Sand Creek Massacre

History Colorado has temporarily closed their exhibit on the Sand Creek Massacre due to complaints from descendants that the Indian tribes were not adequately consulted (see the news story here.)  The Sand Creek Massacre occurred on November 29, 1864, when soldiers of the Colorado Volunteers killed more than 160 Cheyenne and Arapaho, the majority of whom were women, children, and the elderly.

Not all of the white soldiers participated in the massacre.  Capt. Silas Soule condemned the massacre and was subsequently murdered.  You can read his heartbreaking letters about the atrocities of the massacre in Western Voices:  125 Years of Colorado Writing, available from our library.  Other articles on the massacre can be found in the Historical Society’s Colorado Heritage and Colorado Magazine, also available from our library.

Find out more about the History Colorado Center museum at http://www.historycoloradocenter.org.  Also, you can read History Colorado’s statement on the exhibit closure here.