Kansas Indian Wars subject of annual history meeting near Fort Larned

A Kansas Cheyenne and Lakota village site burned in 1867 by Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer and the 7th Cavalry is being highlighted later this month by the Fort Larned Old Guard Mess and Muster.

This year’s annual meeting of the Old Guard is April 30 and will be on the 150-acre Ness County village site. The afternoon and evening events include re-enactors and historians discussing the events that led to the burning. Featured speaker is Alexa Roberts, superintendent of Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site and Sand Creek Massacre Site.

In 1867, Custer was on his first command in the Indian Wars with the 7th Cavalry when Gen. Winfield Hancock ordered him to surround the village 20 miles northwest of Fort Larned in a show of force.

The village’s residents, a number of whom had survived the Sand Creek Massacre in eastern Colorado three years earlier, saw the approaching troops and panicked, fleeing the village.

Hancock ordered the village burned. In the process, Custer reportedly lost his West Point ring, which was never found.

Historians say the act was a turning point in the nation’s Indian Wars, instilling fear and mistrust among American Indians and setting up major conflicts in the future.The event is free and open to the public.

The only charge is $15 for dinner; reservations must be made by Friday. Events start at 1 p.m. at the Fort Larned National Historic Site parking lot with a caravan to the Indian village site. For more information or to make reservations, contact Leo Oliva at oliva@ruraltel.net or call 888-321-7341. People are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, as seating is limited.

This story was originally published April 13, 2016 at 10:54 AM with the headline "Kansas Indian Wars subject of annual history meeting near Fort Larned."