Colorado USGenWeb Archives

Beecher's Island
Battlefield Monument
Beecher Island, Yuma County

The Beecher's Island Battlefield Monument is a joint Colorado - Kansas historical site established in 1905 to commemorate the 17-19 September 1868 battle fought there between Colonel George A. Forsyth's Scouts and a group of about 750 Indians from several Plains Indian tribes.

The site is located on County Road KK just west of the Arickaree River bridge. To get there from Wray go south about six miles on US 385 and follow the Beecher Island signs ten more miles.
[NAD27 GPS - LAT 39°52'19"N LONG 102°11'08"W]

Historical note: The monument photographed above is the second to be erected. The 1905 monument, located about 200 yards south of (behind) today's marker on the original island, was washed away in the 1935 Arickaree River flood. Only part of the engraved portion of the base of the original marker was recovered. The mud stains and chips evident in the photographs below came from that flood.

The photographs in this portion of the archives were contributed by:
Lee Zion unless otherwise credited.

This page was last updated Saturday, 14-Jun-2008 11:53:32 EDT

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Marker Photographs

(Click on the underlined name to view the tombstone photograph.

Monument Engraving
South Face Summary of the Battle	West Face The Dedication	North Face The Rescue	East Face Scouts Names *

Memorial Markers

• Lt. Fred H. Beecher, 3rd Infantry Regiment, killed Sept 17, 1868.
  • Notes: Born 22 June 1841, New Orleans, Louisiana; Civil War service - 2LT, 16th Maine Volunteers; Buried on the battlefield, remains not recovered.
• Dr. J.H. Mooers, Acting Assistant Surgeon, killed Sept 18, 1868
  • Notes: Born 1829, Plattsburg, N.Y.; Civil War service - Surgeon, 16th and 118th New York Volunteers; Buried on the battlefield, remains not recovered.
• George W. Culver- Civilian Scout , killed Sept 17, 1868
  • Notes: Civil War service - 2LT, Company E, 2nd Colorado Cavalry; In 1866 elected as the first Ottawa County Treasurer, Ottawa County Kansas; Buried on the battlefield, recovered and reinterred Ft. Leavenworth National Cemetery, Kansas.
• Lewis Farley - Civilian Scout , died Sept 25, 1868
  • Notes: Born Monroe County, VA; Civil War service - Blacksmith, Company G, 3rd Indiana Cavalry; After 1865 - Army Scout for Forts Hays, Harker, Larned, Dodge and Wallace; Father of Scout Hudson Farley; Buried on the battlefield, recovered and reinterred Ft. Leavenworth National Cemetery, Kansas.
• William Wilson - Civilian Scout , killed Sept 17, 1868
  • Notes: Civil War service, CSA; Buried on the battlefield, remains not recovered.

Notes about the scouts names:

• The list on the east face of the monument includes only the 30 uninjured scouts.
• Wm. Wilson, who died on the battlefield, is listed as uninjured instead of John Wilson who survived.
• Two additional lists of names to honor the dead and wounded scouts were engraved on the upper sections of the monument that were lost in the 1935 flood.
• The five scouts who died at Beecher's Island are listed above, the wounded scouts were:
  • Bvt Col G.A. Forsyth - Commanding
  • W. Armstrong
  • G.B. Clark
  • J. Curry
  • H. Davenport
  • T.K. Davis
  • B. Day
  • H. Farley
  • R. Gantt
  • J. Haley
  • F. Harrington
  • J.H. Ketterer
  • Wm H.H. McCall
  • L.A. McLaughlin
  • H. Morton
  • T. O'Donnell - died of wounds Nov 18 in the Ft Wallace Hospital.
        Buried in the Ft Wallace Cemetery.
  • H.H. Tucker
  • F. Vilott

For more information about the Scouts, read The Forsyth Scouts and the Battle of Beecher Island.

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