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Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site Bill Signed, Sealed, Delivered To
People Of Colorado
U.S. Senator Wayne Allard (R-Colorado) said that legislation designating the
Sand Creek Massacre site near Eades, in southeast Colorado as a national
historic site, has been, “Signed, sealed and delivered to the people of
Colorado,” after President Bush signed the bill into law.
“I am proud to have introduced this bill and pushed it through the Senate so
swiftly. It is fitting that we commemorate the Native American tribal members
who were killed at Sand Creek in a dispute with the U.S. Army in 1864,” Senator
Allard said. “This is the right thing to do.”
The bill designates the 2,400 acres as a national historic site, which will be
overseen by the National Park Service in partnership with the Northern and
Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes. The legislation allows for land that is
acquired from willing sellers to be placed in a tribal trust in order to
facilitate long-term management of the park.
“I supported similar legislation in the 108th Congress which passed in the
Senate, and am glad we moved this through the Congress this year,” Senator
Allard said. “This legislation will benefit all of Colorado, mark our history
and protect a site that is not only historic but also sacred to the descendants
of the individuals who were killed there.”
Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave introduced companion legislation in the House.
Both measures were approved last week.
Similar legislation introduced by former Colorado U.S. Senator Ben Campbell and
Senator Allard was approved by the Senate last year, but failed to gain final
approval in the House before the session ended.
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