Shawsheen Elementary is named in honor of a Ute heroine, Shawsheen, who helped gain the release of members of the Meeker and Price families who had been taken captive after the Battle of Milk Creek in 1879.
Shawsheen was a beautiful Indigenous maiden. In 1863, she was within minutes of being burned to death by the Cheyenne, at the site in Greeley now known as Island Grove Park, when she was rescued by Company B of the First Colorado Regiment.
Shawsheen had been captured by the Arapahoe and traded to the Cheyenne. After her rescue, the United States Army returned Shawsheen to her people, but she never forgot the kindness shown to her by the soldiers. She became a very close friend of many settlers, including the Nathan C. Meeker family.
In 1870, sixteen years after her rescue, Shawsheen was given the opportunity to repay the people who saved her life. As the sister of the great Ute Chief Ouray, she used her influence to dramatically aid in the rescue of Mrs. Meeker, her daughter Josephine, Mrs. Flora Ellen Price, and her two children – Johnnie and May, who had been captured by Native Americans during the Meeker Massacre. Mr. Meeker, the founder of the Union Colony and the City of Greeley, was killed during the uprising.
The people of Greeley, where Nathan Meeker and his family lived for so many years, have never forgotten the important part Shawsheen played in gaining the release of the captives.
Shawsheen – is loved and remembered by many people.
Learn more about Shawsheen's life.