Administrative History

Park administrative histories are one of several broad baseline research reports that the NPS recommends for each park. The reports explain how a park was conceived and established and how it’s been administered up to the date when the history was written. Administrative histories focus on the history of a park as a park, to include the history of park programs and activities. Emphasis is placed on a park's legislative history as well as important issues in planning, land acquisition, public relations, and other topics of ongoing management concern.

The histories are an important document for current NPS managers and staff. They provides information about why and how certain management decisions were made and how specific programs, practices, and policies evolved over time. By learning more about issues their predecessors faced, management and staff are better able to deal with current issues and to make informed policy and program decisions.

Administrative histories are also an important source of background information for park programs such as planning, preservation, facility maintenance, resource management, and compliance. In addition, they're a rich source of information for park interpretive, educational, and museum staff as they prepare their programs and exhibits.

Administrative History, Volume II

The history of the Sand Creek massacre and the people and events leading to the designation and establishment of the site prior to January 2007 can be found, in part, in Ari Kelman’s Remembering Sand Creek: An Administrative History (2016), which is in draft form. Kelman’s research formed the basis of his Bancroft Prize-winning 2013 book, Misplaced Massacre: Struggling over the Memory of Sand Creek. Kelman’s work takes a close look at the controversy surrounding the location of the massacre site, the importance of the site to Cheyenne and Arapaho people, the advocacy of massacre descendants and tribal elders to establish the site, and challenges leading up to the formal dedication and opening of the site.

Administrative History, Volume II

The purpose of the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site Administrative History, Volume II is to provide an account of the origin and evolution of the site’s management, programs, challenges, and decisions in its first decade (January 1, 2007, through December 31, 2017). This volume of the administrative history will contextualize these first 10 years of site operations and provide an easy starting point and reference for site staff. It will also provide an entry point for future authors writing additional installments of the site’s administrative history.
Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site Administrative History, Volume II. Denver Service Center, National Park Service. Edited and with an introduction by Laura A. Miller, Ph.D. June 2024 (4.62MB PDF)