to look at a park named red willow.

If they want to get over the past, then they need to get over the past. Changing the name to something innocuous will not change the fact that they lost the war. You can't unring a bell. That's just the way it is.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

We're turning into the Soviet Union. After they took over they renamed many cities with Tsarist names after leading Bolsheviks, then when people were purged, found to be "Enemies of the People" and "Agents of Imperialism" anything named after them was renamed, then when Khrushchev denounced Stalin anything named after him was re-named-it's now Volgagrad and the Battle of the Volga, then when the Commies were finally ousted they restored all the original Tsarist names to the cities.

 

[hoc9sw]

I have also visited the Carson sites on five Philmont trips.

Let's just forget we have a history. Don't count for much. Just all the fools who died for their country, not knowing they would be pushed off as criminals for opening the country to the people who (clearly, as immoral, illegal, and death-deserving squatters) need to be killed en masse tonight.

Oh wait! I own property that once was Quapaw Indian. I must be a raging criminal for stealing from the ghosts.

May I say BS? How big a billboard can I buy?

 

[vigil617]

My goodness, guys! You'd think someone had dug up Kit Carson's body and chopped it into pieces and smashed his headstone!

Get some perspective here. This is one small park, in one place in New Mexico, and the renaming was done as a gesture of respect to a noble, peaceful, and agrarian people who, if memory serves me correctly, never fought against the United States except in response to military action instituted against them by the United States and local militias.

This was not the French and Indian War, Faulkner.

This is not the rewriting of history, those of you who contend that it is. How can you, with a straight face, claim that it is? In fact, it is an acknowledgement of history -- of what actually happened on "The Long Walk," which to the Navajos is a time of despair and subjugation at the hands of, yes, a leader who was otherwise an admirable and accomplished man in American history.

I think the renaming of the park in Taos was a worthy, compassionate, and healing gesture on the part of the community, and I am pleased to read about it.

I too have toured the Kit Carson Museum and other local sites during a trip to Philmont Scout Ranch. I would certainly go there again, and would intentionally visit the renamed park, thanking the ones who were involved with this effort for their courage and empathy for having done so.

 

[MSgt G]

Didn't our first president fight native Americans in the French & Indian Wars? Maybe they need to change the name of the Washington Monument to White Marble Obelisk on the National Mall.

Probably need to change the name of the state and DC too.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

My goodness, guys! You'd think someone had dug up Kit Carson's body and chopped it into pieces and smashed his headstone!

Get some perspective here. This is one small park, in one place in New Mexico, and the renaming was done as a gesture of respect to a noble, peaceful, and agrarian people who, if memory serves me correctly, never fought against the United States except in response to military action instituted against them by the United States and local militias.

This was not the French and Indian War, Faulkner.

This is not the rewriting of history, those of you who contend that it is. How can you, with a straight face, claim that it is? In fact, it is an acknowledgement of history -- of what actually happened on "The Long Walk," which to the Navajos is a time of despair and subjugation at the hands of, yes, a leader who was otherwise an admirable and accomplished man in American history.

I think the renaming of the park in Taos was a worthy, compassionate, and healing gesture on the part of the community, and I am pleased to read about it.

I too have toured the Kit Carson Museum and other local sites during a trip to Philmont Scout Ranch. I would certainly go there again, and would intentionally visit the renamed park, thanking the ones who were involved with this effort for their courage and empathy for having done so.

Long walk - The Navajo Indians were allegedly causing all kinds of problems. The decision was made at a high level in the US Gov to move them to Eastern NM. Kit Carson was the senior U.S. Army commander in the area with the most experience in dealing with Indians. He was commanded to move the Navajos to East NM. That's what he did. For some reason it comes out now that it was his idea and he basically did it by himself, and he is the only guy responsible. Why do I say that? Because when it comes up, his is the only name mentioned.
The Taos Pueblo Indians were likely responsible for the death of Gov. Bent and others. A few years ago I was up at the Taos Pueblo.
I did not pay the fee to take photos, so I don't have a picture of this but I wish I did. I see a line of reserved parking places.
The sign says 'reserved for war Chiefs only'.
Nothing says peaceful agrarian people like parking places reserved for war chiefs!
I do consider this an effort to rewrite history, although a small one.
Our history is being rewritten one small step at a time.

 

[Nico Testosteros]

Come on! The European invaders stole this country from its first inhabitants. They weren't invited, they weren't benevolent.