Kris Johnson

Sand Creek Massacre NHS

By 1864, a combination of cultural demands on the Plains environment and natural factors caused food and fuel to become increasingly scarce. Bison, deer, and pronghorn antelope were nearly absent from the range. Traditional campsites used by the Cheyenne and Arapaho along rivers and streams were unable to support winter encampments. In the fall of 1864, Cheyenne Chiefs established a winter campsite at Sand Creek, though food and fuel was increasingly scarce.

Groups of Cheyenne and Arapaho visited Fort Lyon in the fall of 1864. By November, the tribes were prohibited from camping near the fort.  Nearly all Cheyenne, as well as a small camp of the Arapaho moved to Sand Creek. On November 29, 1864, Colorado volunteer soldiers attacked the encampment of 500 or more people.

During the attack, Indians took shelter in the high banks along Sand Creek. Survivors of the initial attack fled to the north, hoping to reach a larger band of Cheyenne. The range provided no shelter or fuel and little food.

Over 150 Indians were killed in the attack, many of whom were women and children. The massacre profoundly influenced US-Indian relations and the structure of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes.

Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site was established in 2007 to preserve and protect the cultural landscape of the massacre, enhance public understanding, and minimize similar incidents in the future.

A site bulletin about the massacre is available here. For information on how human interaction with natural surroundings contributed to cultural changes that eventually led to the Sand Creek Massacre, see the environmental history.