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​​For millennia indigenous peoples have made the region that comprises present-day NE Colorado, SE Wyoming, and W Nebraska their home. It wasn’t until the early 18th century when the first recorded Europeans passed through. It is only ironic that the earliest encounters between the two groups were contentious as that is how their relationship, and that with the Euro-Americans who entered the region much later, would largely be characterized.

The human story of this tri-state region is one of hope, despair, heroics, and shame. It contains elements of triumph and tragedy, gain and loss. Throughout it all was an omnipresent clash of cultures whose differences determined the course of events. Yet, despite the maelstrom of emotions elicited by all of it, the story persists, has shaped, and continues to shape, the region in which those of us who are inhabitants, call home.
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At Traces of the Past History Tours, we endeavor to impart the rich story of the region through informative and engaging van tours that take travelers to several historically meaningful sites.  Visiting the selected site locations and listening to the tour guide narrative will enlighten and open your eyes to the land, people, and events that comprise the region’s history.  We believe that education and fun are one in the same.  If you feel the same, then we invite you come aboard, step into history, and experience for yourself the traces of
​the past.
 About Our Tours
  • Each of our van tours are comprised of approximately 50% riding and 50% standing and light walking.
  • Tours are approximately two hours in duration, allowing for varying traffic conditions which may slightly delay our return.
  • Please note access to bathroom facilities are limited to Lions Open Space, our place of beginning for each tour.
  • Our transportation is NOT wheelchair accessible, so please plan accordingly.
  • Only service dogs are permitted on our tours.
Be sure to bring
  • Comfortable footwear (on the walking part of the tours there are some dirt trails, so please be mindful of your footing).
  • Water. Staying hydrated is important and temperatures can be quite high (we will also have a container of water in the van).
  • Insect repellent. It is infrequent, but in case we encounter mosquitoes, it is good to have it on your person.​​​ ​

Colorado Field Excursions

Excursion 1: Sand Creek Massacre - Nov. 29, 6:00 a.m. - ~5:30 p.m.
Group Pricing:
2-person group - $140/person
3-person group - $95/person
4-person group - $70/person
5-person group - $55/person

Destination: Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site, Eads, Colorado

When: Sunday, Nov. 29, 6:00 a.m. -
​~5:30 p.m.
On the eastern Colorado grasslands on a cold November dawn in 1864, Colorado volunteer cavalrymen under the command of Colonel John M. Chivington fell upon an unsuspecting village of Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho. The surprise attack quickly developed into a rout. After the smoke cleared over 150 American Indians lay dead, many of whom were women and children. Losses incurred by the Army were negligible in comparison. The devastation wrought by what became known as the Sand Creek Massacre brought far-reaching implications across not only Colorado, but the entire Great Plains, for many years to come.

The trip will coincide with the anniversary of Sand Creek, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020. We will depart from Fort Collins at 6:00 a.m. and arrive at the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site at approximately 10:00 a.m. A continental breakfast and coffee and water will be provided.

After a presentation and guided tour of the site (approximately 1 1/2 - 2 hours) we will begin our return journey.

On the way back we will stop for lunch in Limon, then arrive back in Fort Collins sometime between 5:00 and 6:00 p.m.
Where to Meet: Colorado Welcome Center, 3745 E Prospect Rd #105,
​Fort Collins, CO

Fort Collins, Colorado

Early Settlement/Town Beginnings Tour
Approximately 2 hours, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, 9-11 a.m. and 1-3 p.m. | $30.00/person* (max 5 people per COVID guidelines
Writing in 1884 from Pine Ridge Agency in Dakota Territory, former trapper and guide Antoine Janis described the place where he and his Lakota wife, First Elk Woman, spent their winter and spring seasons. 
“I thought then that the [Cache la] Poudre valley was the loveliest spot on earth, and think so yet.”  Permanent Euro-American settlement began here in 1859 and slowly over the ensuing years the population increased.  The U.S. Army, serving a protective role for civilians, drew still more settlers.  After the military abandoned the area in 1866 the colony town of Fort Collins took shape and was later incorporated in 1873.

This tour tells the fascinating story of some the earliest settlers in the Cache la Poudre River valley, how they came to be associated with the founding of the fledgling community of Fort Collins, and where the settlement occurred along the Poudre corridor.
Where to Meet: Lions Open Space, 
2425 N. Overland Trail, Laporte, CO 80535

Fort Collins, Colorado

 The Military Years Tour
Approximately 2 hours, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, 9-11 a.m.​ and 1-3 p.m. | $30.00/person* (max 5 people per COVID guidelines)
While the Civil War raged in the East, the U.S. Army continued to grapple with its oldest foe, the American Indians, in the West.  Along the Oregon route in Wyoming in early 1862, Native American tribesmen, disturbed by the increasing presence of Euro-Americans and perhaps emboldened by a spatially dispersed enemy, stepped up their resistance.  As a result, the mails as well as many wagon trains were detoured to a new road south.
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This tour outlines the military presence in the Cache la Poudre River valley and its significance to the Indian Wars and westward migration movement.  Learn too, about Army life on the frontier and how this remote outpost named Camp Collins spawned the later foundation of its namesake town.
Where to Meet: Lions Open Space, 
2425 N. Overland Trail, Laporte, CO 80535