Preview of the New Exhibition

This virtual tour was created by Bosque Redondo Memorial's Interpretive Ranger, Lillian Bowe.

On June 27, 1990 a letter, left by twenty Diné (Navajo) students at the Fort Sumner Historic Site Navajo Traveler Shrine, demanded that the true history of the Navajo Long Walk be told through the site's interpretation. Over 30 years later, the long awaited exhibition is now open to the public. This exhibition titled, Bosque Redondo: A Place of Suffering...A Place of Survival, was designed through partnership with the Navajo Nation and the Mescalero Apache Tribe. For the first time ever, this exhibit interpretation features voices from the communities most affected by this history in the form of oral histories (in English, Diné, and Ndé), contemporary quotes, and imagery to explain what life was like before, during, and after the Bosque Redondo Indian Reservation system.

The exhibit uniquely incorporates the outside world to the inside gallery through the use of skylights and fiber optic light bundles. There are over 10,000 lights, lit by the natural light outdoors. Each bundle represents one Diné or Ndé individual who was force marched to the Bosque Redondo Indian Reservation. This exhibition also features state of the art digital interactives including a Treaty of 1868 touchscreen to allow visitors to hear each page in the Diné language or explore how each article affected the Diné later in life and another interactive that features a reflection touchscreen to engage audiences and to create a space where community feedback is directly included in the exhibition.

As you move through the galleries you will hear sounds that would have been heard during this time, so we encourage our virtual visitors to use audio. The sound toggle button can be found in either the upper left or right corner of your screen, depending on your browser.