I

105TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. 1695

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JULY 20, 1998

Referred to the Committee on Resources

AN ACT

To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of designating the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site in the State of Colorado

as a unit of the National Park System, and for other

purposes.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Sand Creek Massacre

5 National Historic Site Study Act of 1998’’.
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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

2 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that—

3 (1) on November 29, 1864, Colonel John M.

4 Chivington led a group of 700 armed soldiers to a

5 peaceful Cheyenne village of more than 100 lodges

6 on the Big Sandy, also known as Sand Creek, lo7 cated within the Territory of Colorado, and in a run8 ning fight that ranged several miles upstream along

9 the Big Sandy, slaughtered several hundred Indians

10 in Chief Black Kettle’s village, the majority of whom

11 were women and children;

12 (2) the incident was quickly recognized as a na13 tional disgrace and investigated and condemned by

14 2 congressional committees and a military commis15 sion;

16 (3) although the United States admitted guilt

17 and reparations were provided for in article VI of

18 the Treaty of Little Arkansas of October 14, 1865

19 (14 Stat. 703) between the United States and the

20 Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Indians, those

21 treaty obligations remain unfulfilled;

22 (4) land at or near the site of the Sand Creek

23 Massacre may be available for purchase from a will24 ing seller; and

25 (5) the site is of great significance to the Chey26 enne and Arapaho Indian descendants of those who
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1 lost their lives at the incident at Sand Creek and to

2 their tribes, and those descendants and tribes de3 serve the right of open access to visit the site and

4 rights of cultural and historical observance at the

5 site.

6 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

7 In this Act:

8 (1) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means

9 the Secretary of the Interior acting through the Di10 rector of the National Park Service.

11 (2) SITE.—The term ‘‘site’’ means the Sand

12 Creek massacre site described in section 2.

13 (3) TRIBES.—The term ‘‘Tribes’’ means—

14 (A) the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribe of

15 Oklahoma;

16 (B) the Northern Cheyenne Tribe; and

17 (C) the Northern Arapaho Tribe.

18 SEC. 4. STUDY.

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 18 months after

20 the date on which funds are made available for the pur21 pose, the Secretary, in consultation with the Tribes and

22 the State of Colorado, shall submit to the Committee on

23 Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the

24 Committee on Resources of the House of Representatives

25 a resource study of the site.
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1 (b) CONTENTS.—The study under subsection (a)

2 shall—

3 (1) identify the location and extent of the mas4 sacre area and the suitability and feasibility of des5 ignating the site as a unit of the National Park Sys6 tem; and

7 (2) include cost estimates for any necessary ac8 quisition, development, operation and maintenance,

9 and identification of alternatives for the manage10 ment, administration, and protection of the area.

11 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

12 There are authorized to be appropriated such sums

13 as are necessary to carry out this Act.

Passed the Senate July 17, 1998.

Attest: GARY SISCO,

Secretary.