"There really is a Place Called Baca County;
I think she’s mighty fine;
She was good enough for my dad’s kids;
Likewise she’ll do for mine;
Her sunrises are all colors;
Her sunsets are all the same;
The only thing she needs more . . . — — Map (db m106474) HM
The Cimarron Cutoff and Granada Road were branches of the Santa Fe Trail from Missouri to Santa Fe. The Aubrey and Penrose were other trails. From 1866-97 thousands of Texas cattle were driven to Montana on the XIT and National Cattle trails. — — Map (db m120040) HM
On November 15, 1806, Zebulon Montgomery Pike saw the mountain later named for him. His view was from the hills close to the Arkansas River in this vicinity.
From Pike's journal—
“When our small party arrived on the hill, they with one . . . — — Map (db m268907) HM
Dinosaur Freeway Geology of John Martin Reservoir
is part of the Dakota sandstone
formations which extend from Denver,
Colorado to Tucumcari, New Mexico.
In the Cretaceous period the region
was bordered with lakes, swamps . . . — — Map (db m181091) HM
This tablet is the
property of the State of Colorado
—
Boggsville
Established in 1866.
Named for Thomas O. Boggs,
first settler on this site.
Home of Kit Carson and
John W. Prowers, noted . . . — — Map (db m119664) HM
"...On crossing the river [Purgatoire] we found a large well-filled ranch...which had only just been built by two enterprising Yankees.:"
–William Bell, railroad surveyor, 1867
Boggsville was established in the early . . . — — Map (db m120701) HM
This region was once buffalo hunting grounds for the Cheyenne, Apache, Arapaho, Kiowa and Comanche. Tribes followed the buffalo throughout the plains and controlled the land. During this time, everything south of the Arkansas river was Mexico and . . . — — Map (db m120709) HM
The Arkansas River Valley is a historical frontier in both the American and European sense. Americans view the frontier as unsettled or a sparsely settled area lands on the edge of "civilization." To Europeans, frontiers are boundaries or borders . . . — — Map (db m120698) HM
Colorado’s National Guard regiment the 157th Infantry, served in World War II with the famed 45th (Thunderbird) Division. It saw 511 days of combat in Sicily, Italy, France and Germany. It made four amphibious landings, in Sicily, at Salerno and . . . — — Map (db m287893) HM
The Eastern Colorado Historical Society dedicates the replica of this bandstand to the people whose donations made it possible. It is also dedicated to the memory of old fashioned Saturday nights, and to the musicians and bandleaders, especially . . . — — Map (db m287897) HM
Cheyenne County pays tribute to all men and women who served honorably in the Armed Forces to preserve America’s freedom. “All Gave Some Some Gave All” “Freedom is not free” — — Map (db m287898) WM
The Mountain State reaches across the Great Plains to welcome you. This is the Smoky Hills Trail, a short cut found in 1860 from the Missouri River to the Pikes Peak and Cherry Creek gold diggings. On this route to the mountains wagon trains and . . . — — Map (db m287901) HM
Smoky Hill Trail
The Smoky Hill Trail was the most direct route to Denver and the goldfields of the central Rockies. Immigrants heading west through central Kansas followed the Kansas River, then headed up its Smoky Hill River branch into . . . — — Map (db m77898) HM
Named for the great western scout, guide, trapper, and Indian fighter. Located on famous trails – at the junction of the Smoky Hill stagecoach route and the Texas – Montana, Potter and Bacon, and Chisum cattle trails. On the old Kansas . . . — — Map (db m88444) HM
The Texas-Montana, Bacon and Potter, and J.S. Chisum trails converged in this vicinity. Over these routes great herds of Texas Longhorns, scions of hardy stock from Spain, moved northward. Big Springs, 2.4 miles west, was an important cattle . . . — — Map (db m87888) HM
In many American small towns, the railroad depot was the portal to the rest of the world. More than any other public building, the depot touched the lives of all people in the town. Everything important to the existence of the town came and went . . . — — Map (db m77890) HM
Times of Thriving, Times of Striving
Fertile soil and plenty of irrigation water
set the stage for farms that thrived for
forty years, beginning in 1919. The area
around Crowley was bursting with
orchards, vegetable farms, an . . . — — Map (db m119634) HM
Crowley Communities
If the dry summers of the late 1920s spelled trouble for Crowley County, the Dust Bowl of the 1930s spelled disaster. Many farmers simply packed up and left, and their acreage reverted to grasslands and became cattle . . . — — Map (db m120745) HM
A visit to Elizabeth’s Main Street reveals some older building still used for day-to-day business, but it might surprise you to learn that many of these stores have been features of the Elizabeth scene for far more than a century!
Start at . . . — — Map (db m45757) HM
Established in 1884 by Dan Cort, the first business in the building was the Cort-Hames Mercantile, one of the oldest firms in Elbert County. The building was originally located across the street on the northwest corner of Broadway and Main St. An . . . — — Map (db m289661) HM
This building was constructed in 1907 to house First National Bank. Mr. Lee Ramsey was the bank president until early 1930's when the bank closed because of the Great Depression. For many years the building served as a storage space for medical and . . . — — Map (db m289662) HM
The Denver & New Orleans Railroad was established in 1881. It was intended that the railroad would extend south from Denver, ultimately connecting with other railroads in Texas to establish a connection to New Orleans. Construction of the line . . . — — Map (db m45758) HM
Built before 1880, this building originally faced east towards the railroad tracks. It became the Elizabeth Hotel in 1882 and catered to tourists and railroad crew members. It changed to the Arlington hotel in the early 1900's to include a . . . — — Map (db m203888) HM
[south side]TRIBUTE TO THE MEN AND WOMEN OF ELBERT COUNTY WHO HAVE SERVED IN THE MILITARY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Thank you for your service! You took an oath and did your duty and America remains free. So, please, . . . — — Map (db m289197) WM
Frontier Communication.
Kiowa was originally named after its postmaster, Henry Wendling. Such identifications were common among Colorado’s frontier hamlets, where the post office often was the town. Widely dispersed settlers would congregate . . . — — Map (db m45754) HM
Erected by Pioneer Women of Colorado 1939 A.D. in memory of pioneers massacred by Indians. 1864 A.D. Hungate, Nathan W. and Ellen and Children Laura V., Florence V. 1868 A.D. Dietemann, Henrietta and son John, Louis Alma, Joseph Bledsoe — — Map (db m45748) HM
Kiowa Creek, which runs through Kiowa (Peaceful) Valley, begins 20 miles south of here at the Platte River - Arkansas River Divide and winds north to the South Platte River. This valley contains petrified wood from ancient forests, fossils of . . . — — Map (db m289198) HM
Trail Under Siege Indians of Colorado’s High Plains
Kiowa and Comanche Indians migrated to these prairies in the 1700s, followed by Cheyennes and Arapahos in the early 1800s. The region’s vast grasslands, thick bison herds, and brisk fur . . . — — Map (db m275518) HM
Chief's Village at Sand Creek
The Cheyenne and Arapaho Village at Sand Creek was a
Chief's village with 33 chiefs and headmen present. To be
a chief in the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes is to undertake
a responsibility so vast . . . — — Map (db m181887) HM WM
Sand Pits Offer Life and Death Chief Black Kettle and George Bent sought shelter in
a sand pit with almost one hundred others. South of
them another hundred survivors sheltered in two other
sand pits, but soldiers brought up . . . — — Map (db m181071) HM
Cheyenne Peace Chief Black Kettle As the soldiers' gunfire increased, and artillery began
firing deadly salvos toward the village, Black Kettle
remained in camp. In a final show of desperate hope,
the chief hoisted an American and . . . — — Map (db m182290) HM WM
Activity in the Villages
As the attack moved toward the northern-most Cheyenne
and Arapaho encampments, tribal members sought to
escape, even as artillery shells exploded overhead.
Within the first hour of the attack command and . . . — — Map (db m181252) HM WM
A Camp at Sand Creek
Along the northern edge of the Pónoeo 'hé'e (Dry River) or
Sand Creek, sit about 156 lodges or tipis, with hoóxé’e or
tipi poles rising into the sky. Traditionally positioned with
their entrances open . . . — — Map (db m181240) HM
Some Soldiers Refuse to Fight Shortly after opening fire on the village, 1st Regiment
soldiers moved along both sides of the village. Cpt. Soule
and Lt. Cramer led their men west, around the fighting,
and purposefully did not . . . — — Map (db m181873) HM
Captain Silas S. Soule and Lieutenant Joseph A. Cramer of the 1st Colorado (U.S.) Volunteer Cavalry put their military careers - and lives - at risk by refusing to fire during the attack against a peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho village at
Sand . . . — — Map (db m180846) HM
In the Cheyenne and Arapaho camps, the early hours of
November 29, 1864 started like any other day – people up
before sunrise greeted the day cautiously, but with little
trepidation. “Heap of Buffalos Coming!”
Always alert to . . . — — Map (db m180915) HM
The Fort Lyon Reservation
Created in 1861 by the Treaty of Fort Wise, the Upper
Arkansas Agency Reservation, known later as the Fort
Lyon Reservation, was established for those Cheyenne and
Arapaho living below the South . . . — — Map (db m180906) HM
Though the Sand Creek Massacre has long passed, memories live on. Cheyenne and Arapaho return here to pray and pay tribute to ancestors who both perished and survived that dreadful day.
Ever resilient, the Cheyenne and Arapaho nations of today . . . — — Map (db m181060) HM
Grasslands are some of the most biologicaly productive but endangered ecosystems on
Earth, and are the major ecosystem in the
Great Plains. The prairie is integral in shaping this cultural landscape. It supports the interaction and survival of . . . — — Map (db m185037) HM
Women at Sand Creek
During the soldiers' attack, men in the village put up the
best defense they could. But displays of bravery were not
exclusive to warriors; many women risked their lives to
protect their families as well. . . . — — Map (db m181477) HM
Accountings of a Massacre
Captain Soule and Lieutenant Cramer put their lives
and careers in jeopardy when they refused to attack the
Cheyenne and Arapaho at Sand Creek. Both men wrote
letters detailing atrocities they . . . — — Map (db m184923) HM
A Scene of a Tragedy, a Hallowed Landscape
As the final shots faded throughout the valley and
November 29 drew to a close, approximately 230
Cheyenne and Arapaho lay dead. Most of those
killed were women, children and the . . . — — Map (db m180954) HM
"All we ask is that we may have peace with the whites...We want to take good tidings home to our people, that they may sleep in peace."
Cheyenne Chief Black Kettle
As tensions mounted, Chiefs Black Kettle and Left Hand pled . . . — — Map (db m181243) HM
”Many years have passed. The land is still here. We lived here, our clans lived here. The land here is our home - we have come back home.”
Arapaho:
Wonoo3ei’i ceciniihi’ coowoo’ou’u. Nih’iine’etiino’ hiitiino. Neito’eininoo . . . — — Map (db m180923) HM
"Many years have passed. The land is still here. We lived here, our clans lived here. The land here is our home - we have come back home."
Arapaho:
Wonoo3ei’i ceciniihi’ coowoo’ou’u. Nih’iine’etiino’ hiitiino. Neito’eininoo . . . — — Map (db m180924) HM WM
Sacred Memory
Sand Creek is a place where culture and history are at the
center of controversy, trauma, anger, and forgiveness. A
place to reflect on the past as well as the future, the Sand
Creek Massacre teaches powerful . . . — — Map (db m181063) HM WM
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 . . . — — Map (db m180907) HM
In the aftermath of Sand Creek, federal investigations and military inquiry took place. Dozens of eyewitness' provided testimony. Taken in Washington, D.C., Denver City, Fort Lyon, and other locations, officers, soldiers, and civilians came forth. . . . — — Map (db m181061) HM
A barrage of arms fire was leveled against the Cheyenne and Arapaho. Amid the wild confusion, soldiers noticed people at the village “... going slowly away in a sort of listless, and dazed, or confused manner ...” Throughout the morning and into the . . . — — Map (db m181242) HM
3rd Regiment Attacks
Hearing gun fire from the vicinity of the village,
soldiers of the 3rd Regiment, approximately two
miles west of this location, disobeyed orders and
turned their horses toward the bluffs. Somewhere
in the . . . — — Map (db m181097) HM WM
On November 29, 1864, U.S. Colonel John Chivington and 700 volunteer troops attacked an encampment of Cheyenne and Arapaho along Sand Creek. The thunderous approach of horses galloping toward camp at dawn sent hundreds fleeing from their tipis. Many . . . — — Map (db m180927) HM
Pony Herds Threatened
First to see soldiers approaching were two young men, King
Fisher and Little Bear, who were tending the horse herds
grazing to the south. In 1906, Little Bear described that
fateful day: “As I was . . . — — Map (db m181575) HM
We ran up the creek with the cavalry following us…The dry bed of the stream was now a terrible sight: men, women, and children lying thickly scattered on the sand, some dead and the rest too badly wounded to move… George . . . — — Map (db m290992) HM WM
The flag before you represents the flag that flew from Chief Black Kettle's lodge on the morning of November
29, 1864, when his encampment of friendly Cheyenne and Arapaho was brutally attacked by the Colorado
(U.S.) Volunteer Cavalry. The . . . — — Map (db m184925) HM
62 ► Colorado, Kiowa County, Chivington — Why? — Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site — National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior — Reported permanently removed
For years, Cheyenne and Arapaho traveled and hunted the Great Plains in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains. But in 1858, gold fever struck in Colorado Territory. Miners rushed in and tens of thousands of settlers followed. Competition for land . . . — — Map (db m181241) HM
Sand Creek Massacre
National Historic Site
Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site memorializes the massacre of nearly two hundred Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians.
Near dawn on November 29, 1864, detachments of the 1st . . . — — Map (db m107179) HM
Plains Indian Life
By the nineteenth century, Colorado’s southeastern plains country was home to many native peoples, including Comanches, Kiowas, Plains Apaches, Arapahos, and Cheyennes. Although vastly different in language and . . . — — Map (db m107178) HM
(Front Side)
Kiowa County pays tribute to all men and women who served honorably in the armed forces to preserve America’s freedom
(Rear Side)
“All gave some
Some gave all”
“Freedom is not . . . — — Map (db m107174) WM
Erected through the cooperation of Federal, State and local governments by Works Progress Administration. Dedicated to the enrichment of human lives. A record of permanent achievement. — — Map (db m118240) HM
In the 1940s, farmers were able to
draw water from the vast
underground Ogallala Aquifer using
deep water wells. This created
opportunities for production of new
"thirstier" crops and improved
nourishment of plants which in turn
brought . . . — — Map (db m251706) HM
As the Dust Bowl settled down in the
1940s, a new storm was brewing for
the Nation. This storm created what
many have called the "Greatest
Generation" and threw virtually the
entire world into chaos. No one was
left untouched, including . . . — — Map (db m251704) HM
Dedicated to All American veterans. This monument is dedicate to all Americans who have served in the United States Military. The names here are but a few. May we never forget the sacrifices that have been made. “In Honor of Those who served”. VFW . . . — — Map (db m45565) WM
Corn planting in the 1930s or 1940s.
No-till corn planting in the 2010s;
note the difference in soil
disruption.
The wheat threshing machine
separated the wheat berry from the
plant. Cut wheat was hauled from
neighboring fields to the . . . — — Map (db m251707) HM
Kit Carson County Carousel has been designated a National Historic Landmark. This site possesses national significance in commemorating the history of the United States of America, 1987, National Park Service, United States Department of the . . . — — Map (db m45747) HM
The Parmer Park before you is the
cherished product of a community
effort that was first considered in
September of 2009 when the
Burlington Rotary Club approached
the Burlington City Council with the
suggestion of refurbishing . . . — — Map (db m251695) HM
The Kit Carson County Carousel is a three row stationary machine (the animals do not go up and down). The 46 animals, 4 chariots and 45 oil paintings are all in original paint. The carousel's lion, tiger, dog and hippocampus along with goats, . . . — — Map (db m200983) HM
The Great American Dust Bowl lasted
from 1930 until 1939 and was really
the "perfect storm" that had an
impact on generations of families
throughout the mid-west. "Suitcase
farmers" from all over the country
came to the plains where land . . . — — Map (db m251702) HM
When the early settlers arrived in
eastern Colorado around the middle
of the nineteenth century, they
found Native Americans occupying
the plains The eastern plains were
home to the Arapahoe and Cheyenne
tribes occasional visits . . . — — Map (db m251696) HM
As the Native Americans and buffalo
disappeared from the Great Plains,
vast herds of cattle took their place.
The open range provided excellent
native grass for the cattle to forage
on. Without fences to confine them,
the herds would range . . . — — Map (db m251699) HM
The forces of nature have been
creating energy since the beginning
of time. People of each era seem to
find their own new ways to make use
of God's mysterious powers.
Traditional windmills were the
fastest way to pull water from . . . — — Map (db m251750) HM
Approximately 230 feet below where
you are standing is a geological
formation called the Ogallala
Aquifer. This underground water
basin is located beneath portions of
eight states. The volume of water
varies depending on rainfall and
usage . . . — — Map (db m251712) HM
The present day City of Burlington
was established in 1888 as towns
were needed along the Rock Island
Railroad track during its
construction. Burlington was in the
works to become a junction town;
however plans for additional railroad
lines . . . — — Map (db m251700) HM
Dedicated to the loving memory of those who lost their lives in the September 15, 1951 Flagler Day Air Show
Halford Milton Asher • Bebe Lee Mc Eathron
James Jefferson Brandenburg • Gordon Alexander Mc Eathron
Donald James Brandenburg • . . . — — Map (db m250410) HM
Panel 1
Arriba
In frontier Arriba (locally pronounced "AIR-uh-buh"), the only thing
more scarce than water was whiskey. Charles Creel, who founded
the town in 1888 to greet the advancing Chicago, Rock Island &
Pacific . . . — — Map (db m89381) HM
Sand Creek Massacre
At dawn on the morning of November 29 I was still in bed when I heard shouts and the noise of people running about the camp. I jumped up and ran out of my lodge. From down the creek a large body of troops was . . . — — Map (db m107245) HM
Erected through the cooperation of Federal, State and local governments by Works Progress Administration. Dedicated to the enrichment of human lives. A record of permanent achievement. — — Map (db m118241) HM
In memory of the men from Lincoln County who made the supreme sacrifice in the World War that liberty shall not perish from the Earth — — Map (db m213695) WM
Welcome to Lincoln County, Home of Pioneer Hospitality!
With its cowboy and homesteader heritage, Lincoln County is infused with an old-time spirit of hospitality. The discovery of gold in the Colorado mountains brought large cattle . . . — — Map (db m107246) HM
Chicago Illinois was the site for the Aeromotor Windmill Co. being the first to build all steel windmills. Two men, Thomas Ferry and Laverne Noyes founded Aeromotor Company in 1888, and began manufacturing the metal windmill. Mr. Perry had . . . — — Map (db m257698) HM
An official project commemorating Colorado's 100th year of Statehood and the United States' 200th Year of Independence. Endorsed by the Colorado Centennial-Bicentennial Commission Joe M. Lacy, Chairman Richard D. Lamm, Governor — — Map (db m257779) HM
The Currie windmills were always known as the “poor man's windmill” built in Topeka, Kansas, beginning in 1911 until the 1950's when the company ceased operations. The cost of a Currie in 1911 was $14.00, during the Depression years, $17.50 and . . . — — Map (db m257684) HM
This windmill was sold by Sears & Roebuck Co. through their mail order catalog, based in Chicago, Il. The David Bradley was identical to the Monitor W series manufactured by Baker Mfg. in Evansville, Wisconsin. The only difference between the David . . . — — Map (db m257699) HM
This Dempster No. 12 Annu-Oiled Windmill has been in production by the Dempster Manufacturing Co. in Beatrice Nebraska since 1922. This mill came in six, eight, ten, twelve and fourteen-foot sizes, this one being a six-foot model. The Dempster . . . — — Map (db m257696) HM
The Eclipse windmill was invented by Rev. Leonard Wheeler in 1866, with the help of his son William. They began manufacturing this mill in 1866 in Beloit, Wisconsin. In 1890 they sold the company to Fairbanks, Morse and Co. of Chicago. This mill . . . — — Map (db m257693) HM
The Fairbury No. 33 earned its name from Fairbury, Neb. where they were manufactured until the late 1940's. Fairbury No. 33 mills were known as “the New Deal windmill” in an effort to survive the depressed economic conditions of the 1930's, being . . . — — Map (db m257697) HM
This Prairie Monument mirrors the character of all pioneer families on these eastern Colorado plains. They shaped their world, and the land, wind, rain, and snow in turn, shaped them.
In order to escape the drought of 1950, the Conrad Schafer . . . — — Map (db m250407) HM
Due west 940 feet stood
“Fort Wicked"
Originally Godfrey’s Ranch
Famous Overland Stage Station
One of the few posts withstanding the Indian uprising of 1864 on the road to Colorado.
Named from the . . . — — Map (db m61998) HM
This engine given to the City of Sterling by the Great Eastern Sugar Company in commemoration of the industry’s contribution to the growth and prosperity of this area. This engine was used for many years hauling sugar beets within the factory . . . — — Map (db m62208) HM
3 miles southeast from this point is the site of the Battle of Summit Springs
Last engagement with Plains Indians in Colorado, July 11, 1869. Cheyennes who raided western Kansas were attacked by General E. A. Carr with the Fifth U.S. Cavalry . . . — — Map (db m61997) HM
