The Ute: Relations with Anglo-American Settlers in the 1800's Resource Set

Ute Doll (Image)

Shows a Native American (Southern Plains (Ute?)) doll. The head is buckskin with buffalo fur for hair; the body is muslin and is covered with a blue wool dress trimmed with red cotton binding. The sleeves are long with purple stripes; the yoke, belt and buckskin boots are decorated with beads.

Ute Beaded Vest (Image)

A Native American (Ute) beaded vest worn by Buckskin Charley. The vest is made of buckskin which is entirely covered with multicolor beadwork in designs of stylized American flags and geometric shapes on a white background. The interior of the vest is striped cotton. Belonged to Buckskin Charley, sub-chief of the Southern Utes

Buckskin Charlie & two Native American women (Photograph)

Native American Ute Indian chief Buckskin Charlie poses in front of a tepee with his wife Emma Naylor Buck (To-Wee) and an unidentified Native American woman. Buckskin Charlie wears fringed pants and shirt, a feather in his hair and a choker necklace. He holds what may be a pipe in his hands. His wife wears a dress, belt and her hair is braided. 

Group portrait of North American Indian (Ute) men and women  (Photograph)

Group portrait of North American Indian (Ute) men and women who include Chief Ouray and his wife, Chipeta. Chief Ouray wears a beaded buckskin shirt, leggings, and a breechclout, his hair is braided. Chipeta wears a fringed buckskin dress, a beaded necklace and wears her hair loose, she has on earrings. The white man with the dark beard and a cane is Otto Mears. An unidentified Ute man has fur wrapped braids, he wears beaded leggings, fringed moccasins; he has a blanket across his lap.

The Meeker Massacre (Sketch)

A reproduction of a sketch of soldiers surveying the damages after the fire and battle with the Ute Indians that broke out on September 29, 1879 at the White River Indian Agency. Nathan Meeker and his eight male employees were killed during the fighting, and his wife and daughter were taken hostage.

 

Meeker Memorial Markers (Photograph)

The citizens of Rio Blanco County, Colorado erected these memorial markers in 1927 at the site of the White River Indian Agency where Nathan Meeker and eight of his employees were killed. A native granite stone with a bronze plaque was placed in memory of the men lost on September 29, 1879.

Nathan Meeker (Photograph)

Nathan Meeker was determined to change the traditional horse culture of the Ute, and his patronizing treatment of the Ute helped set the stage for the Battle of Milk Creek and the Meeker Massacre in 1879. Though killed in the conflict, the military buildings constructed to house troops along the White River soon became the town of Meeker.

A Ute Family in Meeker, CO, 1902 (Photograph)

Reservations that were once owned by the whole tribe were broken up into small pieces that were owned by individual families.

Brunot Agreement Map (Map)

The Southern Ute Tribe was granted hunting rights in a large part of the state under the Brunot Agreement of 1874.  In 2016, the Southern Ute Tribe worked with the Colorado Division of Wildlife to re-establish hunting rights within the Brunot Agreement territory.