The Sand Creek Massacre was part of a larger conflict between the Arapaho and Cheyenne Indians and settlers who came west following the late 1850s gold strikes in Colorado (then still part of the Kansas Territory).  Some tribal leaders signed the Fort Wise Treaty of 1861, in which they ceded much of their territory and agreed to live on a reservation in southeast Colorado, but others leaders recognized neither the treaty nor the reservation.  Conflicts and skirmishes continued throughout the years.  In 1864, Chief Black Kettle initiated a discussion that led to the Camp Weld negotiations in September.  As a result of the negotiations, Black Kettle led a group of peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho to a winter camp near Fort Lyon, where they understood that they would be under the protection of the military.  

The Colorado Volunteers launched a surprise attack on this group of largely undefended women, children, sick and elderly on November 29.  Using a variety of weapons, including howitzer cannons, the militia assaulted the campsite, chasing some victims along the creek and across the plains.  The soldiers also looted the camp and mutilated the bodies.  The survivors who managed to escape, estimated at approximately 300 people, fled north to join other Cheyenne bands.  In 1865, two separate investigations-authorized by the U.S. Congress and the War Department-determined that the events at Sand Creek constituted a massacre, not a battle as Chivington and others claimed.  The joint Congressional Committee concluded that Chivington "deliberately planned and executed a foul and dastardly massacre" and condemned his conduct.

The United States reiterated its condemnation of the Sand Creek Massacre in the 1865 Treaty of the Little Arkansas, which denounced the "gross and wanton outrages" committed by the soldiers.  News of the massacre quickly spread among American Indians, leading to years of skirmishes and warfare between the Cheyennne, Arapaho, and their allies and the United States Army.

In 2000, the United States Congress authorized the establishment of the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site.  Landowners, residents, local governments and representatives from four tribes - the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes of Oklahoma, the Northern Cheyenne tribe and the Northern Arapaho tribe - participated in consultations about the site, both before and after the congressional authorization. On Saturday, April 28, 2007, the new national historic site was officially dedicated as the 391st unit of the national park system.

The Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site officially opened to the public on June 1, 2007. In 2008, the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site will be open 9:00 am - 4:00 pm daily. During these regular visitor hours, there will be uniformed park rangers on site.  Ranger-guided programs will be given from a primary site overlook, and there is a short rim trail along which visitors can walk.  The overlook is handicapped accessible as people with special needs can be driven directly to the overlook. The site is locked and regularly patrolled during non-visitor hours.  

[*]Sand Creek Massacre Project Volume 2: Special Resource Study and Environmental Assessment.  2000: Denver, National Park Service, Intermountain Region.

The Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site will be closed for the winter season December 1, 2008 - March 31, 2009.

The park will be open for the 2009 season April 1 - November 30. Daily hours are 9:00 am - 4:00 pm.

The park may be reached at either 719-729-3003 or 719-438-5916. Our website address is: www.nps.gov/sand.

Facts to Know and Tell:

Attempting to defend themselves, some of the Indian people hastily dug pits in the sand along the creek.  Although they fought as best they could, most did not survive the day. 

Despite his infamy, in 1887 John Chivington had a town named after him, located along the new Missouri Pacific Railroad line in Kiowa County, not far from the massacre site.  It prospered briefly, but declined after the Dust Bowl days of the Depression and is no longer populated.  

There are 23 streams in Colorado with the name Sand Creek.  Four others are called Sandy Creek.

Other Places to Visit:
Bent's Old Fort
Boggsville
Granada Relocation Center ("Camp Amache" Japanese internment camp)

Best Times to Visit:
 Anytime after April 1, 2008  

Nearby Scenic & Historic Byways:
Santa Fe Trail National Scenic Byway