By Mike Bowen, co-author, We Found the Lost Sand Creek Site
The Order of Indian Wars Tour – The Lost Sand Creek Site
Twenty-one years ago, Chuck and Sheri Bowen hosted the Order of Indians Wars, for a tour of the Lost Sand Creek Site.
“NPS historian emeritus Ed Bearss would be leading the group. He’s the premier Civil War historian, who authored many books and articles—His expertise led him to be featured on the Ken Burns specials. He wrote an inscription to us on an article he’d written for the Gettysburg Magazine. ‘To Chuck and Sheri Bowen, friends, historians, archaeologists, ranchers, hosts. With best wishes, Edwin C. Bearss 9/26/03.’”
Bowen would need the blessing of his father, Buster Bowen, for the tour to happen, as he was the land owner. Ed Bearss and Buster had a common bond that made the tour possible. What was that bond? The full account is in our book, We Found the Lost Sand Creek Site.
“We’re going to the ‘real’ site of the Sand Creek battle – not the one the casino just bought. Recent discoveries point directly to the Bowen Ranch, and that’s exactly where Ed Bearss, and Chuck and Sheri Bowen will be taking us…even the Park Service ‘experts’ have told us that the Bowen Ranch, not the Dawson Ranch, was the site of the Cheyenne village…and that’s where we’ll be going…thanks to the scholarship of Chuck and Sheri Bowen,” Jerry Russell said.
Russell, who was a historian and political activist, published two press releases following the OIW September 2003 tour.
Indian Wars Study Group Visits
The “Real” Sand Creek Site
Jerry Russell
Eads, Colo. – A group of Indian Wars students from around the country, and even from the United Kingdom, came to Eads today to see the ‘real’ Sand Creek site.
The OIW decided to try to visit the Bowen Ranch, outside of Eads, based on the convincing arguments in favor of this site, rather than the NPS site.
We’re very fortunate that the Bowen family – Buster, the patriarch, and Chuck and Sheri, are allowing us to visit this site. The Bowens ‘found’ the site and documented the find in 1997-98, long before the Park Service began its investigations.
The family agreed for NPS to have 90 days for archaeology and research; NPS took two days on their land.
‘In those two days they became ‘experts’ and knew the extent of the Indian camp and the movement of the troops on our land.’
‘I’ve spent 51 years in some manner on the ranch at Sand Creek and 10 years of passionate interest in this historic event. There is no way they could have concluded accurately what was on our land in that short amount of time,’ Chuck Bowen told me.
The Bowens have literally walked miles and miles, back and forth across the village site, discovering thousands of artifacts – documented by GPS coordinates which prove the existence of the Indian village at the site.
We are very grateful to the Bowen family, and to our members in the area who told us about the family, and the ranch – the real Sand Creek.
Civil War Roundtable of Arkansas
Jerry Russell
‘We just want to have the full story preserved,’ Chuck Bowen said. ‘Our interest is to inform the public of our discovery in 97 and 98 and the story the artifacts tell. I think it is important to note we have…most of the camp (village), and I believe Black Kettle’s camp (tipi site).’
‘We just want to make our contribution to the story of Sand Creek…We see this as an opportunity to help Kiowa and Prowers county in developing heritage tourism,’ Chuck told me.
The really disappointing thing about this project is how the Park Service is treating it. As it now stands, the site will be called the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Landmark. The preliminary report published by the Park Service refers to the ‘Sand Creek Massacre Site.’
This report even refers to the ‘Massacre Monument’ on the Dawson Ranch site, although the monument clearly says, ‘The Battle of Sand Creek.’ We believe it is the job of the National Park Service to present a fair and balanced interpretation of the battle without passing 21st-century judgement on the participants. Just tell it like it is, without the politically-correct, judgmental commentary.
Guests for the OIW tour came from the United Kingdom and many states.
Chuck and Sheri Bowen showed the OIW tour guests where much of Black Kettle’s village was located, as well as many running battle fighting locations, all based on artifacts and eyewitness accounts.
Tour participants commented on the Kiowa County website guestbook about the tour. A husband and wife from Iowa left the following comment. There is more in our book.
Sept. 10, 2003
“My wife and I visited the Bowen ranch where there’s strong evidence that the actual Sand Creek incident took place there because of the numerous artifacts present. I feel this is the true place of the battle. I wish to thank the people of your county for their hospitality and helpfulness. Marvin and Mary R., from Lakeview, IA.”
No period artifacts have been found under the bluff at the National Park Service site where they claim the Indians were camped and attacked. That is telling. And that is not in favor of the massacre claim.
In reality, battle artifacts were found starting over two miles up the creek from the NPS site. The artifacts reveal that Indians fled the village and scattered in multiple directions. Bullets and other battle artifacts were discovered over several miles.
If this part of the Sand Creek story isn’t told accurately, how can we trust any of the other claims of Sand Creek being a massacre?
We know from artifacts and eyewitness accounts the Indians weren’t camped below the bluff. We know from eyewitness accounts including Little Bear and from artifacts the Indians saw the soldiers from miles away and fled the village. We know from eyewitness accounts and artifacts the Indians were armed. We also know from artifacts and eyewitness accounts there were warriors in the camp.
Sand Creek was branded a massacre to destroy Colonel Chivington. It was political. Lt. Col. Tappan was next in line to become colonel and was passed up by Chivington who was a Major. Chivington was promoted after his victory at Glorieta. Tappan became jealous of Chivington and made it his mission to bring down Chivington. There were more eyewitnesses that defended Sand Creek and Col. Chivington than there were that branded it a massacre. And on top of that, Chivington was denied witnesses during the hearings. Does that sound like the goal was to learn the truth? There were soldiers that ended up writing books or publishing articles to defend Sand Creek as a battle as they didn’t testify during the hearings. It’s likely they were among those denied being able to provide their testimony. The full account is in our book.
The false massacre claim is now being used to destroy patriotism. It’s told to illicit an emotional response and make people ashamed of their white American ancestors.
It’s the running battle story told by Irving Howbert that is substantiated by the artifacts.
According to over 4,000 village and battle artifacts found by Chuck and Sheri Bowen, on the Bowen family ranch, there was a significant battle at Sand Creek, a running battle.
For those that say the massacre claim is true, were you there? The artifacts were, and they debunk the massacre claim.
The artifacts are the concrete evidence—everything else is just a theory without them.
Read more about this discovery in our book, We Found the Lost Sand Creek Site.
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