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“ON S. 2950, SAND CREEK MASSACRE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE ESTABLISHMENT ACT OF 2000” mentioning the Department of Interior was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1897-E1898 on Oct. 25, 2000.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
ON S. 2950, SAND CREEK MASSACRE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE ESTABLISHMENT
ACT OF 2000
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speech of
HON. MARK UDALL
of colorado
in the house of representatives
Monday, October 23, 2000
Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, as a cosponsor of the companion House legislation, I support the passage of this Senate measure so it can go to the President for signature into law.
This bill is important for the country, and particularly for Colorado because it would authorize establishing a National Historic Site at the site of the Sand Creek Massacre--an event that for more than a century has been regarded as one of the most emotionally charged and controversial events in American history.
On November 29, 1864, Col. John M. Chivington, leading about 700 soldiers of the First and Third Colorado Volunteers, attacked a village of about 500 Cheyenne and Arapaho people. These people were under the overall leadership of Black Kettle, and had camped on Sand Creek at the direction of Major Scott Anthony, who commanded Fort Lyon, about 40 miles to the south. By day's end, the soldiers had killed at least 150 people, including women and children.
The massacre resulted in almost instant controversy, which ultimately led to three federal investigations, all of which condemned Chivington's actions. By the 1865 Treaty of Little Arkansas with the Cheyenne and Arapaho, victims of Sand Creek received minor compensation for their suffering and loss of property. While some efforts were made to understand the massacre, place blame on the responsible parties, and compensate the tribes, little was actually done.
Many people, including Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, visited the site and collected artifacts of all kinds. The land involved later was used for large-scale cattle operations, and eventually small private landowners farmed and grazed the property. As time passed, evidence of the massacre slowly disappeared. Although the event continued to be remembered, mostly by the tribes and historians, the only commemoration of the massacre was a simple granite marker placed near the site by the local community in 1950.
In 1998, Public Law 105-243 authorized the Secretary of the Interior to identify the location and extent of the Sand Creek Massacre and to determine the suitability and feasibility of designating the site as a unit of the National Park System. Starting in 1998 a variety of techniques and methods were used to locate the site of the Sand Creek Massacre. These included a thorough research of written records, archaeology, geomorphology, aerial photographic analysis, traditional tribal methods and recording the oral traditions of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, the Northern Cheyenne and the Northern Arapaho.
Once the location of the site was identified, the next task was to determine national significance and suitability and reasonability of the site as a unit of the system. To be eligible for consideration, National Park Service management policies state that an area must possess nationally significant natural, cultural or recreational resources; be a suitable and feasible addition to the system; and require direct NPS management instead of protection by some other governmental agency or private sector. The Special Resource Study for the Sand Creek Massacre site, completed in July 2000, concluded that the area is nationally significant.
I agree with that assessment. The Sand Creek Massacre site possesses exceptional value in illustrating and interpreting the history of U.S.-
Indian relations in the American West. The
Thus, a National Park System unit at Sand Creek would provide an opportunity for Americans to better understand the significance of the massacre, the chain of events that led to it, the relationship between Indians and whites during the mid-to late-19th Century, the devastating effects of the massacre upon the Cheyenne and Arapaho peoples, and its far reaching repercussions, many of which linger today. The site also retains a high degree of physical integrity, and its isolated setting will give visitors an opportunity to contemplate the complexities of the human tragedy that unfolded there.
The Interior Department's Special Resource Study also concluded that Sand Creek is both suitable and feasible as a unit of the National Park System--suitable because it represents a cultural theme that is not already adequately represented in the system, and feasible because the area taken as a whole is of sufficient size and configuration to ensure long-term resource protection and accommodate public use.
S. 2950 would authorize the establishment of Sand Creek National Historic Site. The unit would be established once the Secretary of the Interior determines that sufficient lands have been acquired to provide for the protection and commemoration of the Sand Creek Massacre. Lands are identified on a map dated July 1, 2000 and would be acquired through donation, purchase from willing sellers or exchange. Priority for acquisition is given to the site containing the historical member. Keys to managing the site would be protection of the natural and cultural features that and critical to telling the story of Sand Creek; and cooperation and consultation with the tribes in the development of management plans and educational programs.
Mr. Speaker, let me conclude by commending the senior Senator from Colorado, Senator Campbell, for introducing this bill and for all he has done to make it possible for this bill to be before the House today. I urge its passage.
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