General Carl Wulsten along with 397 German immigrants and 35 wagons left Chicago by train February 8, 1870 to establish a German colony in the Wet Mountain Valley south of Cañon City, CO.
They changed trains at Kansas City, and the Kansas Pacific took them to Wallace about March 1, where they unloaded their wagons. This route was previously the Smoky Hill Trail. They “soon were in camp at Eagle Tail” station, Wulsten said. Eagle Tail is known as Sharon Springs, KS today. One night at Eagle Tail, they were hit with a severe blizzard, and a baby was born in one of their tents. Wulsten said the baby survived. They spent a few days there buffalo hunting and gathering firewood, then they made their way to Goose Creek to camp. They continued the next day to camp at Cheyenne Wells station, a few miles north of the current town of Cheyenne Wells. Their journey led them next 24 miles to Sand Creek on what is now the Bowen Meadow Ranch (owned by Chuck and Sheri Bowen) in Cheyenne County, CO around March 7. After they left their camp at Sand Creek, they likely traveled south along the creek to their camp at Antelope Springs and then to Old Fort Lyon.
All of the artifacts were taken from where the Wulsten group camped on Sand Creek.
Wulsten said they saw Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians poking their heads up above sage brush as they kept their distance. The group used military techniques as they traveled past the Indians, showing “prompt organization, discipline and alert.” The Indians left them alone.
From Old Fort Lyon, the group traveled to Cañon City, then south to the Wet Mountain Valley. (From the Silver Cliff Rustler, July 1895-editions, July 3, 10, 17)
Camp sites:
Wallace to Eagle Tail (present Sharon Springs) – 10 miles
Eagle Tail to Goose Creek – 18 miles
Goose Creek to Old Cheyenne Wells – 14 miles
Old Cheyenne Wells to Sand Creek – 24 miles
The German immigrants’ journey along Sand Creek was nearly six years after the 1864 battle. Chuck and Sheri found over 4,000 period artifacts, proving the actual Sand Creek location. Their discovery doesn’t simply add more locations to the Sand Creek battle, it changes the story. The artifacts do not lie—they provide clarity about where events happened that day of November 29, 1864. The artifacts also help tell the story about what happened.
No period artifacts have been found below the bluff where the National Park Service says the event happened.
No bullets, no battlefield.
The truth about any historical event is important. We cannot learn from history if the story is not accurate.
Check out our book to see the story the artifacts tell and how the story is changed. Let’s not allow history and seeking truth be cancelled.
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There are over 100 photos of photos and maps in our book, We Found the Lost Sand Creek Site.
