The Sand Creek Massacre

The Sand Creek Massacre memorial

A solemn place of remembrance on the Denver audio-guided tour, this site, facing the Colorado Capitol, once held a statue of a soldier in uniform. It was the Civil War Monument, erected in 1909 to honour the Union soldiers who fought during the Civil War.

A revived pain

For more than a century, the sculpture stood on these steps, until people began to question what it really represented. In 2020, during a national movement to reconsider monuments linked to colonial or racial history, it was toppled and then officially removed. What revived the pain was an inscription on the base mentioning the Sand Creek massacre among the honoured battles.

What to see

The Sand Creek massacre, on 29 November 1864, was one of the most tragic pages of the Indian Wars, in which many Cheyenne and Arapaho, largely women, children and elders, were killed. A new memorial is to be created here, led by the sculptor Gerald Anthony Shippen. Pause in contemplation in this place, in respect for the memory of the victims.

Practical information

The site is opposite the Colorado Capitol, in the centre of Denver. Freely accessible, it can be discovered at any time, with respect for this place of remembrance.

What was the Sand Creek massacre ?

A massacre of the Indian Wars on 29 November 1864, in which many Cheyenne and Arapaho were killed.

Why was the old statue removed ?

Because an inscription honoured the Sand Creek massacre as a battle; it was removed in 2020.