Through the years the area of the Sand Creek Massacre has continued to be visited and commemorated. An aging John Chivington returned to the area in 1887, and in 1908 Veterans of the Colorado Regiments planned a reunion at the site. In August of 1950 the Colorado Historical Society assisted local residents and the Eads and Lamar Chambers of Commerce in placing a marker atop the bluff at the Dawson South Bend. Sand Creek Descendants remain active in tribal communities in Montana, Oklahoma, and Wyoming – and Council Representatives continue to work alongside the National Park Service. Also, in 1978 the late Edward Red Hat, Keeper of the Cheyenne sacred covenant made "Cheyenne Earth" at the site. Clearly, as defined in its enabling legislation, the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site shall remain a reminder of the tragic extremes sometimes reached during times of conflict; symbolize the struggles of Native American Tribes to maintain their way of life on ancestral lands; and represent a significant element of frontier military and Native American history. Each of these mandates, historic sources and partnerships will help insure that the site is preserved in perpetuity for future generations of Sand Creek descendants and world citizens.