Why?

For years, Cheyenne and Arapaho traveled and hunted the Great Plains in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains, but in 1858 gold fever struck in Colorado Territory, miners rushed in, and tens of thousands of settlers followed. Competition for land became great, and conflict was inevitable. Skirmishes and raids erupted along overland routes and at Indian camps and isolated ranches. When U.S. soldiers killed Cheyenne Chief Lean Bear, warriors clamored for revenge. The murder of rancher Nathan Hungate and his family sparked widespread fear and panic in Denver and throughout the Territory. Governor Evans, envisioning statehood for Colorado Territory and promising protection for its citizens, directed friendly Arapaho and Cheyenne to go to the U.S. Indian Agent at Fort Lyon, who would show them a place of safety. For hostile Indians, he called for all Colorado citizens to pursue, kill, and destroy them, proclaiming that only then could a permanent and lasting peace be secured.

Brandon, Colorado · United States