HM 92 — LAND TRANSFER FOR FT. WINGATE MEMORIAL

HOUSEA MEMORIAL 92SUPPORTING 53RDA LEGISLATURETRANSFER -OF STATEREAL PROPERTY FROM THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF NEWINDIAN MEXICOAFFAIRS -TO SECONDTHE SESSIONNATIONAL ,PARK 2018SERVICE INTRODUCEDFOR BYTHE EliseoCREATION LeeOF AlconA andNATIONAL D.MONUMENT DEVOTED TO FORT WINGATE, ITS HISTORY AND ITS LONG-REACHING IMPACT.

Wonda7 JohnsonWHEREAS, 6Fort 8Wingate 10has Aplayed MEMORIALa SUPPORTINGcentral Arole TRANSFERin OFthe REALhistory PROPERTYof FROMthe THEsouthwest FEDERALUnited BUREAUStates OFand INDIANits AFFAIRSpeople, TOparticularly THEin NATIONALthe PARKareas SERVICEof FORmilitary, THEeducation CREATIONand OFeconomic Adevelopment; NATIONAL MONUMENT DEVOTED TO FORT WINGATE, ITS HISTORY AND ITS LONG-REACHING IMPACT.

16and WHEREAS, Fort Wingate has played a central role in the1872 eat tFort 17Wingate, historyChief ofManuelito, theThomas southwestV. United States and its people, w l n d 18 particularly in the areas of military, education and economic = = 19 a l development;

Kearn and iGeneral aOtis eHoward restablished 20the WHEREAS,Navajo incavalry, 1872composed atof Fortone Wingate,hundred Chiefvolunteers, Manuelito,thereby Thomasbecoming athe tfirst mIndian mpolice 21force; V.

Kearn and GeneralWHEREAS, OtisFort HowardWingate establishedserved as the Navajoheadquarters dfor rNavajo eIndian 22scouts cavalry,from composed1873 ofto one1890; hundred volunteers, thereby becoming c e s k 23 the first Indian police force;

and eWHEREAS, aof nthe bmany 24Navajos uwho [served WHEREAS,in Fortthe WingateUnited servedStates asmilitary in the headquarters1880s forand Navajo1890s, Indiantwo scoutswomen, fromMexicana 1873Chiquita and Muchucha, became the first women to 1890;serve in combat roles in the United States army;

and .210259.1 WHEREAS, ofFort theWingate manybecame Navajosa whocenter servedfor ineducation the United States military in the 1880s and 1890s,research twoactivities women, Mexicana Chiquita and Muchucha, became the first women to serve in combat roles in the Unitedlate Statesnineteenth army;century;

and WHEREAS, Fortinnovators Wingatein becamethe afields centerof foranthropology, educationarchaeology, geology and 6botany researchused activitiesFort inWingate theas latetheir nineteenthHM century;92 headquarters;

and Page 1 WHEREAS, innovatorsat Fort Wingate vocational high school, in May 1942, the fieldsfirst ofNavajo anthropology,code archaeology,talkers geologywere recruited and botanysworn usedinto Fortthe WingateUnited asStates theirmarine headquarters;corps;

and WHEREAS, at Fort Wingate vocational high school, in May 1942, the first Navajo code talkers were recruited and sworn 12 into the United States marine corps;

and e e 17 WHEREAS, the education provided to Navajo students of e e n d 18 Wingate high school and Wingate elementary school became the = = l ] 19 foundation for gainful employment for many Navajo people;

and a l r i 20 WHEREAS, the vocational programs at the high school t e a t provided training in skills related to traditional Navajo life;

m m 21 e d and r e 22 c e r c 23 WHEREAS, Fort Wingate provided employment to many Navajo e a n b 24 people, from workers who constructed the fort in the 1800s to u [ those who worked and currently work at the schools and offices;

.210259.1 - 2 - and WHEREAS, the approximately four hundred ninety-five acres of real property proposed to be considered for the old Fort Wingate national monument is under the exclusive jurisdiction of the United States department of the interior's bureau of 6 Indian affairs;

and WHEREAS, with the planned demolition of several buildings on the site, and with it the destruction of tangible Navajo historical artifacts, a transfer in the near HM 92 Page 2 future is of critical importance;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF 12 REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the New Mexico congressional delegation be requested to support all efforts to transfer the real property consisting of the four- hundred-ninety-five-acre schools site from the federal bureau of Indian affairs to the national park service for the creation of a national monument devoted to Fort Wingate, its history and its e e 17 long-reaching impact;

and e e n d 18 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be = = l ] 19 transmitted to the members of the New Mexico congressional a l r i 20 delegation, the bureau of Indian affairs, the secretary of the t e a t interior, the national park service, the McKinley county board m m 21 e d of commissioners, the speaker of the twenty-third Navajo NationHM r92 ePage 223 cNation e r c 23 council and the president of the Navajo Nation.

e25 a n b 24 - 3 - u [ .210259.1