For the first time, Colorado details dark historical chapter of attempted forced assimilation of...

Colorado is getting a fuller picture of a dark era in state history. At around the turn of the 20th Century the federal government funded institutions to try to strip children of their Indigenous identities. On Tuesday, state archaeologist Holly Norton released the results of her team’s year-long investigation into the practices of the schools. The research was mandated by the state legislature in 2022.

The state’s investigation offers more depth on the extent of this harmful historical practice in Colorado, which took place throughout the U.S. and Canada and was described in a federal report in May 2022.

"It's history that needs to be told," said Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren. Many Navajo children were at Colorado institutions. "There are times when we advocate for our communities and our nations, and all we want is to be part of a society that can be able to take care of themselves, but in order to do that, we have got to acknowledge the past. Native people, Ute people, Navajo people, have sacrificed so much."

History Colorado’s research team has identified nine institutions in the state that attempted to assimilate students. The two most prominent, in Grand Junction and at Fort Lewis near Durango, were boarding schools designed to house children from various Ute bands. However, Norton lays out how the Utes in Colorado were very distrustful of the schools and were largely successful in resisting efforts to enroll their children.