Beecher Island is a

sandbar In oceanography, geomorphology, and geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material, and rises from the bed of a body of water close to the surface or ...

located along the lower course of the

Arikaree River The Arikaree River is a river in the central Great Plains of North America. It lies mostly in the United States, American state of Colorado, draining land between the North and South Forks of the Republican River, and it flows into the North F ...

, a

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

of the North Fork of the Republican River near Wray in Yuma County, Colorado. The site is notable for having been the scene of an 1868 armed conflict between elements of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

and several of the

Plains Indian Plains Indians or Indigenous peoples of the Great Plains and Canadian Prairies are the Native American tribes and First Nations peoples who have historically lived on the Interior Plains (the Great Plains and Canadian Prairies) of North ...

tribes. The island was named for Lt. Fredrick Henry Beecher of the 3rd Infantry (nephew of Henry Ward Beecher and veteran of the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was a three-day battle in the American Civil War, which was fought between the Union and Confederate armies between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle, won by the Union, ...

), one of the soldiers of the engagement who was killed during what became known as the

Battle of Beecher Island The Battle of Beecher Island, also known as the Battle of Arikaree Fork, was an armed conflict between several of the Plains Indians, Plains Native American tribes and Forsyth's Scouts, a company of selected civilian frontiersmen, recruited and ...

. The "island" and the courses of the river have been modified by several floods since 1868. The Battle of Beecher Island was fought along the Arickaree Fork of the Republican River with concentrated fighting on a small island. A few willow trees stood on the island; however, the banks on either side of the river were believed to have had minimal tree growth. Bluffs rise gently from the course of the river. The physical appearance of the actual battleground site was changed by a flood in 1935 which altered the river channel. A monument, erected in 1905, was swept from the island and virtually all traces of the island were destroyed. The major pieces of the monument were retrieved and have been erected on the north side of the river, overlooking picnic and camping grounds.

Beecher Island Battleground Memorial Association

The Association purchased at the battle site. This is a

semi-arid A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a aridity, dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below Evapotranspiration#Potential evapotranspiration, potential evapotranspiration, but not as l ...

region with native grasses,

sagebrush Sagebrush is the common name of several woody and herbaceous species of plants in the genus ''Artemisia (plant), Artemisia''. The best-known sagebrush is the shrub ''Artemisia tridentata''. Sagebrush is native to the western half of North Amer ...

, scrub plants, and trees along the river. The Association maintains a monument and the 1940 period auditorium, Sunday School building, kitchen hall, a one-room school house, modern showers and rest rooms, and a storage shed.Beecher Island Battleground, National Register of Historic Places Inventory-- Nomination Form; Charlotte Shoup; Beecher Island Battleground Memorial Association, Inc., State Historical Society of Colorado; 10-29-1976

History

Westward immigration in the 1860s broke the treaties between the Great Plains tribes and the United States. The

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. The Cheyenne comprise two Native American tribes, the Só'taeo'o or Só'taétaneo'o (more commonly spelled as Suhtai or Sutaio) and the (also spelled Tsitsistas, The term for th ...

, Arapahoe, and

Sioux The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin ( ; Dakota/ Lakota: ) are groups of Native American tribes and First Nations people from the Great Plains of North America. The Sioux have two major linguistic divisions: the Dakota and Lakota peoples (translati ...

Indians saw their hunting grounds being overrun by trails and homesteads. Alarmed, they began sporadic raids against settlers in 1864–1868. Major George "Sandy" Forsyth was commissioned to take fifty frontiersmen and locate the Indians doing the raiding. On the afternoon of September 16, 1868, an Indian trail was found and the troop followed it towards an encampment. Sioux scouts alerted their warriors nearby to the threat. The Indians were located on the Arikaree Fork of the Republican River. Roman Nose, Indian war leader, was among those in the camp. The Forsyth setup camp on the south side of the Arickaree Fork. Toward dawn, Indian scouts happened onto the camp. Fighting began and reinforcements were called from the Indian camps. Forsyth organized a defense on the low-lying island in the Arickaree. Protected by hastily dug rifle pits, Forsyth and his men held out for nine days. Six scouts were killed and fifteen, including Forsyth, were injured. Scouts were sent out at night to bring help from Fort Wallace. Because his invulnerability had been damaged earlier, Roman Nose held back from the battle as he performed the rituals to restore his power. While watching the battle from a bluff, he was hit by rifle fire and died from his wounds. Indian losses are unknown and the numbers disputed. The island was named in honor of Lieutenant Fred Beecher, who was killed during the engagement.

Town

The Beecher, Colorado, post office operated from August 12, 1887, until November 3, 1905. The post office reopened as Glory on November 13, 1924, but was renamed Beecher Island on February 1, 1925. The Beecher Island, Colorado, post office closed on May 31, 1958.

References

External links

State of Colorado

History Colorado
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National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

br>#NPS–76000569
— "Beecher Island Battleground Memorial" site *

{{authority control Former populated places in Yuma County, Colorado Ghost towns in Colorado Landforms of Yuma County, Colorado Shoals of the United States

Beecher Island Battleground Memorial Association

History

Town

See also

References

External links