Gov. Polis signs executive order rescinding 1864 proclamations that led to Sand Creek Massacre

DENVER, Colo. (KRDO) -- Tuesday, Governor Jared Polis took steps to mend relationships with local Native American Tribes and acknowledge the massacre of Native People in Colorado.

Polis signed an Executive Order rescinding proclamations by Territorial Governor John Evans in 1864 that called for Colorado citizens to kill Native Americans and take their property.

That order eventually led to the Sand Creek Massacre, a genocide that left more than 200 Arapahoe and Cheyenne Native American women, elders, and children dead.

Despite it being more than 150 years later, that proclamation had never been officially rescinded.

Polis says this small step is just one of many ways the state is trying to make amends for its shameful treatment of Native Americans over the years.

The governor was joined by Lt. Governor Dianne Primavera and members of the Southern Ute, Ute Mountain Ute, Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribe, and the Northern Arapaho Tribe, as well as members of Colorado's American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

To learn more, go to the Sand Creek Massacre Foundation website or visit the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site.

In 2020, Colorado's Geographic Naming Advisory Board began evaluating petitions to rename Mount Evans, named after John Evans.