Join us for a peaceful candlelight vigil to honor the 230 Cheyenne and Arapaho people brutally murdered in the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre. Meet at the west steps of the State Capitol for a keynote speaker, drumming group, and light refreshments.
Edward Wynkoop, the commander of Fort Lyon, once sought peace with the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes in the southeastern Colorado Territory near Fort Lyon. Working for peace with each group’s chiefs, Black Kettle and Left Hand, it was decided that the chiefs and the 700-800 Cheyenne and Arapaho people of their tribes - mostly elderly, women, and children - would relocate to a reservation area and be given a flag to fly to show their allegiance.
Wynkoop was swiftly relieved of his position by Major Scott Anthony of the First Cavalry of Colorado. Anthony then had the Cheyenne and Arapaho relocated again to a site along Sand Creek and informed them they were government prisoners.
Soon after, Colonel John M. Chivington led around 700 men of the 1st and 3rd Colorado Cavalry to attack the village at Sand Creek on November 29, 1864. The raid and killings did not end until 3 p.m. that day. Up to 200 Cheyenne and Arapaho were killed and those who escaped were left with no shelter from the harsh winter conditions.