Johnston] 



NAVAHO POPULATION 



73 



One source of later disagreements as to the population of the 

 Navaho in this period can be found in this first of Carleton's reports, 

 wherein Carleton quotes Col. Christopher (Kit) Carson to the effect 

 that less than half of the Navaho had been rounded up at this time. 

 Carleton himself expressed disagreement with Carson on this point. 

 If Carson, whose familiarity with Navaho country was unexcelled, 

 was correct in his estimate, the actual Navaho population may well 

 have exceeded 12,000 in 1864.2° 



Four months later. General Carleton submitted a more detailed re- 

 port on the Navahos at Fort Sumner, stating that 5,911 Navahos had 

 arrived at the fort, and an additional 1,309 were en route thereto. In 

 the letter accompanying this report, Carleton further reduced his esti- 

 mate of the number of Navahos remaining outside of captivity, stating 

 that he did not believe that as many as 1,000 Navahos were left in 

 their country.^^ 



A second and more detailed enumeration of the Navahos at Fort 

 Sumner was made on December 31, 1864, by Capt. Francis McCabe.^^ 

 The results of this census are shown in table 14. It is apparent that 

 the population of Navahos at the fort had reached a peak at this time. 

 The figures reported just 4 months later reflect a drastic decline in num- 

 bers. On April 30, 1865, an enumeration of Navahos at the fort ar- 

 rived at a total of 7,169. The number of Navahos that had arrived at 

 the fort during the previous year was given in this report as 8,474. 



Table 14. — Reported population of Navahos at the Bosque Redondo {Fort 

 Sumner) , N. Mex., by age and, sex — Dec. 31, 1864 ^ 



• Keleher, 1952, p. 502. These data are also shown in Young, 1957, p. 279. The actual count was taken by 

 Capt. Francis McCabe, and was orginally reported in U.S. Congress, 1867. 

 2 As given in the original report. 



numbering 700 and 1,200, respectively, departed for Fort Sumner during the month follow- 

 ing. This would make a total of about 4,300 Navahos actually at or en route to Fort 

 Sumner at the time of Carleton's first report. Smaller parties of Navahos proceeding to 

 the fort at other times, together with the Apache bands also at the fort, might account 

 for the discrepancy between the smaller figure and Carleton's estimate of 6,000. 



2" In referring to this period. Young (1957, p. 219) estimates the Navaho population as 

 between 9,000 and 12,000. 



21 Carleton, MS. A chart showing the population of Indians at or en route to Fort 

 Sumner was enclosed with the letter. Carleton's extreme optimism regarding his ability 

 to assemble and transform the Navaho tribe in its entirety into a settled agrarian population 

 is apparent in these figures. 



23 The results of this enumeration are summarized in Keleher, 1952, p. 502, and Young, 

 1957, p. 279. 



