Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site, National Historic Site in Kiowa County, Colorado, United States
Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site is a national park in southeastern Colorado covering about 12,500 acres of rolling plains and creek bottoms. The site marks where hundreds of Cheyenne and Arapaho people lost their lives, preserving the landscape to show visitors what happened here.
On November 29, 1864, a cavalry regiment attacked a peaceful village of Cheyenne and Arapaho families. This event became one of the most tragic and shameful incidents in the history of western expansion.
This place holds deep meaning for Cheyenne and Arapaho people as a memorial and gathering space. Visitors see how these communities keep the memory of those lost alive through storytelling and ceremony.
Visitors can reach the site by vehicle, and a visitor center provides information and displays to help understand the place. Plan to spend a few hours to walk the grounds and absorb the significance of the location.
In 1999, archaeological teams from the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Colorado Historical Society and Native American observers uncovered large numbers of period bullets, camp equipment and other items. The finds convinced the Park Service that the massacre site had been located. The site was later expanded in October 2022 by 3,478 acres, including land with an intact viewshed and village remains.
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