House Engrossed

Chief Barboncito Highway; Route 191

State of Arizona

House of Representatives

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

HOUSE CONCURRENT MEMORIAL 2016

A CONCURRENT MEMORIAL

Urging the State Board on Geographic and Historic Names to Rename United States Route 191 as the Chief Barboncito HighWay.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

To the Chairperson of the State Board on Geographic and Historic Names:

Your memorialist respectfully represents:

Whereas, Chief Barboncito was a prominent Navajo (Diné) leader associated with the Canyon de Chelly region and is remembered for leadership during a pivotal period in Diné history; and

Whereas, the forced removal of the Navajo (Diné) people, known as the Long Walk, resulted in their exile at Bosque Redondo near Fort Sumner, New Mexico, causing profound hardship and loss of life; and

Whereas, on June 1, 1868, the United States and the Navajo (Diné) Nation entered into the Treaty of Fort Sumner (Treaty of 1868), which provided for the Diné people to return to their homeland and reestablished a reservation in Arizona; and

Whereas, Navajo (Diné) leaders, including Chief Barboncito, negotiated and signed the Treaty of 1868, with historical records reflecting that Chief Barboncito signed with an "X mark"; and

Whereas, United States Route 191 is a primary corridor serving communities in northeastern Arizona, providing access to Chinle and Canyon de Chelly National Monument, with the recommended route reaching Chinle via Highway 191; and

Whereas, designating United States Route 191 as the "Chief Barboncito Highway" would honor Diné history, uplift a respected indigenous leader and educate residents and visitors about the Treaty of 1868 and the resilience of the Navajo (Diné) people.

Wherefore your memorialist, the House of Representatives of the State of Arizona, the Senate concurring, prays:

1. That the State Board on Geographic and Historic Names rename United States Route 191 as the "Chief Barboncito Highway".

2. That the Secretary of State transmit a copy of this Memorial to the Chairperson of the State Board on Geographic and Historic Names.