I went to grades 4 - 8 in Boulder, and I recall the Sand Creek massacre being mentioned in our Colorado History class. As I recall, the teacher called it a tragic mistake, or some such thing, but admitted the militia attacked a peaceful village. Now, as luck has it, I have a copy of the text we had for state history, _The Colorado Story_ by Hafen and Hafen, published in 1953.
There is an entry for 'Sand Creek Affair' in the index, pointing to pp. 214 - 215. The Hafens describe Chief Left Hand's people coming to declare their peaceful intentions, and camping where directed by the whites; then the militia attack, and cite Indian deaths at 100 - 500. They bluntly call it 'one of the most debatable events in Colorado history.' and note that some people refer to it as a 'battle' in which the Indians got what they deserved, but others call it a 'massacre' of peaceful Indians. The book spells out that there was much more evidence that Left hand's village was peaceful noting his efforts to contact the authorities, and the lack of defenses, or armed men, as well as the white flag and US flag prominently displayed. So even as far back as 1953, there was recognition that this was not one of the high points of state history.
My own admittedly limited work in the field seems to support the theory that the regular Army was much more professional and much less bloodthirsty in dealing with Indians than the militias. Some of the officers were actually rather sympathetic to the Indians' unenviable position between the rock of the federal government and the hard place of increasing settlement. As for "Dances With Wolves," well that's pure Hollyweird - I mean, would you trust them to accurately do railroad history?
Charlie
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