By Mike Bowen, co-author, We Found the Lost Sand Creek Site
On Aug. 8, 1864, more than 100 Indians attacked a wagon train carrying freight near present-day Lexington, NE.
Eleven people were killed in the attack, including Thomas Morton, the owner of the freight wagons, and his brother-in-law, William Fletcher and his wife’s cousin, John Fletcher.
Two of the captives were Nancy Morton and Danny Marble. Their captivity is connected to Lucinda Eubank who was captured the day before, nearby, near the Little Blue River.
It is believed that Lucinda was a captive at Sand Creek. We recently visited with her great-great-granddaughters and interviewed them about Lucinda’s captivity.
See our blog here: LucindaEubank
The Minnesota Massacre of 1862, the Hungate family murders in June of 1864, and the Plum Creek Massacre in August of 1864, were key events that led to Sand Creek.
The Plum Creek Massacre—also a pivotal event to the Sand Creek battle. This massacre took place near present-day Lexington, Nebraska on August 8, 1864. A party of 100 Cheyenne Dog Soldiers is said to have attacked a train of twelve wagons leaving eleven dead and a woman and child captured. Lieutenant Charles Porter ‘identified the three principal Indians who did the deadly August 7-8 Nebraska raids as Spotted Tail of the Sioux, White Antelope ‘and a half-breed named Bent.’ It may have been George Bent. George wrote in his letters that he went on wagon train raids with warriors. ‘Northern Cheyennes also made raid on Plum Creek’ (Bent to Hyde 6-12-1906).
We Found the Lost Sand Creek Site
The Plum Creek Massacre took place over three months before Sand Creek which shows that Sand Creek was not a starting point. Soldiers went to Sand Creek to fight back. There were a lot of warriors in the camp at Sand Creek. See our book, We Found the Lost Sand Creek Site, for more information. Events like the Plum Creek Massacre weren’t only happening near Lexington, NE—they were happening all along the Platte in Colorado Territory. We go into detail about this in our book.
The Rocky Mountain News (Daily), Volume 4, Number 300, August 10, 1864 — INDIAN OUTBREAK NEAR (KEA)RNEY
The telegraph brought word last evening of an attack by about one hundred Indians upon a train near Plum Creek, thirty-five miles this side of Fort Kearny. A good deal of excitement was occasioned also, by the announcement that Mrs. Thos. Smith, and the wife of J. G. Smith (colored,) both of this city, were captured by the savages. The husbands of both left by this morning’s coach for the East, and an hour or two after, word came of the safety of both the wives. They were at Plum Creek and had escaped the attack altogether.
The particulars as far as can be learned are as follows:—Three trains were destroyed, robbed and burned. Fourteen persons were killed and it is supposed that two or three women and some children were taken prisoners. Of the captures nothing certain is yet known. Another Mrs. Smith was traveling along the road about that time, of whom nothing has been heard, hence the report.
About the debris of the burned trains were found this morning packages or boxes marked ‘Evans & Baker,’ and a fine cane, upon the head of which was engraved ‘W. C. James.’ It is supposed that James was killed. Denverites will remember him as at one time the lessee of the old Denver hall. Last year he was at Reese river, and we incline to think he was trading at Bannack this year. The impression prevails that none of the trains belonged to, or were bound for Colorado.
Detachments of soldiers moved at once from Kearney and Cottonwood for the scene of the murders. Those from the former post, with the settlers and teamsters in the neighborhood, repulsed a second attack of the Indians made in the afternoon. The savages numbered in the second attack about one hundred and fifty.
The troops in that neighborhood are not very numerous, but they can doubtless keep the road open, and will certainly be reinforced very soon.
Over 4,000 battle and village artifacts were discovered by Chuck and Sheri Bowen on the Bowen family ranch in the 90s. If the massacre claim was correct, the artifacts would all be found in a small clustered area, and all under the bluff at the National Park Service Sand Creek site.
No period artifacts were found below that bluff. All of the artifacts the Bowens found were over two miles up the creek from the NPS site.
The discovery of the Lost Sand Creek Site isn’t a matter of the massacre being at a different location—it’s a matter of correcting that story and showing that artifacts were found over several miles and in various directions. There were many running battle areas. The artifacts Chuck and Sheri found also show there was a significant battle, not a massacre.
There are many claims about Sand Creek that are not correct.
One claim is that the Cheyenne were native and owned the land. According to George Bent, that is not correct. Bent lived as a Cheyenne and was one of the Dog Soldiers (warriors). In a letter to historian George Hyde on September 14, 1910, Bent said the Cheyenne came from “way up north.” Another letter provides information they were from Canada. “I am in hopes you will get letter from that lady in Canada soon as Cheyennes are very anxious to hear from their lost friends Suitas” (Bent to Hyde, 4-18-1914).
My Bowen ancestors came to the colonies in 1698, well before the signing of the Declaration of Independence and also well before the Cheyenne were here. As my dad has said, “does that make me a Native American?” That is a legitimate question about seeking the truth.
How can we trust a story that isn’t based on factual information? It’s a story that tugs at the heartstrings, but that doesn’t make something correct.
The artifacts do not lie. If we’re supposed to trust science, we should trust the science when we have tangible evidence that provides clarity about what happened and where on November 29, 1864 at Sand Creek. Generally when we’re told to trust the science, the science doesn’t actually corroborate what is claimed. But with Sand Creek, the science has been ignored, minimized and lied about.
It’s time to look at facts and not base historic events on feelings. We need to return to using critical thinking.
If you ever visit the NPS Sand Creek historic site, you’re not going to where the Indians were camped or where any fighting took place. You will see the bluff that is important for a different reason than what is claimed by the NPS. They claim the Indians camped below that bluff, but on that bluff is actually where the soldiers first saw Black Kettle’s village, starting nearly two miles up the creek from there. This is verified by soldier accounts and artifacts.
The goal of the NPS is to implement the debunked massacre claim into school curriculum so it can be used to mold young impressionable children and make them ashamed of their white American ancestors and to hate their country. They are already bussing school children to the NPS site telling them about a massacre that isn’t corroborated by physical evidence or eyewitness accounts.
It’s important to know the facts about Sand Creek so it’s taught accurately. Click the Blog tab at the top of this page. We have many blogs about Sand Creek.
Our book, We Found the Lost Sand Creek Site, goes into great detail about Chuck and Sheri Bowen’s Sand Creek location discovery. This book is about truth—it should be placed in school libraries and be used as curriculum in schools so students can see all of the information concerning Sand Creek and come to an educated decision on what to believe about that event.
We encourage parents to read our book so they know the truth about this event and be able to talk to their children about the false massacre claims surrounding that 1864 event on Sand Creek.
Truth matters. Truth wins.
Learn more in our book. Click the Buy the Book tab at the top right of the page.
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You can learn more about the Lost Sand Creek Site discovery on this website. Click on the About Us tab at the top of the page. Also click on the Blog tab at the top of the page. The truth about Sand Creek needs to be known and needs to be shared.
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