The "American Ranch Massacre" occurred in 1865 during the Colorado War.

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized nations: the Southern Cheyenne, who are enr ...

and Sioux

warrior A warrior is a person specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracies, class, or caste. History Warriors seem to have be ...

s attacked a ranch near present-day Sterling,

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...

where they killed all of the male settlers and took three captives.

Massacre

In the first winter of 1865, the Lakota Sioux and the Cheyenne were raiding in the

Colorado Eastern Plains The Eastern Plains of Colorado refers to a region of the U.S. state of Colorado east of the Rocky Mountains and east of the population centers of the Front Range. Geography The Eastern Plains are part of the High Plains, which are the wester ...

when they attacked American Ranch, about thirteen miles up the

South Platte River The South Platte River is one of the two principal tributaries of the Platte River. Flowing through the U.S. states of Colorado and Nebraska, it is itself a major river of the American Midwest and the American Southwest/Mountain West. It ...

. On the morning of January 14, two ranch hands named Gus Hall and Big Steve were crossing the South Platte to cut wood when around 100 natives on horseback appeared. A skirmish began and Big Steve was killed, Hall was shot in the ankle and was forced to defend a part of the sand bluffs by the river. Some of the warriors remained behind to harass Hall while the rest proceeded to American Ranch. At the ranch were Bill Morris and his wife Sarah with two young boys and five

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaqu ...

s. The Cheyenne and Lakota charged in shooting and quickly set the buildings of the ranch on fire forcing the ranchers away from cover where they were killed. Sarah Morris was about to be killed when a warrior named White White saved her to keep for himself. The two young boys were also taken and one was later killed while in captivity. Gus Hall watched the massacre at the ranch from across the river but because of his wound, he was unable to do anything. One of the natives snuck up behind the wounded cowboy while he was distracted and shot an arrow that cut Hall's chest and landed behind him. Hall then shot and killed the bowman with his revolver. After this, the Indians moved on to continue raiding so Hall had to walk twelve miles down the river to Wisconsin Ranch which was also attacked during the war. Though wounded twice in the foot and across his chest, Hall managed to survive the cold journey and eventually relayed his account of the event to the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

who arrived at Wisconsin Ranch soon after. At American Ranch, the soldiers found nine bodies, seven whites and three natives next to

whiskey Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden ...

decanters. Hall later said that Bill Morris intended to poison the whiskey with

strychnine Strychnine (, , US chiefly ) is a highly toxic, colorless, bitter, crystalline alkaloid used as a pesticide, particularly for killing small vertebrates such as birds and rodents. Strychnine, when inhaled, swallowed, or absorbed through the e ...

because he suspected an attack and knew the Cheyenne and Lakota would drink his alcohol.

References

{{Forts in Colorado Conflicts in 1865 Massacres in 1865 American Ranch American Ranch Massacres by Native Americans Massacres of men History of United States expansionism 19th-century military history of the United States January 1865 events 1865 in Colorado Territory 1865 murders in the United States Sterling, Colorado Battles in Colorado Violence against men in North America

Massacre

See also

References