12/01/2025
What unfolded in the morning of November 29, 1864, on the banks of Colorado's Big Sandy Creek became one of the most chilling betrayals in the history of the American West—among “the most emotionally charged and controversial events in American history,” in the words of the National Park Service.
About 230 defenseless and peace-seeking Cheyenne and Arapaho were murdered in cold blood by the U.S. Army, most of them woman and children.
This is a story that started months before the killings itself, when fear-mongering, hate speech, and "us-versus-them" talk dominated American newspapers and was amplified by influential opinion-makers.
The Sand Creek Massacre is what can happen—what HAS happened—when American leaders, in this case a governor and military commander, gain power by turning struggling families into symbols of menace. When rhetoric becomes so charged that cruelty begins to feel like justified policy.
It began when a certain group of people was described as “less than human,” when fear eclipsed empathy, and when lies became the foundation for wanton violence.
But, there's another side to the story, too. A few lower-ranking Army officers ignored orders from Colonel Chivington and refused to participate in the slaughter of innocent people. They also refused to stay silent afterward and testified against their superiors.
Their courage—first refusing direct orders, then speaking up against politically powerful men—forced Congress and the Army to eventually confront the truth.
“Critically, the Sand Creek Massacre stands as a testament to a brutality that should be learned from and never repeated,” the National Park Service, which now manages the site as Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site, says
“[It is] a lesson of what the rejection of conscience in the face of fear and hysteria can lead to."
Read the full story here: https://ourpubliclandsandwaters.substack.com/p/the-sand-creek-massacre-and-why-it
