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Mysterious Box Discovered at State Capitol Opened by History Colorado, Governor Polis on Live TV

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DENVER — Today, Governor Polis and History Colorado opened a mysterious box that was discovered beneath the pedestal that once held a Civil War monument on the Colorado State Capitol steps. Colorado Governor Jared Polis, History Colorado staff, representatives from the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, and Legislative Council Staff gathered at the History Colorado Center to open the small tin box and reveal its contents on live TV.

"We found a mysterious box at the base of a statue near the capitol placed there in 1907, and today we unboxed Colorado history hidden for more than a century. Inside we found a special signed note and well-preserved newspapers from 1907 and other documents. As we approach our 150th birthday, now is the time for Colorado to honor and learn from our history, and celebrate the incredible progress we have made in building a Colorado For All. Today's discovery gave us better insight into the history and construction of the statue, and life in Colorado over 117 years ago," said Governor Polis.

Governor Polis removes a document from the mysterious box found within a statue at the state capitol.

Governor Polis points to newspapers from 1907 retrieved from the mystery box found under a statue at the state capitol building.

The box was found beneath the pedestal that once held a bronze figure of a Union cavalry soldier that was installed outside the Colorado State Capitol in 1909. This statue was Colorado's most prominent contribution to the nationwide wave of monuments installed to commemorate those who fought in the Civil War. The tin box hidden beneath the monument's base was an unexpected find, and the contents hidden inside were entirely unknown.

"We must always approach the history of our monuments and memorials with reverence and respect. In the case of this humble tin box, we didn't know if we would be encountering the history of war veterans or of the Sand Creek Massacre. It is fitting that our State's highest official, the Governor, was here to witness and assist with today's historic uncovering," said History Colorado CEO/President Dawn DiPrince.

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"On Guard," as the artist John Dare Howland named the monument, stood sentry on the west side of the State Capitol for more than a century. Its pedestal included a list of "Battles and Engagements" Colorado troops fought in during the Civil War. The final entry was "Sand Creek," an assertion that the killing at Sand Creek was a legitimate battle despite condemnations at the time of the massacre by a military commission, a Special Joint Committee, and the Congressional Joint Committee on the Conduct of War. The plaque's assertion made the monument increasingly contentious in recent decades.

During the summer of 2020, when Coloradans took to the streets demanding racial justice in the wake of George Floyd's murder, the marches, rallies, and protests centered near Civic Center Park and the Capitol building where "On Guard" stood. Until the monument was toppled by unknown actors in the overnight hours of June 25, and ended up in storage.

History Colorado soon after installed the toppled monument as an ongoing interactive exhibition at its downtown Denver flagship museum, the History Colorado Center. This installation invites visitors to reflect on the multiple meanings this monument holds today and the role of statues in remembering history. History Colorado is currently working with the Department of Veterans and Military Affairs to conserve the "On Guard" memorial and restore the pedestal, so that it can be respectfully reinstalled and publicly accessible at one of their properties.

Last year, the Colorado State Legislature, with the support of Governor Polis's office, unanimously approved plans to place a Sand Creek Massacre memorial on the spot where the Civil War monument previously stood. During the process of preparing the location by removing the remaining pedestal base that once supported "On Guard," Capitol staff working with a crane crew unexpectedly discovered a tin box placed into a hole beneath the statue's base.

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History Colorado helped ensure careful handling of the box. As a precaution before opening it, and to obtain critical clues as to what might be inside, History Colorado decided to have a CT scan performed at the University of Colorado Research Imaging Center in Aurora. The resulting scan images suggested the box possibly contained ledgers and newspapers.

Upon opening the box, a time capsule was discovered. It contained materials from the date the pedestal and base were installed in front of the Capitol on September 6, 1907, nearly two years before the monument's placement. There were newspapers from the day, including The Denver Post, The Denver Republican, The Denver Times, and The Rocky Mountain News. The craftsmen and committee members responsible for the installation left a record of their contributions and intentions, including a two-page typewritten letter, their business cards, and a bound booklet of State legislative Acts that enacted the installation of the monument.

History Colorado and Governor Polis hope that the intrigue surrounding this mystery box will spark interest from Coloradans in learning about the state's Civil War history.

Although many Americans think of the Civil War as taking place east of the Mississippi River, in important ways Colorado was born from the conflict. Colorado troops, drawn mainly from local volunteers, fought for the Union Army near and far from home. Colorado territory had a population of just 34,000, but provided more than 4,900 troops to the Union cause. Most served within the First, Second, and Third Colorado Volunteer Regiments, engaging Confederate forces in key battles throughout Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma. By the war's end, roughly 500 Coloradans had given their lives in service to the Union.

Most notably, Colorado's Union forces engaged in the Battle of Glorieta Pass in northern New Mexico, where they played a vital role in protecting western gold fields – key financial support for the Union war – from Confederate takeover. Union troops also removed Indigenous peoples from their homes to secure the land for American settlement, which included the bloodiest day in Colorado history, the Sand Creek Massacre.

About History Colorado

History Colorado is a 146-year-old institution that offers access to our state's history through enriching experiences at eleven museums and historic sites. As an agency of the State of Colorado and a non-profit organization, History Colorado is committed to serving all Coloradans through generational work that centers communities, deepens knowledge and catalyzes the transformative power of history.

History Colorado is also home to a free public research center, people-centered preservation work done by the State Historical Fund and the State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of the State Archaeologist, the State Historians Council, and many other community-driven public history projects such as the Museum of Memory. History Colorado stewards more than 15 million objects, photographs, and archival resources that make up the State's collection, and serve tens of thousands of learners of all ages each year. History Colorado is one of only six Smithsonian Affiliates in Colorado. Visit HistoryColorado.org, or call 303-HISTORY, for more information. #HistoryColorado

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