Spring Break- Sand Creek

After our cousins left, we took a little “stay-cation” and went down to Colorado Springs and the surrounding areas. . . or so I thought.  Kendall had a little Colorado history research project to do for school, and Patrick had suggested that she do her project on the Sand Creek Massacre, something he had studied in college and was interested in seeing in person.  He said we could visit it “on our way” to Colorado Springs.  Well, as you can see from the map below, our destination of Sand Creek (point B on the map) was not exactly on the way to Colorado Springs.  The Springs is about 45 minutes south of us, and Sand Creek was about 3 1/2 hours south and east, only 45 minutes from the Kansas border (doesn’t look that far on this map, but keep in mind that it is in the middle of nowhere, so it is not an eight-lane highway that takes you there).  Not having looked this up ahead of time (because Patrick was in charge), I figured it truly WAS on the way, meaning it was less than 45 minutes from home, so I didn’t pack any lunch or snacks in the car.  Big mistake.  There is NOTHING in that little town or within a hundred mile radius of it.  No grocery stores.  No restaurants.  Just sand.  And a dried up creek.

The girls were really good sports.  Kendall got the information she needed.

And in true Berkeley form, she decided she needed to take notes as well.

It was so sunny and windy that it was hard to get a great picture!

And this is when they noticed a dead bird carcass that someone had left in tribute of an ancestor who died in the massacre.

We all learned a lot (I learned that we should ALWAYS have snacks in the car) and even though I had never heard of this massacre before, I was grateful to learn a little bit more about our nation’s history.  It remains one of the most controversial events in U.S. history and I know Kendall and I were both shocked as we learned more about this tragic day for Native Americans.  It made me sick to imagine what they went through.  Not too long after this trip, Patrick and I were surprised when we heard the Sand Creek Massacre referenced in Iron Man 3!  The 150th anniversary of this day will be in November 2014, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it is publicized a lot more next year.