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Please add profiles of those who were born, lived or died in Kiowa County, Colorado.
Official Website
On November 29, 1864, more than a decade before Colorado became a state and long before Kiowa County was formed, a massacre of Native Americans, a group of old men, women, and children, occurred on Sand Creek that initially was greeted as a victory in the Colorado War against hostile Indians; within months, Congressional inquiries revealed a different picture, and a national scandal erupted. It happened in what is now Kiowa County, and is known as the Sand Creek Massacre.
Territorial Governor John Evans eventually lost his job for his part in setting up the incident, and Colonel John Chivington, commander of the U.S. forces, was castigated by the United States Congress and the scandal followed him for the rest of his life. Evans would go on to make significant important contributions to the early Denver community and while Chivington also made some, his reputation remained tainted while Evans is still honored today.
The location was not positively identified until 1999, and in 2005, the National Park Service established the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site. Currently the facilities include a small visitor's center, 2 walking trails, signage, and monuments overlooking the massacre site. The massacre site itself is off-limits to visitors.
Kiowa County was established in 1889, taking its name from the Kiowa Indians who lived in eastern Colorado before the Europeans arrived.
Adjacent Counties
- Cheyenne County
- Greeley County, Kansas
- Prowers County
- Bent County
- Otero County
- Crowley County
- Lincoln County
Towns & Communities
- Arlington
- Brandon
- Chivington
- Eads (County Seat)
- Haswell
- Sheridan Lake
- Towner
Links
National Register of Historic Places
Kiowa County School Census Records - (1900-1964)
