Story of the Land

Ute tribal leaders: Buckskin, Pe-Ve-Ge, Nanice, Severo (in some cases identified by government official given nicknames)

Similar to the attitudes of most White Americans of the time, Nathan Meeker considered the Ute with a mix of contempt and pity, only rectified through adopting the dual practices of Christianity and farming. Meeker’s belief in salvation through farming was held in a similar esteem to his Christian beliefs. Two decades prior to becoming Indian Agent of the White River Agency, Meeker wrote a novel about a sailor who found himself teaching the wonders of the industrial world to ignorant natives on a South Sea Island. These novelized beliefs, coupled with a strong motivation to get out of debt, led Meeker to leadership of the White River Agency. Meeker’s orthodoxy also set the stage for a Ute revolt, leading to his death along with ten others, 17 months after taking the helm of the White River Agency.

The weeklong Ute uprising known as the Meeker Incident started on September 29, 1879. In 1934, a White River Agency Blacksmith who had previously worked at Meeker’s ill-fated agrarian utopia, the Union Colony in Greeley, recalled what led to the incident:

The Indians were friendly to all but Meeker…Whenever a difficulty arose, he would ask Washington for Instructions, instead of settling it himself. The Indians did not like this. Many of the Indians wanted to be on good terms with the whites, but when Meeker ordered their racetrack plowed up, they resented it very much. At about this time they had learned that Meeker had asked that a company of soldiers be sent to the agency to help him enforce discipline. It was probably these two things that roused the Indians to revolt.

-Albert A. Woodbury, Blacksmith, White River Agency, recalling his experiences at the White River Agency which he left to return to Greeley, one week prior to the Meeker Incident.

The Ute uprising led to anger and fear amongst white Coloradans. The incident also served as a catalyst that led to the much desired removal of Ute from most of Colorado, 12 short years after a government treaty ceded 12-million-acres of western Colorado to the Ute.  [Part 3, 5/4/22]

The Meeker Incident was referred to as the Meeker Massacre – implying innocence and an unprovoked attack – by white scholars, government officials, and newspapers for many decades. The ability to narrate history entrenches power, leads to institutionalized racism, and can result in disenfranchisement for generations. As a college and campus, we at CMC have an opportunity through our curriculum and practices to break that cycle.

I would be grateful to hear from you regarding actions and strategies you have taken to address this power imbalance.