Canyon de Chelly’s last resistance: The Fortress Rock siege of 1864

Chief Barboncito’s Month-Long Siege at Fortress Rock

In 1864, a rock became the last stand for Navajo freedom. As Kit Carson’s troops swept through Canyon de Chelly, Chief Barboncito led 300 men, women, and children up Fortress Rock, a 600-foot sandstone giant.

They had seen this coming. Food was stored, but water? That took guts.

Each night, brave Navajo formed human chains down the sheer cliff, passing water up gourd by gourd while soldiers slept below. For nearly a month, they held out on this natural fortress until hunger forced them down.

Today, Canyon de Chelly National Monument stands as a silent witness to this remarkable act of resistance.

A Medicine Man’s Warning Saved Hundreds of Lives

“Lambskins Hat” got a vision while sitting in a sacred sweat lodge. The Navajo medicine man saw soldiers coming through Canyon de Chelly, burning homes and crops.

He saw Colonel Kit Carson leading troops to destroy their land. Lambskins Hat rushed to warn families in Canyon de Chelly and Canyon del Muerto.

Some people laughed it off. Others listened carefully, thinking of old prophecies.

Those who believed started planning to use the tall Fortress Rock as their safe place.

Families Gathered Food for Weeks Before the Soldiers Came

Navajo folks worked around the clock getting supplies ready. Women dried peaches, corn, and prickly pears while men hunted deer and elk for meat.

They built stone bins on top of the 600-foot Fortress Rock and filled them with nuts and foods that would last. Workers checked old handholds carved into the cliff by ancient peoples.

Men cut huge pine trees to make ladder poles for climbing. By early January 1864, about 300 people agreed to follow Chief Barboncito’s plan to resist.

Snow Covered the Canyon When Carson’s Army Arrived

Colonel Kit Carson brought 389 soldiers into Canyon de Chelly on January 6, 1864. Deep snow covered everything.

The cold made it hard for soldiers to handle their guns. Carson split his men, sending Captain Albert Pfeiffer with 100 soldiers to the east entrance.

He took the rest through the west side. A snowstorm hit, and Pfeiffer’s group got lost.

They ended up in Canyon del Muerto by mistake. The soldiers started burning every empty Navajo camp, home, and animal pen they found.

Three Hundred People Climbed a 600-Foot Cliff to Safety

Chief Barboncito spotted Carson’s troops coming and gave the signal. Families grabbed what they could carry and hurried to Fortress Rock.

The huge sandstone rock stood where Canyon de Chelly and Canyon del Muerto met. Men put the big pine ladders against the steep cliff.

Mothers tied babies to their backs. Children climbed ahead of older folks, who needed help on the dangerous 600-foot climb.

After everyone reached the top, warriors pulled up the ladder poles. The soldiers below couldn’t reach them now.

Soldiers Tried Everything to Reach the Navajo Above

Carson’s troops found the Navajo hiding spot and camped near Tsaile Creek at the bottom of Fortress Rock. Soldiers tried to climb the straight-up walls but couldn’t find a way up.

Some tried shooting at the top, but their bullets fell short. Guards watched the water sources day and night to keep the Navajo from getting water.

Carson thought winter cold and thirst would make them give up within days. He told his officers to wait.

On top, the Navajo started saving food and collecting snow for water.

Water Became the Biggest Problem for the Navajo

After two weeks on Fortress Rock, they almost ran out of water. The stored snow and rain in rock pools got very low.

No springs existed on top of the big sandstone rock. American soldiers watched Tsaile Creek below, the only water source nearby.

Children cried from thirst. Elders grew weak. Something had to happen or all 300 people would die.

Barboncito gathered the strongest warriors and made a plan so bold the Americans would never expect it.

Warriors Created a Human Ladder Down the Cliff at Night

On a moonlit February night, the strongest Navajo men made a human chain down the steep cliff. They used ancient hand and toe holds carved long ago.

The human chain stretched over 100 feet down the vertical rock. Using yucca ropes, they lowered dried gourds to Tsaile Creek.

The creek ran just feet from where American guards slept. Warriors quietly filled the containers and passed them hand to hand back up the cliff.

They worked all night without making sounds that would wake the soldiers below.

Soldiers Never Knew Water Was Being Taken Right Under Their Noses

The Navajo water teams did these dangerous missions many times during the siege. Complete silence kept them safe as they hung hundreds of feet above the ground.

The warriors showed amazing strength making these human chains night after night. American guards camped right next to the creek never noticed water being taken from under their position.

This clever plan let the Navajo hold out much longer than Carson expected. Each night, enough water made it to the top to keep everyone alive another day.

Kit Carson Destroyed Everything While Waiting for Surrender

While the siege at Fortress Rock went on, Carson’s forces spread throughout Canyon de Chelly. Captain John Thompson led a group that cut down over 3,000 peach trees in August 1864.

Soldiers ruined eleven acres of corn and beans just before harvest time. They burned winter food stores and knocked down homes.

The complete destruction of Navajo farms left people starving throughout the canyon. More families gave up each day, unable to live through the harsh winter without shelter or food.

Carson reported success despite not capturing the Fortress Rock defenders.

Hunger Finally Forced the Navajo to Come Down

After almost a month, food supplies on Fortress Rock got dangerously low. The harsh winter made survival harder even with their successful water missions.

Children grew thin. Elders got weaker.

Barboncito watched thousands of their people giving up throughout the canyon. The defenders faced a terrible choice: starve or surrender.

In February 1864, Barboncito led his 300 followers down from Fortress Rock. They surrendered at Fort Canby, becoming the last major group of Navajo resisters to give up.

The Survivors Walked 400 Miles to Prison Camp

The Fortress Rock survivors joined over 8,000 Navajo people on the forced march known as the Long Walk. They traveled 400 miles across frozen ground to Bosque Redondo in New Mexico.

About 200 Navajo died from cold, hunger, and exhaustion during the journey. The next four years brought misery at the inadequate reservation.

The soil was poor, water bad, and supplies insufficient.

In 1868, Chief Barboncito led treaty negotiations that finally allowed the Navajo to return home.

The resistance at Fortress Rock became a powerful symbol of Navajo determination to defend their sacred land against impossible odds.

Visiting Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona

Canyon de Chelly National Monument at Indian Route 7 in Chinle preserves where Chief Barboncito and 300 Navajo families resisted Kit Carson’s 1864 invasion from atop Fortress Rock.

You can visit the free visitor center and drive the rim roads with 10 total overlooks.

To see Fortress Rock up close, you need guided canyon floor tours through Thunderbird Lodge or private Navajo companies since only authorized guides can access the canyon bottom.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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