Sand Creek massacre healing run marks 152nd anniversary of attack

The healing run follows the route Col. John Chivington’s soldiers took back to Denver after slaying 200 Native Americans in the 1864 attack.

Gov. John Hickenlooper, center right, greets Northern Cheyenne tribal leader Otto Braidedhair, after speaking to members and supporters of the Arapaho and Cheyenne Native American tribes at a gathering marking the 150th anniversary of the Sand Creek Massacre, on the steps of the state Capitol in Denver, Wednesday Dec. 3, 2014. During his speech, Hickenlooper apologized on behalf of the state for the massacre. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

EADS, Colo. (AP) — Descendants of Native Americans killed in the Sand Creek massacre are making their annual healing run from Colorado’s Eastern Plains to Denver as they mark the 152nd anniversary of the attack.

Starting Thursday, the Cheyenne and Arapaho runners and anyone wishing to join them will head from the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site near Eads and make their way toward Denver, nearly 200 miles away. The run will end Sunday at the state Capitol after stopping at Riverside Cemetery to honor two U.S. Army officers who refused to fire on their ancestors.

About 200 people were killed in the attack on Nov. 29, 1864 led by Col. John Chivington. He and his soldiers then headed to Denver where they displayed some of the victims’ remains. The healing run roughly follows their route.