Opinion
Editorial: House failed on Sand Creek Massacre site


"The federal government is prepared to make the location of the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre a national historic site, but the widely supported move fell between the congressional cracks this month. House staffers say U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, who represents Colorado's Eastern Plains, failed to pay adequate attention to her own bill.

More than 140 years ago, about 700 Colorado militia troops slaughtered at least 163 Indians (mostly women, children and old men) near the present-day town of Eads. For four years, U.S. Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell worked to get the government to buy the land where the massacre occurred and designate it a national historic site. The move would help heal emotional wounds among the Indians and give an economic boost to the struggling towns nearby. Finishing the Sand Creek project should have been a Musgrave priority."

Get the Story:
Editorial: House silent on Sand Creek (The Denver Post 12/15)

Relevant Links:
The National Park Service, Sand Creek Massacre Project Study - www.nps.gov/planning/sand/about.htm
Sand Creek Massacre Site - www.kiowacountycolo.com/sand.htm

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