Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site - History & Culture (U.S. National Park Service)

Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site is located in the Great Plains and has been used by humans for the past 10,000 years. Over that time, human lifestyles were impacted by the region’s changing climate. Paleoindians entered the area between 8,000 and 10,000 years ago and hunted animals and gathered plants. During wet periods, the nomadic hunter-gatherers adjusted to a sedentary farming lifestyle.

1950s marker placed by the Colorado Historical Society and the community at Sand Creek Massacre NHS

Courtesy of Colorado Historical Society

Marker placed by the Colorado Historical Society and the community at Sand Creek Massacre NHS in the 1950s. The marker is no longer present at the site.

In the 1700s Europeans began to explore the Plains, at the same time when American Pioneers and American Indians, including the Cheyenne and Arapaho, also entered the region. The region’s population doubled between the 1820s and 1850s and increased demands on the environment. Competition for limited resources and cultural conflict derived from different land use philosophies and practices amplified tensions between Indians and Euroamericans.

On November 29, 1864, soldiers from the US military attacked a peaceful encampment of Cheyenne and Arapaho along Sand Creek. Over 150 Indians were killed in the attack, most of whom were women, children, or elderly. The Sand Creek Massacre profoundly influenced US-Indian relations and the structure of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes. The exact location of the massacre was obscured through time even to descendents of survivors.

David Zettner

Barn at Sand Creek Massacre NHS

Since the massacre, the site has been used continuously for farming and ranching. The site and surrounding area have also been affected by hunting, erosion, development, and fire. The landscape is a record of human relationships with the natural environment, the contrasting values of Indians and Euroamericans, and their competition for limited resources. The environmental history of the site describes how the impacts of human actions contributed to how the environment changed over time.

In 1998, the National Park Service was directed to identify the location of the massacre and the suitability of creating a national park unit. Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site was established in 2007. The site was created to preserve and protect the cultural landscape of the massacre, enhance public understanding, and minimize similar incidents in the future.

Participants in the 1999 archeology survey

NPS

Participants in the site location study archeology survey, 1999.

Several years of research and cooperation between tribes, government agencies, universities, and local landowners contributed to the establishment of the historic site. Stories from descendents of survivors helped identify the location of the massacre site. Researchers also reviewed historical documents. The site continues to be studied.

For more information on the resources and stories of Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site, explore the History & Culture and Nature & Science sections or follow the links on this page.

Published 8/08