Navajo return under the Treaty of Bosque Redondo

Background. Fort Sumner in New Mexico Territory served as an internment site for Navajo and Mescalero Apache populations from 1863 to 1868. The Bosque Redondo reservation, established by James Henry Carleton, proved unsuccessful due to crop failures and high costs. By 1867, the reservation was deemed a failure, leading to the decision to allow the Navajo to return to their native lands.

Negotiation. Peace commissioners William Tecumseh Sherman and Samuel F. Tappan arrived at Fort Sumner on May 28, 1868, with authority to negotiate. Tappan favored returning the Navajo to their homeland, while Sherman initially considered other locations. However, the Navajo were resolute in their desire to return, and Sherman eventually agreed that Bosque Redondo was unfit for settlement.

Treaty Terms. The treaty, signed on June 1, 1868, established the Navajo as a sovereign nation and ended the Navajo Wars. It included provisions for assimilation and agricultural transition, modeled after the Treaty of Fort Laramie. The agreement stipulated annual deliveries of goods and money for ten years, marking the end of the Bosque Redondo experiment.