In anticipation of the November 29 anniversary of the Sand Creek Massacre, Native Americans converged today in Denver for the last leg of the Sand Creek Massacre Spiritual Healing Run, which began Thursday near Eads.
The event, held annually in remembrance of the atrocities committed by American troops in 1864, started this morning at Riverside Cemetery where Natives decorated the graves of Capt. Silas Soule and Lt. Joseph A. Cramer. Both men attempted to dissuade troops from firing on the Cheyenne and Arapaho encampment that was composed primarily of women, children and the elderly.
“Soule took a principled stand and sacrificed his life in order to make sure the massacre wasn’t swept under the rug,” said Bill Convery state historian for History Colorado.
A plaque honoring Soule placed at the location of his unsolved murder at 15th and Arapahoe Street served as the starting point for today’s downtown march that ended on the west steps of the Colorado State Capitol around noon.
Representatives from the Northern Cheyenne Tribe of Montana, the Northern Arapaho Tribe of Wyoming, the Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, the National Park Service and History Colorado all reflected on the lasting meaning of the massacre as did Denver’s mayor Michael Hancock.
“Today, we honor those who 147 years ago lost their lives for no reason,” Hancock said. “This day marks not only a sad and profound moment in Colorado’s history, but clearly a tragedy in the history of mankind.”
Hancock was applauded by the crowd after organizers announced that he was the first Denver mayor in the event’s 13-year history to attend the annual rally.
Weston Gentry: 303-954-1054, wgentry@denverpost.com or
