Sand Creek Massacre Project: Site Location Study

Despite the importance and strong emotions of the Sand Creek Massacre, there were disagreements over the location and little physical evidence of the Cheyenne and Arapaho encampment or military activity had been found. Arrowhead collecting was a popular activity in southeastern Colorado in the 1930s when “dust bowl” winds blew off layers of soil to reveal artifacts. Records of collecting activities are vague and conflicting and it was unclear if collected artifacts were associated with the massacre. Surveys of the area in the mid-1990s did not conclusively identify the site.