City Completes Concept Plan Created with Arapaho & Cheyenne Representatives

The City of Boulder, in collaboration with Arapaho and Cheyenne Tribal Representatives, completed a long-term planning process to create a concept plan for land with a direct community connection to the Sand Creek Massacre.

The Open Space Board of Trustees this month recommended that the city move forward with a concept plan for the city’s Fort Chambers – Poor Farm property, which is guided by a shared city-Tribal vision of “Heal the Land; Heal the People.” Their recommendation comes after a long-term planning process that included consultation with Arapaho and Cheyenne Tribal Representatives and community engagement that showed strong support for the collaborative planning and concept plan recommendations. The City of Boulder extends its gratitude to Arapaho and Cheyenne Tribal Representatives for their guidance in developing the concept plan and thanks community members for sharing their feedback.

The concept plan provides a broad foundation for how the city – with continuing guidance from Tribal Representatives – will steward land where Fort Chambers likely stood. The fort was built northeast of Boulder in the summer of 1864 amid exaggerated and false claims of coordinated Indigenous violence that helped fan anti-Indigenous hatred in Colorado during the summer and fall of 1864.

In August 1864, more than 100 Boulder-area men mobilized into Company D of the Third Colorado Cavalry Regiment at Fort Chambers. The men of Company D attacked a Cheyenne camp near present day Sterling (“Buffalo Springs”) on Oct. 10, 1864, killing 10 Cheyenne People. They later participated in the killing of 230 peaceful Arapaho and Cheyenne People at the Sand Creek Massacre on Nov. 29, 1864 – the deadliest day in Colorado history.

“The intent overall was to annihilate us, to get rid of us rather than being there for peace,” said Ben Ridgley (Northern Arapaho, Sand Creek Representative), speaking of Company D and the Third Colorado Calvary Regiment’s participation in the Sand Creek Massacre. “I care about the story at Fort Chambers, how Company D men trained there, and what their intent was. It’s always been taught that we were the bad guys. It’s hard sharing our true history, but people need to hear it. I am glad to be working with the City of Boulder to try and reflect on a better tomorrow and create a better understanding of our past history.”

Learn more about the land’s historical, ecological and agricultural significance, and its role in the Sand Creek Massacre through an online storymap.

Concept Plan Sets Vision For Future Work
Since July 2022, Open Space and Mountain Parks staff have been collaborating with Tribal Representatives from the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, the Northern Arapaho Tribe and the Northern Cheyenne Tribe to understand their desired long-term relationship with the city-managed land where Fort Chambers likely stood. Their guidance shaped the concept plan that is based on a shared vision to “Heal the Land; Heal the People,” and it focuses on these key elements:

• Ecological Restoration: Heal the land from past ecological disturbances to help sustain the area’s rich natural diversity.
• Healing Trail: Create a trail with areas for education, reflection and gathering to foster healing and help the Boulder community acknowledge and communicate its role in the Sand Creek Massacre.
• Visitor Access: Enhance visitor access with a new entrance, parking and bus drop-off.
• Agricultural and Farmstead Enhancements: Sustain ongoing agricultural operations and conduct restoration of the home and farm structures on the land.
  

In March and April, the city and Tribal Representatives welcomed community feedback on the draft concept plan through an online questionnaire, with 86% of respondents supporting the concept plan and its recommendations. This month, the city’s Open Space Board of Trustees recommended the city move forward with the concept plan and include Tribal Representatives and community histories in the development of content for the healing trail and other interpretative elements on the property.

“When the City of Boulder put out a questionnaire on the concept plan, I didn’t know what kind of results we would get on everything, so I am glad the community has shown support of it,” said Fred Mosqueda (Southern Arapaho, Sand Creek Representative). “I think some of the people who had forefathers at Sand Creek may have a chance to speak with us and we may have a chance to speak with them, so that we can both tell our stories. It’s important to remember that we’re all grandchildren of Colorado. Each one of our forefathers had the conflict. That’s why we need to come together to make Colorado better.”

Key Next Steps
City staff plan to meet with Tribal Representatives to help plan next steps for moving forward on the concept plan. The next phase of the project will include both tribal collaboration and community involvement and focus on the design of interpretive elements along the healing trail – exploring what information to share and how it is presented. Staff also will begin work to design ecological restoration efforts to “heal the land” and incorporate concept plan recommendations into the department’s work plan and budget. Open Space and Mountain Parks staff encourage community members to sign up for the department’s e-newsletter to receive updates about this work and learn about future opportunities to become involved.

The City of Boulder again thanks Arapaho and Cheyenne Tribal Representatives for sharing their perspectives with the community – including the intergenerational trauma from the Sand Creek Massacre – and for their support in helping the community tell a full history of Fort Chambers.

“I didn't agree with this project at first because of what Fort Chambers led to, but after we started working on it and sharing our input on it, we realized the history needs to be told,” said Chester Whiteman (Southern Cheyenne, Sand Creek Representative). “We need to educate those who want to listen and understand both sides of the fence – our side and the non-native side – and see how we can best work together to make this a better place. There’s a story at Fort Chambers, and we need to get the truth out.”