Sand Creek as Camp Site

Sand Creek as Camp Site. Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site. , Camp Site Along the Smokey Hill Lodgepole Trail , In the 1800's Plains tribes like the Cheyenne and Arapaho moved their camps using travois to carry their possessions. Made by securing lodge poles to a horse, the ends of the travois dragged along the ground, creating trails across the prairie. These trails came to be known as lodge pole trails. , When moving to a different camp, the tribes would go from one water source to the next, generally within the distance a person could walk in a day. Rivers, creeks, small lakes, and springs were favorable camping areas. The Smoky Hill Lodge Pole Trail had many such areas along it, including Sand Creek. The Cheyenne, Arapaho, and the other plains tribes used these trails and camped by water sources near them. , In October, 1864, the Cheyenne and Arapaho chose Sand Creek as their camp site while they waited for news on peace talks. There were many reasons to choose Sand Creek. Even when water wasn't present in the creek, a trench could be dug into the creek bed and the water that pooled into it supplied camp livestock. Fresh water springs nearby provided water for drinking and cooking. , “A lodge trail ran from near Fort Lyon in a northeasterly direction to the head of the Smoky Hill, and we were encamped where this trail crossed Sand Creek. This place was well known to all the Cheyennes and Arapahos and they had used it as a camping ground for many years.” , George Bent (from Life of George Bent by George Hyde) , Caption: Many tribes, including the Blackfoot (pictured on right) and the Cheyenne (pictured on left) used travois of varying shapes and sizes.