By Mike Bowen
Co-author, We Found the Lost Sand Creek Site
Eighteen years ago, April 2005, Doug Whitehead with Denver’s Channel 4, featured Chuck and Sheri Bowen’s Sand Creek Tours business on Colorado Getaways.
Chuck Bowen contacted Whitehead after he saw a Colorado Getaways program featuring the traditional Sand Creek site, where the monument sits. Bowen informed him the site they were on is not the place where the Indians camped or where the battle happened. At that time, the Bowens had discovered over 3,000 artifacts, and Chuck informed Whitehead about the discovery and that they offered tours to the discovery site, what the Bowens call the Lost Sand Creek Site, on the Bowen family ranch.
Here is a sample of the story from our book:
“I saw your show, Colorado Getaways, dealing with Sand Creek,” I said. “The site you were on was the traditional site. The real place is further up the creek. Ask Alexa Roberts, NPS Project Manager, in Eads, she will agree.”
“I am aware that there is disagreement over which bend of the creek is the actual site,” Doug Whitehead, producer, Colorado Getaways said.
“I have documented over 3,000 artifacts proving this. We have opened this to tours. Maybe you would be interested in a follow-up Getaways program. We certainly would be.”
“I have spoken with Alexa quite a bit on the phone.”
“We are interested in the truth of the story being told based on artifacts and eyewitness accounts. We are also aware that the Cheyenne have held the traditional site to be sacred, so there will always be two interpretations. We are not trying to stop theirs, just trying to tell ours.”
A film crew, along with Whitehead, made their way to the Bowen family ranch Saturday, April 16, 2005, for the feature. It aired a few weeks later, on April 30.
Enjoy some of the photos here in this blog of the film crew on site. Check back for the video, which we will post around April 30.
Read the full account in our book— you can get a copy here: We Found the Lost Sand Creek Site.
Don’t forget to leave us a star rating and review on Amazon here: Amazon review.
Follow our history page on Facebook: Facebook.com/BowenHistory.
Email us at chuck@thelostsandcreek.com to be included in our blog and Facebook page post updates list. We post behind-the-scenes stories from our book, artifact photos, history of our ranch, family history, and how the discovery affects the traditional Sand Creek story.
