Gibraltar of the Navajos

On January 6, 1864, Albert A. Pheiffer led a column of troops under the command of Kit Carson into Canyon de Chelly in an attempt to bring in all the Navajos who’d taken refuge in the canyon’s innumerable hidden crevices.  Given the nature of the canyon, the task was impossible, so the mission changed to simply destroying the Navajos means of staying alive.  The Navajos were destitute and dying, Carson knew; cutting off their food supply would either kill them or bring them into his jurisdiction so that they would—as planned—be forced to march off to Bosque Redondo, on the other side of the New Mexico territory.

Once Pheiffer’s column of 300 men entered the valley, the Navajos, their supplies gone but their spirit unbroken, hurled stones down at the cavalry from the immense walls of canyon, screaming insults.  They were almost powerless against the invaders.

Pheiffer rode into the canyon, burning and food supplies wherever he found them, killing whatever livestock he could locate.  Here is his report:

"Here [in Canyon de Chelly] the Navajos sought refuge when pursued by the invading force, whether by neighboring tribes or of the arms of the government, and here they were enabled to jump about on the ledges like mountain cats, halooing at me, swearing and cursing and threatening vengeance at my command in every variety of Spanish they were capable of mustering.  A couple of shots from my soldiers with their trusty rifles caused the redskins to disperse instantly and gave me a safe passage through this Gibraltar of the Navajos."

Carson himself added this:

“Having accomplished an undertaking never before successful in wartime, that of passing through the Canyon de Chelly from east to west, and this without having a single causalty in his command. . .he killed three Indians (two men) and brought in ninety prisoners (women and children).  He found the bodies of Indians frozen to death in the canyon.”

The fields at the edge of the canyon were then laid to waste, taking, Carson reported, 300 men the entire day to destroy a field of corn.  He determined to scorch everything in sight—including 5000 peach trees, the pride of the Navajos. 

By the time the “cleansing” of Canyon de Chelly was over, 200 Navajos had surrendered, 23 were killed, and another 34 had been taken prisoner.  By February 1, 700 Navajos were prisoners at Ft. Wingate, soon to be marched across the territory, banished from their homeland.  There was more and even greater suffering ahead.

Canyon de Chelly is a wonder.  The beauty takes your breath away.  Awe abounds.

And yet, the place is even bigger than it appears because here, as elsewhere, there's always more than meets the eye.