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Chief Niwot

Details: Category: subpages; Created on Wednesday, 06 October 2010 15:24; Hits: 2481

The origin of our logo and Chief Niwot

Some have asked about SPC's logo depicting a Plains Indian profile wearing a war bonnet or headdress. We are incorporated as Niwot Corporation dba Specialty Products Company to honor Chief Niwot also known as Chief Left Hand. Chief Niwot was a tribal leader of the Southern Arapahoe people and our corporate logo today honors the peace seeking leader who was uniquely qualified to guide his people in a tumultuous time. His ability to speak Arapahoe, Cheyenne, and English as well as his reported physical stature gave his culture the best opportunity to survive the waves of gold rush prospectors and then settlers coming to the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Sadly, Chief Niwot and some 180 other Arapahoe and Cheyenne people lost their lives in the Sand Creek massacre in 1864. This massacre ultimately led President Lincoln to call for a congressional investigation that resulted in the removal of Governor Evans from office and Colorado being placed under martial law.

To read more about Chief Niwot and the life of the Arapahoe people in Colorado and this important part of the history of our state, you can start at Wikipedia, Chief Niwot. You may also be interested to read ‘Chief Left Hand: Southern Arapahoe’ by Margaret Coel. Chief Niwot left an enduring legacy in the Boulder Valley and the State of Colorado.