The Bureau of Indian Affairs becomes part of the Department of the Interior.
Signaling a new emphasis in federal Indian policy, Congress moves the Bureau of Indian Affairs from the Department of War to the new Department of the Interior. In the 1850s, the number of Indians in the United States will double with the organization of the territories of Texas, Oregon, California, Arizona, and New Mexico. With the huge growth in its responsibilities, the BIA will focus on controlling Indians by “civilizing” them, through the adoption of white ways and containing them on reservations, thereby allowing more of their homelands to be opened to white settlement.
The Quechan attack ferryman at Yuma Crossing.
After the discovery of gold in California (see entry for JANUARY 24, 1848), the Quechan developed a business of helping westward-bound whites cross the Colorado River below its confluence with the Gila, an area known as Yuma Crossing. The travelers load their supplies and livestock onto rafts that Quechan swimmers pull across the river in exchange for clothing, blankets, and other goods. When members of the Duval party attempt to carry their own possessions by wagon, the Quechan attack them, killing several and stealing their animals, baggage, and food.
The incident convinces the U. S. Army to build a fort at Yuma Crossing the following year to ensure safe passage for whites. The troops mark the first permanent non-Indian presence in the land of the Quechan since they revolted against Spanish settlers 70 years earlier (see entry for JULY 1781). (See also SEPTEMBER 29, 1852.)
American soldiers murder Navajo (Dineh) leader Narbona.
A group of Navajo (Dineh) led by Narbona meet with Colonel John Washington and his men in the Chuska Mountains of New Mexico. As the meeting ends, a Mexican traveling with the Americans claims that one of the Navajo’s horses has been stolen from him. Washington demands that the Navajo return the horse, but they refuse and turn to leave. The soldiers then open fire on the Indian party, killing
Narbona and six other Navajo men. The murder of Narbona outrages the Navajo and deepens their growing mistrust of the U. S. Army.
World History
