by Richard Sweetman

On June 25, 2020, protesters pulled down the statue of the civil war soldier that stood atop the pedestal monument near the west steps of the Colorado capitol. Since that day, legislators and members of the American Indian community have discussed a replacement monument. But, to this day, the space where the civil war soldier statue once stood remains empty.

The original plan to replace the civil war soldier with a statue of an American Indian woman mourning the events of the Sand Creek massacre was approved by the Capitol Building Advisory Committee in November 2020. The Committee based its decision on a seven-inch prototype of a statue by the artist Harvey Pratt.

In March 2022, however, more than a year after the Capitol Building Advisory Committee sent its recommendation to Capital Development Committee, Mr. Pratt withdrew his statue from consideration. Representatives of the Northern Cheyenne and Northern Arapahoe tribes asked Mr. Pratt to make modifications to his design, and the artist declined their request. This development sent the proponents of the new monument back to the drawing board.

On May 17, 2024, the Capitol Building Advisory Committee met again and heard testimony from the tribes’ representatives regarding the status of the memorial. During the meeting, the representatives announced that they had agreed upon a new design. A team of four individuals, including a representative from each of the two tribes, a Denver sculptor, and a project architect from the University of Denver collaborated to develop a new concept and enlist a new sculptor to execute it.

The supporters of the new design described the proposed new sculpture as a bronze structure in the likeness of a tepee, with visible poles, to be placed on the ground rather than upon a pedestal. The new monument would be placed on a circular pad on the site of the former monument.

The proponents estimated the cost of the new monument at somewhere between $200,000 and $300,000. They expressed their hope that the One Earth Foundation would pay the bulk of this amount, but they also indicated their hope that the Capital Development Committee and the legislature will chip in some portion of the costs to pay for site preparation.

On November 15, 2024, the proponents appeared again before the Capitol Building Advisory Committee to share a miniature prototype of the new monument. Sculptor Gerald Shippen presented a slide show that displayed the prototype from various angles and perspectives. The planned monument will depict three Native American figures standing before a tepee without any walls — only poles. The figures will be larger than life — about seven feet tall — and the poles of the skeletal tepee will be approximately 23 feet high.

The prototype of the monument depicts an American flag hanging from the highest tepee pole, but according to Mr. Shippen, the plan is to incorporate this design element only on special occasions. For example, when the tribes hold the annual Sand Creek Massacre Spiritual Healing Run, the tribal runners will approach the west steps of the capitol and lay a ceremonial lodge pole on the tepee. The lodge pole will display a United States flag and a white flag of peace, which were the flags that Chief Black Kettle of the Southern Cheyenne had displayed on his tent on the day of the Massacre.

The Committee voted unanimously to approve the design and recommend it to the Capitol Development Committee.