The program will discuss Ray's research in to the Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Lakota response to the Sand Creek Massacre centered on the First and Second Battle of Julesburg in 1865. Ray uses a multidisciplinary approach drawing from his training in history, geography, and archaeology combined with his training a military campaign planner to better understand the events of 1865 and the important role they played in shaping the next decade of U.S. government and settler relations with the Plains Indian Nations. He also works to utilize cutting edge technology such as thermal imagery and LIDAR in his research to better understand and recreate the battle space.
Meet Ray Sumner
Ray is a cultural resources coordinator for the Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands (CEMML) at Colorado State University where he is also completing his PhD in Anthropology. He is currently working to finish his dissertation and hopes to graduate in the Spring of 2026. He is also a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel who served 22 years on active duty serving 16 years overseas in Korea, Iraq, Kuwait, and Thailand. He spent the majority of his career as a Psychological Operations Officer stationed in the Republic of Korea. He holds a Masters of Arts in History with a Public History (Museum Studies & Historic Preservation concentration) from Colorado State University and a Master of Arts in History with Honors from American Military University. His thesis at AMU was on the expeditions of John Wesley Powell to the Colorado in 1867 and 1868 as well as Powell's exploration of the Green and Colorado Rivers through the Grand Canyon in 1869 and 1871-72.
Old West history covers the Pony Express, the Santa Fe Trail, and the cattle drives, but little is told of the buffalo era. The wanton slaughter of the buffalo (bison) for their hides left the prairie marked by millions of tons of their bones -- the skeletal remains of an entire species. Keith Wondra, curator at Dodge City's Boot Hill Museum, will talk on how Dodge City grew on the growing buffalo hunting trade. Included will be the story of buffalo hunters and the businesses that depended on them.
Meet Keith Wondra
Keith Wondra is the curator at Boot Hill Museum in Dodge City, Kansas. He has written several books on Wichita and Kansas history including Kansas: In The Heart of Tornado Alley, "Where the Old West Comes to Life": The Story of Old Cowtown Museum and Wichita: 1930-2000. Along with the books, Mr. Wondra writes articles for the Dodge City Daily Globe. He is a native Kansan and an alumnus of Wichita State University with a Masters of Arts in History.