Sand Creek Massacre

• When did the Sand Creek Massacre occur?

  It occured in 1864.
• What were the causes of Sand Creek Massacre?

  • Gold was discovered in Colorado in 1859 and gold miners demanded the government do something about the Arapaho and Cheyenne tribes. The Indians resisted and saw the mining settlement as breaking the Fort Laramie Treaty and were worried about the impact on the buffalo
  • In 1861, Black Kettle (a Cheyenne tribe chief) signed the Treaty of Fort Wise which stated that the tribe had to move onto a reservation but young warriors refused and stayed where they were.
  • Despite being forced onto reservations, they kept on leaving to hunt in 1863.
• What were the key events of Sand Creek Massacre?

  • In 1864, a force of 1000 men led by Colonel John M. Chivington attacked a Cheyenne village in Sand Creek, supposedly fighting 1300 Natives. This is false because the Natives surrendered.
  • The soldiers killed over 150 men, women and children and mutilated their bodies.
  • Over 70 lodges were destroyed on the reservation.
  • Two chiefs approached the soldiers, signalling peace, but were shot and killed. However, Black Kettle escaped.
  • Other Plains Indians attacked settlements across Kansas as retaliation.
• What were the results of Sand Creek Massacre?

  • It showed that white men could not be trusted.
  • Some white people praised Chivington as a hero whilst others condemned his inhumane acts.
  • In July 1864, John Evans offered Peace and to take them to Fort Lyon where they'd be fed and protected.
  • In 1865, the tribe was moved to a larger reservation after signing a new Treaty.
  • In 1867, the tribe were moved to a smaller reservation because of the Medicine Lodge Treaty which would deem them hostile if they did not move.
• What happened to the people who did not comply with the Medicine Lodge Treaty 1867?

  • In 1868, a group of people who disagreed with the Treaty - including Black Kettle - were defeated.
  • Indians attacked people who were killing buffalo but the US army began using rifles with telescopic lenses.