Five videos feature entire content of the two-hour educational event
On April 17, 2011, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to spearhead an event that will forever change my understanding of American history: The Denver Public Library and I partnered together to bring the Colorado community Lessons Learned at Bloody Sand Creek: A panel discussion on the events at Sand Creek in 1864 and the impact on Colorado & the West today .
The community outpouring for the discussion went beyond any of our expectations. Hundreds of students, historians, Denver residents, and members of the Native American community came out to hear our panel’s discussion and perspective of the Sand Creek tragedy.
Our multi-disciplinary panel represented a number of areas of expertise: art, law, history, and theology. In addition to the surprise of having a diverse, standing-room-only crowd, we were also humbled by an impromptu poetry reading by Antoinette Red Woman, a direct descendant of Cheyenne Chief White Antelope, who was killed during the massacre.
I invite you to watch these videos and to learn more about a crucial chapter in American history and how its ramifications still impact the West today
You may watch the embedded videos below or visit my YouTube channel: Craig Bergsgaard on YouTube.
A sincere thank you to everyone who made this educational event a reality:
- Jim Kroll, Manager Western History and Genealogy Department, Denver Public Library
- J. Wendel Cox, Phd, Senior Special Collection Librarian in the Western History and Genealogy Department, Denver Public Library
- George E. “Tink” Tinker, PhD, Clifford Baldridge Professor of American Indian Cultures and Religious Traditions, Iliff School of Theology
- Rose Fredrick, APAA, Curator and Art Consultant
- Tom Noel, PhD, Professor of History and Director of Public History, Preservation & Colorado Studies at University of Colorado Denver
- Col Ronald G. Machoian, PhD, Director of International Programs and Assistant Professor of Military & Strategic Studies, US Air Force Academy
- Glenn T. Morris, JD, Director, Fourth World Center for the Study of Indigenous Law and Politics at CU-Denver
- And last, but not least, my wonderful wife, JoAnn. I couldn’t do any of this without you.
If you would like more information on the tragedy at Sand Creek, please read this brief history of the Sand Creek Massacre.