- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
Sand Creek Massacre National Historic site expanded through funds provided by the Land and Water Conservation Fund
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) and National Park Service Chuck Sams III (Umatilla) on Wednesday visited Sand Creek, the site of a brutal massacre that left 230 Native Americans dead in 1864, along with Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and John Hickenlooper (D-CO).
Joining the federal officials were leaders from the Northern Arapaho Tribe, the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, and the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes.
During the visit, it was announced that 3,500 additional acres will be added to the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site. This addition is made possible with financial support from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).
The Sand Creek Massacre occurred on November 29, 1864, when U.S. soldiers attacked an encampment of approximately 750 Native people. The soldiers killed 230 people — mostly women and children. The Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site was established in 2007 to preserve and protect the cultural landscape of the massacre and enhance public understanding of this horrific event.
“It is our solemn responsibility at the Department of the Interior, as caretakers of America’s national treasures, to tell the story of our nation. The events that took place here forever changed the course of the Northern Cheyenne, Northern Arapaho, and Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes,” said Secretary Haaland. “We will never forget the hundreds of lives that were brutally taken here – men, women and children murdered in an unprovoked attack. Stories like the Sand Creek Massacre are not easy to tell but it is my duty – our duty – to ensure that they are told. This story is part of America’s story.”
“This is a long overdue step to respect and preserve land sacred to the Northern Cheyenne, Northern Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Arapaho Tribes,” Bennet said. “Today's ceremony is about remembering the atrocity at Sand Creek and honoring our government's continuing obligations to Tribal communities.”
The acquisition was made possible through funding from the LWCF. Since his arrival to the U.S. Senate, Bennet has championed LWCF, introducing legislation to fully fund the program in every Congress since 2010. In 2020, he introduced the bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) to permanently and fully fund LWCF. GAOA was signed into law in August 2020.
The land addition announced today will allow the NPS to increase public opportunities to experience and interpret the site’s stories and history. In addition, the expansion of the historic site will contribute to one of the most intact shortgrass prairie ecosystems within the National Park system, providing habitat for a wide range of plants, wildlife and species of special concern.
More Stories Like This
Native News Weekly (August 25, 2024): D.C. BriefsUS Presidents in Their Own Words Concerning American Indians
Native News Weekly (August 4, 2024): D.C. Briefs
Seattle Seahawks Tackle Preservation Projects at Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center for Annual Day of Service
Native News Weekly (June 15, 2025): D.C. Briefs
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher
