Massacre site recognized

A nation pays tribute

Historical site officially opens at Sand CreekMembers and friends of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Native American Tribes, whose ancestors were slaughtered by a militia in 1864, gathered at the site of the Sand Creek Massacre to celebrate national recognition of the land that holds deep meaning for the tribes.

More than 142 years have passed since Colorado militia soldiers, in a deadly onslaught of bullets and blows, attacked this peaceful encampment--killing some 160 people, mostly women, children and the elderly--about 30 miles northeast of Eads. The attack came while most of the men of the village were away hunting.

On Saturday morning, the land was dedicated a national historic site on a field about 1 mile south of where the massacre took place.