Massacre Canyon Historical Monument

The first federally-funded historical monument to be erected in Nebraska was a memorial honoring Pawnee and Sioux warriors, who in 1873 fought the last major battle between Native American tribes in the country. The monument now sits on the south side of Highway 34 three miles east of Trenton. The Massacre Canyon Monument is an impressive 35 feet tall, weighs 91 tons, and is made of pink granite. It has carvings of the faces of the noted Sioux John Grass and Pawnee Chief Ruling His Son, who is said to have lost his wife and three children in the battle. A nearby visitor center supplies a wealth of information on Native American and frontier history, stocks a nice collection of scholarly books, and in summer months serves as a retail outlet for jewelry by South Dakota artist Joann Winter Chaser. Current caretakers of the monument and visitor center, Don and Angie Keller, explain that the 1873 battle in what is now known as Massacre Canyon occurred when several tribes were off their reservations at the same time to engage in their annual summer buffalo hunts. The Pawnee, accompanied by a U.S. government agent, had been told they would have troop protection against any hostile actions from their historical enemies, but the protection was not provided. The Sioux tribe attacked the Pawnee hunting party at the northwest head of the canyon, and the running battle raged over several miles to the southeast until the Pawnee were trapped in the lower section of the canyon near the Republican River. An estimated 69 Pawnee men, women, and children were killed in the battle, with others dying later of injuries sustained in the fight. The Sioux are said to have lost six warriors in the battle.