+----------------------------+------------------+---+-------------------+
| National Park Service      | Sand Creek       |   | 35110 Highway 194 |
|                            | Massacre         |   | East              |
| U.S. Department of the     |                  |   |                   |
| Interior                   | National         |   | La Junta, CO      |
|                            | Historic Site    |   | 81050             |
|                            |                  |   |                   |
|                            |                  |   | 719 383-5051      |
|                            |                  |   | phone             |
|                            |                  |   |                   |
|                            |                  |   | 719 383-2129 fax  |
+----------------------------+------------------+---+-------------------+

![](media/image1.png){width="0.5597222222222222in"
height="0.6201388888888889in"}

**Sand Creek Massacre NHS** News Release

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

July 20, 2006

For Immediate Release

Craig Moore 719-383-5051

**SAND CREEK MASSACRE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE UPDATE**

The Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site (NHS) continues to move
closer to establishment and public opening. The park, which will help
preserve and commemorate the site of the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre, was
authorized by Public Law 106-465, in November, 2000. The National Park
Service currently owns 920 acres within the site's authorized
boundaries. The remaining land, some 11,500 acres, is in private, state
and tribal ownership.

In the summer of 2005, the United States, by Public Law 109-45, agreed
to accept as Indian Trust, 1465 acres within the site, from the Southern
Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma. This area, the former 'Dawson
Ranch', was acquired by the tribes in 2003. Title work to convey this
land to the United States is currently pending for The Southern Cheyenne
& Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma. A sovereign nation, Southern Cheyenne &
Arapaho government is based out of Concho, Oklahoma. When conveyance
from the tribes to the United States occurs, and formal establishment is
completed, the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site will initially
include about 2,400 acres. Opening of the site is not expected to occur
this year.

Indian trust land within the site means that the Southern Cheyenne &
Arapaho tribes remain "beneficial owners", while the National Park
Service is responsible for managing the land for the cultural and
traditional benefit of the tribes. The trust land will be managed
according to laws governing all national parks, and does not include
commercial development.

The Sand Creek Massacre is one of Colorado's most profound historic
events. The legacy of the attack and its aftermath has reverberated
throughout the west for a Century and a half. The Indian Campaign which
culminated at Sand Creek involved several Regiments of Colorado
Volunteers. Preparatory to a five-day ride down the Arkansas, the men
were joined by their commanding Colonel, John Chivington. After a stop
at Fort Lyon, where the troops were augmented by additional companies,
the command began an all-night ride to Sand Creek. Cheyenne Chiefs Black
Kettle, White Antelope and about 500 of their people, plus a small
Arapaho village, were camped here, along the creek's north bank. During
the course of the day, a barrage of small arms and cannon fire was
leveled against the Indians. By day's end, about 150 Cheyenne and
Arapaho lay dead, - many of the victims women, children, elderly, and
the feeble. The Coloradoans also suffered, with several dozen casualties
in killed and wounded, including some 13 commissioned and
non-commissioned officers. Purported atrocities and other controversies
about the attack resulted in its bitter condemnation by congressional
investigators.

Efforts by the National Park Service to locate the Sand Creek Massacre
site began in 1998 when Congress passed the Sand Creek Massacre National
Historic Site Study Act. Using a range of research, including
archeology, historical documentation and tribal traditional methods, a
boundary roughly 5 miles in length and 2 miles wide was identified. In
2001, the "core" of this area, about 7,500 acres, was added to the
National Register of Historic Places.

Prior to opening, the Sand Creek Massacre NHS is working to preserve and
protect the site's natural and cultural resources. Through partnership,
the site has initiated fire management, ecosystem stewardship, species
inventory and monitoring, and other projects. The site has worked
closely with the Public Lands Corps, the Colorado Bird Observatory, and
the Oklahoma-based Black Kettle Fire Crew. Through the Rocky Mountain
Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit, which partner's university research
with federal land management, the site has received assistance from the
University of Colorado, Montana State University, Colorado State
University, and the University of Nevada Reno.

In the coming weeks the site will host a design charette workshop for
National Park Service employees and site partners. This meeting will
initiate the planning of visitor services and other management projects
at Sand Creek. Issues such as roadways, trails, signage, facilities, and
parking will be reviewed. Also, the Sand Creek Massacre NHS will soon
join other units of the National Park Service in launching updated
websites. The new Sand Creek Massacre NHS webpage will go online in
conjunction with NPS Founders Day, August 25.

For general information about the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic
Site, please call 719-383-5051; or write the National Park Service at
35110 Highway 194 East, La Junta, CO 81050.

**NPS**