Stop Five

The trail dropping down into the river valley by stop five.

NPS / Christian Schroll

Quick Facts

Location:

Washita Battlefield National Historic Site

The snow is deep this morning, a foot and a half of snow sits on the ground around the village. You are camped with Chief Black Kettle’s Cheyenne people in a bend of the river. A few miles away is the main camp of 4,000 - 6,000 Cheyenne, Kiowa, and Arapaho. Black Kettle’s wife wanted to move closer to them. She was nervous. But it was too cold yesterday. Your group will join them later this morning when it’s safer to move the elderly, but for now you are warm in your tipi.

But what’s that?! A shot?

You hear a horn. The soldier’s horn!

You spring up. You are barefooted and barely dressed. You look from your lodge and see white army soldiers riding - charging - toward the village. They are yelling and shooting at your friends and family that are emerging, confused and scared, from their tipis.

You run, still barefooted, to the river. The water is icy and deep. You stumble as the bullets fly past. Go faster, down the river...Someone next to you falls. Gunshots everywhere.

All is chaos.

If only we had left yesterday....