Chipeta: "Queen of the Utes" and Wife of Ouray

When Chipeta was first called Queen of the Utes, the term was meant in a derogatory way by a Rocky Mountain News reporter who described her presiding over Ute “vermin” in her buckskin. But then Denver poet Eugene Field wrote a poem dedicated to Chipeta and her role in saving white hostages from Utes after the Meeker Massacre, and an adoring public embraced her for her wisdom, beauty and grace. She became as famous as Ouray. Today, there are streets, places and organizations all over Colorado and Utah named after Chipeta.

When Chipeta was a baby, a band of Tabeguache Utes found her crawling in the ruins of a Kiowa Apache village, the only survivor of a savage attack. The Utes adopted her and raised her as their own. She became a caretaker for Ouray’s son after Ouray’s first wife died. The two became close and married. Ouray and Chipeta were inseparable. It was rare for Ute women to travel with their men, but the two traveled together as Ouray negotiated with whites and other Ute leaders for Ute lands. Ouray received a salary for his role as an interpreter and hunter for the Los Pinos Agency. Other Utes became suspicious and assumed that the money he received was in return for selling off Ute lands. But while Ouray was no longer welcome with certain Ute bands, Chipeta was accepted with open arms by everyone. The council she kept with other Utes became invaluable to Ouray. Soon, Chipeta was giving council to visiting chiefs, tribal headmen and U.S. functionaries. She continued in this role for the rest of her life. It was Chipeta who stayed up all night with Ouray as the White River Utes fought with the U.S. Cavalry up North, convincing him not to ride to their aid and thus, preserving what peace the Utes had left. After Ouray died and the Utes were stripped of their remaining Colorado lands, she continued to advocate for her people and for peace.

Chipeta dined with Kit Carson’s family and in the lavish homes of Indian affairs agents. She was eulogized in Washington D.C. newspapers and was well-loved. But after being banished to Utah, she was forgotten. On the Uintah Reservation, the Utes faced a harsh climate far different than their ancestral homelands in Colorado. They were told to farm, but most of the land wasn’t arable. The government allowed miners and others to trick the Utes and steal land from them. Chipeta survived on government commodities. Then the government subdivided the reservation and took more land away. Yet Chipeta’s spirit wasn’t broken and she still spoke for many Utes. In 1897, her brother McCook represented her opinions in Washington D.C.

Around the time of her death, the public began to notice her again. People sent her gifts. She was invited to Colorado to visit Montrose and the Uncompahgre Plateau. President Taft insisted she ride with him on his train to watch the opening of the Gunnison Tunnel. She was once again Queen of the Utes. When she died, the city of Montrose insisted she be exhumed from her humble grave in Utah and buried in Montrose in an elaborate ceremony. Her brother McCook agreed and today, she rests there in her ancestral homeland. For more information about Chipeta read Cynthia Becker's informative books Chipeta: Ute Peacemaker and Chipeta: Queen of the Utes. For photos of Chipeta, see our Digital Photos. Come to Western History and Genealogy to learn more about the Utes.

why don't you tell when she

why don't you tell when she was born and died?...................................................................

answer

Thanks for your question,

Thanks for your question, Sophia. Chipeta was born in 1843 and died on August 16, 1924. This, and much more about this remarkable woman, can be found in the biographies mentioned in this blog post!

Why is there really not that

Why is there really not that much about her childhood

Greetings Hannah or Associate

I look forward to finding out more about Chipeta ! "The Meeker Massacre" has been part of my lexicon for 60 years. When I was five-years-old, my grandmother, Mable Beck Rein, used to tell me fascinating stories about the adventures of her brother, Charlie Beck, "a Pony Express rider in Colorado." A plaster bust of Chief Rain In the Face stood prominently and reverently in our living room and my imagination was teased as I held a small inoperable pistol that used to belong to Charlie Beck. ( Just now I learned that Rain In the Face was rumord to have killed George Armstrong Custer. (?) One of Mabel's stories involved Charlie and the Meeker Massacre. Charlie was on the trail on his way to fetch medicine for a sick woman when he encountered a Ute brave in full war-paint. Startled, he didn't recognize his friend. The friend smiled and told Charlie that he better go a different direction--thus avoiding the Meeker Massacre. Apparently, Charlie was sympathetic to the plight of the Utes and outraged by the attitudes and behavior of some of the Indian Agents. When my parents died, a little red book that had sat ignored in several desks for sixty-eight years fell to me. I finally opened it and was amazed that the story about Charlie and the Meeker Massacre was documented as Mabel had told it to me. In fact one chapter consists of letters and newspaper clippings that Charlie sent the author after his return to Michigan and Indiana. The book is called, Grand Lake: The Pioneers by Mary Lyons Cairns, The World Press, Inc, Denver, Colorado, 1946. I plan to re-read the entire book, learn more about Chipeta, and the "scope and sequence" of "life back then". I am wondering if you have this book in your collection ? If not, I might consider donating it. My imagination asks if Charlie Beck ever encountered Chipeta ?

Greetings Hannah or Associate

I wish It would tell me who

I wish It would tell me who wrote the article. Please someone answer who wrote the article.

Hi Amelia, thank you for your

Hi Amelia, thank you for your comment. This blog was written by librarian Noel Kalenian. He has moved to a different job, but we can still answer questions for you about this blog.

thank you very much I really

thank you very much I really appreciate it.

I forgot to ask when did he

I forgot to ask when did he write it it and when was it put up here. It is for a report I am doing on Chief Ouray and Chipeta. So I need that Information for my bibliography.

We are working on petitioning

We are working on petitioning the USGS to move the naming of Chipeta Mountain in the San Isabel National Forest in the Sawatch Mountains in Southern Colorado. I was wondering if by any chance there is information on when the naming occurred and if there was any festivities that may have been recorded around the event. You can email us at ChipitaMountain@gmail.com

why don't you tell when she

Thanks for your question,

Why is there really not that

Greetings Hannah or Associate

Greetings Hannah or Associate

I wish It would tell me who

Hi Amelia, thank you for your

thank you very much I really

I forgot to ask when did he

We are working on petitioning

When was Chipeta born? And

Thanks for your comment.

What are the names of

how old is chipeta

what about how she died

According to Chipeta: Queen