Sand Creek Massacre

Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site commemorates the slaughter of Cheyenne and Arapaho villagers on November 29, 1864. The massacre started when a group of approximately 700 cavalry troops led by Colonel John Chivington attacked a Cheyenne and Arapaho village mostly composed of women, children, and elderly men. Of the estimated 500-600 Native Americans living in the village, only 68 were killed outright while numerous others were wounded. Many of the villages' inhabitants were killed while attempting to flee the massacre site. The troops looted and burned the village before returning to their base camp at Fort Lyon. The massacre outraged both Native Americans and whites across the West and resulted in increased tensions between settlers and Plains Indians. An investigation into the massacre was conducted by a Congressional committee in 1865 but no charges were ever filed against Colonel Chivington or any other member of his command.