Can a New Sand Creek Massacre Exhibit Do Right by the Tribes?

The 1864 Sand Creek Massacre was one of the most horrific moments in Colorado history — hundreds of Cheyenne and Arapaho women, children, and elders were murdered by U.S. soldiers as they camped under a white flag of peace. More than 150 years later, the painful remnants of this brutal mass murder are still fresh for many survivors’ descendants, but they haven’t always been treated respectfully by those in charge of commemorating our state’s history. Host Bree Davies sits down with Westword editor Patricia Calhoun to talk about the story she broke about the last time History Colorado tried to open an exhibit dedicated to the Sand Creek Massacre, in 2012, and the decade of soul-searching that led to the new one opening next month. 

Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland recently dedicated more than 3,000 additional acres of land to become part of the Sand Creek Massacre Historic Site. Almost a decade after the first ill-conceived History Colorado exhibit closed, the museum will open a brand exhibit with support of the tribes next month. 

We talked extensively about Patty’s 2013 Westword investigation, “A Century and a Half Later, the Wounds of Sand Creek are Still Fresh”, which looked into History Colorado’s mishandling of its first Sand Creek Massacre exhibit. 

In the newscast, Bree mentioned Camp Hale — Learn more about the new historic site from our pal, reporter Catie Cheshire at Westword, in this story: ”Five Things Joe Biden Should Know About Camp Hale and Leadville”.

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