Ameohtse’e Ochinee Prowers

Ameohtse’e (Amache/Walking Woman)

History Colorado

Quick Facts

Significance:

Ameohtse’e (Amache/Walking Woman) was a Cheyenne woman whose father was killed at the Sand Creek Massacre. Following the Civil War, she and her husband John Prowers pioneered the cattle industry in Southeastern Colorado. She served as a mediator, often working to bridge the various cultures settling in Southeast Colorado. A generation after her death, Japanese Americans incarcerated at the Granada Relocation Center embraced Amache as the camp’s unofficial name, often referring to themselves as Amacheans.

Place of Birth:

Cheyenne Territory

Date of Birth:

Circa 1846

Place of Death:

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Date of Death:

1905

Place of Burial:

Las Animas, Colorado

Cemetery Name:

Las Animas Cemetery

John Wesley Prowers worked with William Bent at Bent's New Fort near Lamar, Colorado. In 1861, John married Ameohtse’e (Cheyenne, Amache/Walking Woman). The Prowers began buying cattle in 1862 and are considered the first ranchers in the area. They may have been the first to bring Hereford cattle into Colorado. The state recognized their importance by naming Prowers County after them.

During the winter of 1864, Amache's father helped by negotiating a treaty. He met with Colorado's territorial governor, John Evans. Colonel John Chivington verified that her father was a man of good character. After discussions, the United States agreed to keep the Cheyenne and Arapaho safe at the camp along Sand Creek.

Plans changed drastically in late November. Without cause, Chivington arranged to attack the unsuspecting tribe. Before the attack, soldiers took John and Amache hostage. They wanted to prevent the Prowers from warning the Sand Creek encampment. On the 29th, Chivington and his volunteers attacked the sleeping families at dawn. Over two hundred were killed and wounded, including Amache's father.

In 1865, the Little Arkansas Treaties granted land to tribal members who lost family in the Sand Creek Massacre. Amache and her family received 160-acre land allotments along the Arkansas River. In the years that followed, John and Amache continued running their ranch. They built a large adobe house and operated a school, general store and hotel. They also purchased available land allotments from other Sand Creek survivors and descendants. This included the plot given to Julia Bent, William Bent's daughter. As their ranch grew, they helped to settle the town of Boggsville with Thomas and Rumalda Boggs. The Prowers raised nine children with ties to both their Anglo and Cheyenne roots. Amache spoke English but also taught her children the Cheyenne language. Amache's mother also taught her grandchildren the ways of the Cheyenne people.

In 1881, the Prowers' success was evident by owning 15,000 head of cattle. The town of Boggsville grew to house a county seat and operate a stagecoach station. Amache continued to be involved with the Cheyenne community and speak out for their interests. In 1884, John Prowers died. His ranch was valued at $750,000. A few years later, Amache remarried Daniel Keesee and relocated to Boston.

Amache's influence in the area endured long after she left. During World War 2, there was postal confusion between the town of Granada and the Granada Relocation Center for Japanese Americans. Amache was suggested as an alternative name. The camp itself was built on ceded treaty lands of the Cheyenne, Arapaho, Kiowa, and Comanche. Many different tribes used the area for traditional gatherings and trade. Those incarcerated at the camp embraced the new name. They often referred to themselves as Amacheans. Today, the area is preserved through Amache National Historic Site. It is still important to Japanese Americans and Native Americans alike.