There’s an online petition circulated that wants to change the name of Carson New Mexico. This follows the town of Taos changing the name of Kit Carson park to Red Willow park. This comes from the new president of the Carson Community Association, Daniel Beartrack. I don’t think it represents the whole of Carson in any way and from what I know, the CCA board hasn’t yet voted on it. It doesn’t take into account any of the communities in the Carson area like Tres Orejas who have addresses in Carson even though they are distinct communities. This means that, if it was carried out, a whole lot of residents of western Taos county would have to get new IDs with the new name and have to update their address to friends, family and everyone they did business with. Due to this pragmatic consideration, I immediately opposed this even though I’m well aware of the fact that Kit Carson was not the heroic figure he was made out to be in the mythic american history of past generations. It’s simply not the same as changing the name of a Town park, there are serious repercussions for the people who live here who were not consulted in any way about this. Changing the name of a well established community is not a trivial matter and should not be done for any kind of political ideology. It’s ultimately no different from what the Trump administration is trying to do in the name of white nationalist ideology with calling the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America” as a prime example.
In doing this website, I’ve chronicled a lot of local history and as an amateur historian, I also have to oppose this. The name Carson is part of the historical record of western Taos County. Changing it makes that record more opaque and confusing. It’s fine to bring up relevant facts that make someone who was regarded as a heroic figure far less than a hero and to change the narrative about him but trying to completely erase his name from our local history is a step to far. Good or bad, the man had an impact and that impact is reflected in local place names. In addition to the town of Carson, the area is referred to geographically as the Carson Mesa and the local communities that are not in Carson proper have the legal name of “Carson Estates” on all their property records. The fact that these names were chosen and that Kit Carson was regarded in the past as one of the heroic figures of the conquest of the American west along with the likes of Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone is also part of history, as is the change to a more realistic view of this man that incorporates not just the perspective of the conquering Americans but that of the conquered, the native peoples and Spanish speaking population who inhabited the area long before the United States of America even existed. That times changed and the view of the past changed with them is a good thing. History should based on facts, not feelings about those facts. The bad side of Kit Carson, that he was a ruthless man who did many cruel and inhumane things in his life, should be firmly part of the historical record but that record has to also reflect the impact he had on our local history and that he was once regarded as a sort of mythic hero which resulted in a lot of places in Taos county bearing his name.
[Updated 8-7-26 with CCA board president’s role in the proposed name change]
20 responses to “The Name of Carson”
Thank you for the information. I agree the people must decide. I am not however bothered by the inconvenience that might result in a name change. It happens. Countries have changed their names, many Rio grande pueblo nations reclaimed their original names (albeit with the latin alphabet!) which also meant the changes to all the highway signs, addresses, id’s etc. The state of Oklahoma, when honoring some past agreements, returned the eastern third of the state to the original nations who live or were forced to live there, had to fork up the bucks to change all the signs on the highways as well. It won’t change any history but the gesture was approved by the people (I am sure special interest lobbying helped too but hey, that’s how we do). I think some ships are worth going down because they were never ship worthy to being with…It’s all inconvenient when our story telling about ourselves is so biased – as it all is – but that’s a part of our personal and national karma reckoning. Let the people decide, if we actually can. Thanks again for the information. I appreciate your journalism.
Totally oppose. Good or bad Kit Carson was part of American history. The park was a different story entirely. A little bit trumpian trying to fix the past.
Hi My Name is Dustin Freyta and I’m an heir of the La Cieneguilla land grant that the colonial settler community of Carson NM encroached upon and stole.
I also own land here and currently sit on the CCA board . So your not to well informed . Daniel Beartrack is also currently president of the CCA and was elected on the basis of this name change.
I disagree that I’m not well informed, I’m a native New Mexican and land grant heir(Tome Land Grant). I know quite a bit about the history of land theft throughout our state. I oppose this name change on pragmatic grounds above all. Everyone who lives in zip code 87517 has Carson in their address and all legal documents associated with that address. It’s simply not worth the hassle it would cause for everyone in the area to have to get new IDs and addresses just because someone wants to change the name of the community for ideological grounds. I’m also on the board of our neighborhood association and it will be brought up at the next meeting. I don’t think you or the CCA board have any real legal authority to change the name of Carson and it’s very divisive to even attempt to do so. Now that I know the source of the petition, the article has been updated with that information.
Well since you know so much let’s meet or talk? 505 542 2033
Thank you all for your educative words I’ve learned a lot from what you’ve written. It’s another razor‘s edge situation where the indigenous and others feel the sting of Kit Carson and his legacy which has been painted very white in the history books and of course he is not pure or was not pure.
It’s a tough decision when in this world now people are very much feeling their worth and integrity feeling our humanness and self-worth when we live under such a regime oppressive government stifling we it’s citizens
We feel we have to get back at Mr. T. There’s just a lot going on. I have to reflect on this one for a while.
One thing that CCA could do without messing up anyone or anything is to honor a different Carson. Change Carsons instead of changing the name Carson. Like Rachel Carson, for example.
https://www.rachelcarson.org/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Carson
https://www.nps.gov/people/rachel-carson.htm
So it wasn’t a big deal to change the name of emudo to dixon or la Cieneguilla to Pilar and erase our people and history.
Even in your artical it’s easy to see the double standards.
Simply put we don’t have the same rights as you.
Tres orajos has more say ?
We should live under the name of a foreign enemy combatant who murdered raped and removed and erased my family just because a few can idolize and romantize his deep blue eyes ? Or is it to remind us the boot is still on our neck?
Really, it has nothing to do with any of that. No one is talking about the names of any other community but Carson. I keep having to repeat that changing the name is not worth the hassle it would create for anyone whose ID says Carson. That isn’t just Tres Orejas, it affects a whole lot of people in western Taos County. That’s why I proposed just change the person Carson refers to from Kit to Rachel–or Johhny or some other Carson whose memory doesn’t offend anyone.
I can’t believe this spilled to an adjacent community when the proposal concerns those within it.
It concerns me and our community because everyone in zip code 87517 is legally a resident of Carson and changing the name of Carson changes our legal residency. That’s a big chunk of western Taos County
Totally agree. Thank you! RB
I’ve been telling people it’s all named after Johnny Carson (that would be a better story anyway). if Hot Springs, New Mexico can become Truth or Consequences, we can change any of it to whatever we want and it doesn’t matter. 🤷♂️
You’re not the first to bring up Johnny. Truth or Consequences is an incorporated municipality and has the governing structure in place to change its name. Carson is unincorporated and doesn’t have a mayor or town council so any name change would have to be done by the governing body that has jurisdiction. I’m not sure if that would be the county or state.
Holy Mother of God! Lay me down and spank me with a spatula! I thought I was living in Johnny Carson ville. After 32 years I have been duped. I need to sue someone. But honestly, I don’t care. There are more serious things to spend our energies on. 🥳
I’m not happy to live in a community named after Kit Carson, but I’m not ready to sign a petition unless there is a consensus on what the replacement would be. I might not like that either.
Just signed the petition, I\’ve never liked that our community was named for Kit Carson.
I was curious how the name could even be changed because it\’s my understanding that legally speaking Carson, NM doesn\’t really exist, it\’s just an unincorporated community in Taos County. I googled \”can an unincorporated community in the county of taos state of new mexico change its name\” and here\’s the AI overview (so take it with a big grain of salt). If the AI overview is correct then a federal board makes the decision after coordination with/input from the local county board. May not be possible to get Kit Carson\’s name removed under the current administration.
AI Overview: Yes, an unincorporated community in Taos County, New Mexico can change its name by submitting a formal naming proposal to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) alongside coordination with the Taos County Board of Commissioners.
The Renaming Process
Federal Jurisdiction: The BGN (part of the U.S. Geological Survey) is responsible for standardizing geographic names, including unincorporated populated places, in the United States.
Filing a Proposal: Any resident or group can submit a domestic name proposal to the BGN\’s Domestic Names Committee.
Local Input: The BGN makes decisions based heavily on local use, public comment, and recommendations from local and county governments, such as the Taos County Board of Commissioners.
County Coordination: Because unincorporated areas lack their own municipal government, the Taos County Planning Department and county commissioners play a key advisory role in recognizing local addressing and boundaries.
Federal Approval: Once approved by the BGN, the updated name is entered into the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and adopted for federal mapping and postal guidance.
You have the further complication that there is a post office and all local addresses use Carson. As I said, it is easier to just find a better Carson than Kit than to change the name.
Tres Orejas is used by an informal consensus as the name of our community. There is no obligation to use it but most people here prefer it to 3 peaks but both are used. It has no legal standing whatsoever and is not on any official map. Carson is different in that regard. Even though it’s unincorporated, it is recognized as the name of the town on an official level and all local addresses use that name. That includes the addresses of anyone in Tres Orejas and other Great Southwestern subdivision communities.
Just signed the petition, I’ve never liked that our community was named for Kit Carson.
I was curious how the name could even be changed because it’s my understanding that legally speaking Carson, NM doesn’t really exist, it’s just an unincorporated community in Taos County. I googled “can an unincorporated community in the county of taos state of new mexico change its name” and here’s the AI overview (so take it with a big grain of salt). If the AI overview is correct then a federal board makes the decision after coordination with/input from the local county board. May not be possible to get Kit Carson’s name removed under the current administration.
AI Overview: Yes, an unincorporated community in Taos County, New Mexico can change its name by submitting a formal naming proposal to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) alongside coordination with the Taos County Board of Commissioners.
The Renaming Process
Federal Jurisdiction: The BGN (part of the U.S. Geological Survey) is responsible for standardizing geographic names, including unincorporated populated places, in the United States.
Filing a Proposal: Any resident or group can submit a domestic name proposal to the BGN’s Domestic Names Committee.
Local Input: The BGN makes decisions based heavily on local use, public comment, and recommendations from local and county governments, such as the Taos County Board of Commissioners.
County Coordination: Because unincorporated areas lack their own municipal government, the Taos County Planning Department and county commissioners play a key advisory role in recognizing local addressing and boundaries.
Federal Approval: Once approved by the BGN, the updated name is entered into the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and adopted for federal mapping and postal guidance.
The thing the CCA seems to missing here is that the Carson Name pertains to a National park. We have inholding property, meaning we are surrounded by national forest. While you can petition for a name change, changing the name of a National Forest, requires an Act of Congress or executive order by the President of the United States, exactly how do you propose changing the name and location addresses of parcels of land within the national forest, exactly how has the CCA geographically distinguished an unincorporated community which has a Federal post office from the National Forest? The current board has not posted minutes of the last meeting of July 25, 2026, on the CCA website so this does not appear to be a very transparent endeavor, or as far as I can tell sent the minutes to the membership.