The winner: Bill Kight, Glenwood Springs
The photo is of the Milk Creek Battle monuments. The larger one on the right was dedicated by the Unitah-Ouray Ute Indian Tribe’s business committee on Sept. 29, 1993, 114 years to the day after the Battle of Milk Creek. It honors the 23 Ute warriors who lost their lives defending their homeland against 120 U.S. Calvary led by Maj. Thomas T. Thornburg as they crossed Milk Creek near Meeker. Milk Creek marked the boundary of the Ute Indian Reservation, and the Utes considered it an act of war for the armed troops to enter the reservation against the wishes of the Ute leaders. It was the last major Indian battle fought against U.S. troops in the U.S.
And the other one: Lou Wyman, Craig
The smaller monument was created for the troops that fought. It is called the Thornburg battlefield because Maj. Thornburg was killed there. These soldiers were coming to help Nathan Meeker in Meeker against the Indian uprising. My father homesteaded the ground on which the Thornburg battle took place.
People’s history: Rosco Betunada, Grand Junction
This is the area where Maj. Thornburg and his detachment of U.S. cavalry were intercepted by the Utes who had just massacred some non-native settlers near Meeker. The Indians were angered by the increasing repression from Nathan Meeker, who tried to get them to change “their evil ways.” I think when Meeker tried to forbid the Indians from horse-racing on Sundays, that was the “final straw.” Thornburg was sent out on a – too late – rescue attempt.
