Dawn November 29, 1864

In the Cheyenne and Arapaho camps, the early hours of November 29, 1864, began like any other day, with people up before sunrise greeting the day cautiously but with little trepidation. Some women, always alert to subtle changes across the prairie, heard the distant sound of hooves and believed buffalo were approaching the valley. They were the first to notify the camp, but it soon became apparent that the sound was not buffalo and that hundreds of mounted soldiers were approaching. Within moments, life and death mingled as frightened villagers huddled in terror. Among those who first heard what they thought were buffalo were the Cheyenne women Medicine Road and Short Chief and their daughters Standing Woman and Wooly Dog. Their father, Yellow Fingernails, did not survive the day. Wooly Dog died on December 17, 1941, and Standing Woman lived until October 14, 1946, perhaps becoming the last survivor of the Sand Creek Massacre.

Brandon, Colorado · United States