The Sand Creek Massacre (1864)

• In the Treaty of Fort Wise (1861) the Cheyenne and Arapaho chiefs agreed to move to a reservation in Colorado, but many of the young warrior brotherhoods (called the Dog Soldiers) rejected it.
• They often fought with gold prospectors who crossed their land. Black Kettle was a Cheyenne chief.
• Event 1

  On November 29th 1864 Colonel Chivington raided Black Kettle’s camp at Sand Creek – carrying on even when the camp surrendered.
• Event 2

  Chivington and his men killed over 130 people, including women and children, and took their body parts as trophies. Black Kettle escaped to warn other tribes.
• Event 3

  The massacre seemed to prove that the white Americans couldn’t be trusted.

  The Dog Soldiers attacked white forts and settlers in retaliation.
• Event 4

  In 1865 a new treaty was agreed. It said the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes would move to a new large reservation, and the massacre survivors would get payments.
• The government didn’t stick to its deal. Instead, in 1867 the tribes were moved to a reservation half the size of what they were promised, and no compensation was paid to the survivors. Black Kettle died in another massacre in 1868.