Postlude: Miners, Indians, and Mt. Evans
I’ve found the history of The White River Ute Indians captured in The Meeker Herald-Times and reprinted Indian Agent Nathan Meeker’s letters quite educational and informative.
Overall, I think the Indians got a raw deal by the U.S. government. Their vast lands in Northwest Colorado were taken away from them after the Meeker Massacre and over 700 of the Ute Indian tribe moved to a reservation in Utah.
However, there are usually two sides to every story and there was abundant dislike for all Indians in early day Colorado, then the Kansas Territory. Gov. John Evan was Territorial Governor from 1862 until 1865. He spent many years in Washington D.C. and was there when the Sand Creek Massacre occurred. Among his accomplishments were the founding of The University of Denver and Northwestern University in Chicago. In 1895 Mount Evans was named in his honor. Following in Gov. Evans’ footprints, Gov. Fred W. Pitkin was no fan of the White River Ute Indians, accusing them of burning down vast forest lands on their reservation. Agent Meeker writes it was to gain winter firewood, I think the real reason was to slow the advance of civilization to virgin mountains for gold discovered in today’s Central City, Black Hawk and Cripple Creek’s “Pikes Peak, or Bust” historic label. The Russians used the same tactic to slow the Nazi invasion with “scorched earth,” burning properties in advance of the German army.
Most recently we received a news release from a group seeking to rename Mount Blue Sky back to Mount Evans. The release stated, “Advance Colorado submitted a petition Wednesday to the Trump Administration seeking to rename Mount Blue Sky back to Mount Evans.” The news release continues, “Back in 2023, a 128-year-old Colorado mountain was renamed based on a false record and fraudulent process. We have requested that President Trump correct this wrong by restoring the name Mount Evans,” according to Michael Fields, president of Advance Colorado.
The naming of Mount Evans came 21 years after the Sand Creek Massacre in 1864 and by 1895 Colorado was a booming state. It was somewhat surprising that University of Denver didn’t protect their founding father’s namesake. I don’t believe that present generations should be rewriting history of those who lived during major past historical events. Passing though the historic gold mining town of Idaho Springs, the new “Blue Sky” signage hails the majestic mountain with the highest roadway in America into the blue sky.
The Advance Colorado group does suggest that a different peak be named in honor of the Southern Cheyenne and Arapahoe Tribes. (No mention of The Ute Indians in Western Colorado.) I think that is a meaningful tribute to our western heritage and an honor to our Indians. Maybe a river, another mountain, or a National Park, but adding to the history in a positive approach rather than rewriting past history of those who lived when the history was written.