New Mexico officials say Taos can rename an old state park that's been named for years after scout and explorer Kit Carson.
The New Mexico Energy, Minerals & Natural Resources Department said Tuesday that a review of a 1990 deed shows Taos cannot lose ownership over the renaming of Kit Carson Park.
Department spokesman Jim Winchester says the park can only revert back to the state if Taos fails to maintain the property as a park.
The Taos Town Council last week passed a resolution to change the downtown park's name to Red Willow Park.
The proposal has drawn criticism but some say it is a healing gesture because of Carson's role in marching 8,000 Navajo men, women and children 300 miles from Arizona to Fort Sumner, New Mexico, on what's called the "Long Walk."
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Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com
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