Finding Sand Creek

de Jerome A. Greene, Douglas D. Scott

"At dawn on November 29, 1861, more than seven hundred U.S. volunteer troops, commanded by Colonel John M. Chivington, attacked a Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho village along Sand Creek in southeastern Colorado Territory. As the troops approached, the Cheyenne chief Black Kettle waved the white flag of peace, but to no avail. Over the course of seven hours, the soldiers killed at least 150 Indian men, women, and children. Since that day the Sand Creek Massacre has remained one of the most disturbing and controversial events in American history." "While its historical significance is undisputed, the exact location of the massacre has been less clear. Because the site is sacred ground for Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians, the question of its location is more than academic; it is intensely personal and spiritual. In 1998 the National Park Service, under congressional direction, began a research program to verify the location of the site. The team consisted of tribal members, Park Service staff and volunteers, and local landowners. In Finding Sand Creek, the project's leading historian, Jerome A. Greene, and its leading archeologist, Douglas D. Scott, tell the story of how this dedicated group of people used a variety of methods to pinpoint the site. Drawing on oral histories, written records, and archeological fieldwork, Greene and Scott present a wealth of evidence to verify their conclusions. They also demonstrate the value and success of interdisciplinary research and cooperative teamwork." "Greene and Scott's interdisciplinary method will be useful as a model for future projects involving history and archeology. Their team study led to legislation in the year 2000 that established the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site. Although debate about the massacre will continue, establishing its location ensures that Sand Creek will never be forgotten and that its importance to the victims and their descendants will be honored."--BOOK JACKET.