Sand Creek Massacre Colorado State Capitol Memorial
Facing Our History
The Sand Creek Massacre began on the morning of November 29, 1864, and continues to impact both the descendants of the victims and perpetrators to this day. On that cold winter day, a peaceful encampment of Cheyenne and Arapaho people, located in the southeastern corner of what is now Colorado, was mercilessly attacked by the U.S. Military.
Over 200 people were killed–mostly women, children, elders and tribal leaders–breaking previous treaty negotiations between the Tribes and the U.S. Government. In 1865, Congress and the U.S. Army recognized the massacre as a crime, but eventually the brutality of the attack was masked behind Colorado’s Civil War exploits and mischaracterized as a “battle.” As time went on, the memory of the massacre was suppressed though it was never forgotten by the Cheyenne and Arapaho people.
Now it is time to acknowledge the past, so we can collectively move towards healing.
Model of the Sand Creek Massacre Colorado State Capitol Memorial by Gerald Anthony Shippen, 2025
Resiliency
The Sand Creek Massacre Memorial Committee (SCMMC), led by Cheyenne and Arapaho descendants of the massacre, was formed to create a monument on the State Capitol grounds in honor of those who were killed, and to celebrate the resiliency of the Tribes.
In 2020, the Capitol Building Advisory Committee proposed the memorial be installed on the west plaza of the Capitol, where a Civil War monument had stood before it was torn down by social justice protestors that same year.
In 2024, the SCMMC commissioned sculptor Gerald Anthony Shippen to collaborate with tribal cultural consultants and massacre descendants to create a large-scale bronze sculpture titled “Peace Keepers,” featuring Cheyenne Chief Black Kettle and Arapaho Chief Left Hand flanking a woman and a baby, standing proudly in front of a tipi frame.
In 2025, the SCMMC won the unanimous endorsement of the Colorado State Legislature and Governor Jared Polis for the construction of the monument.
“There's got to be some kind of acknowledgement. That's a beginning of healing.”
– Otto Braided Hair, Northern Cheyenne
Be a part of history!
The Sand Creek Massacre Memorial Committee is fundraising for the bronze casting, installation and dedication of “Peace Keepers” to the people of Colorado. With your tax-deductible donation to the memorial fund at the Sand Creek Massacre Foundation, we can meet our goal for the memorial to be dedicated in 2026, the 150th anniversary of Colorado statehood.
Give now to help the Tribes, the state and the nation can take a monumental step towards healing.