Battle of Adobe Walls
Fort Adobe was one of the first forts built on the southwestern plains along the Canadian River. The site can be found 78 miles northeast of Amarillo and just north of the same river, where currently a few markers stand in a large grassy area. Two battles occurred at the fort, one in 1865 and another one in 1874. Each battle involved Cheyenne soldiers allied with other southern bands and neither fight was really decisive. However, by 1874 the outcome of the Cheyenne fight with the U.S. Army was becoming clear. The Cheyenne were about to lose their land and be confined to a reservation.
Washita Battlefield National Historic Site
This national historic site is located in western Oklahoma near the New Mexico border. Park headquarters are located two miles west of the town of Cheyenne, OK. The battle occurred before dawn on November 27, 1868, when General Custer and his troops attacked a village of a group of Cheyenne lead by Black Kettle. Modern accounts of this episode in western history differ among historians with both Native and white calling the battle a slaughter. However, some historians dispute this interpretation, saying many Cheyenne were taken prisoner. Also the battle appears to have precipitated by Indian raids in western Kansas and a breakdown in communications between the military and Indians.
Sand Creek Massacre
Located in Eads the Battle of Sand Creek is more commonly referred to as a massacre. Even the National Park Service seems comfortable with this description of the famous battle that occurred in southern Colorado. On November 29, 1864 Colorado volunteers attacked a camp of both Cheyenne and Arapaho residents, who were located along this small southeastern Colorado River. Nearly a 150 Indians (mostly women and children) were killed in this event. Not established until 2007, the park is located in Kiowa County about 20 miles north of the town of Eads.
Antelope Hills
Once the boundary between Mexico and the United States, the Antelope Hills are a natural landmark that can be found 30 miles northwest of the town of Cheyenne, OK. Dominated by striking mesas and dry grassland, visitors might travel to this remote spot for a look at the landscape, where the Cheyenne, as well as their Arapaho and Comanche allies once lived.
Historical Fort Reno
Located in south central Oklahoma, Fort Reno was not established until 1875. At the time it was often used to protect Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians, who were now being forced onto the reservation, from repercussions from white settlers. The fort also housed the "Buffalo Soldiers" and other cavalry units, who were still fighting Indians in this part of the country. As of 2010, the Daughters of the American Revolution (D.A.R.) is responsible for preserving the old fort and keeping the center open. The fort is located west of Oklahoma City in a vast grassland near I-40.
