The dispute between Meeker and the Utes resulted in a confrontation between Meeker and a Ute leader named "Johnson." Meeker wired for military assistance, claiming that he had been assaulted by an Indian, driven from his home, and severely injured. Meeker requested only a few soldiers come to the agency, but 191 soldiers, led by Major Thomas T. Thornburgh, commander of Fort Steele in Wyoming, advanced toward the agency to settle the affair. The Utes warned Thornburgh and Meeker that the presence of soldiers on the reservation would be an act of war. Meeker requested that Thornburgh halt his advance outside the reservation and proceed to the White River Agency with only five soldiers. However, on orders from his superior, Thornburgh continued his advance onto the Ute Reservation. On September 29, 1879, the Utes attacked both Thornburgh and Meeker's agency. They set the agency buildings on fire and killed Meeker and the 10 members of his staff. They took five women and children as hostages to secure their own safety as they fled and held them for 23 days. Two of the women taken captive were Meeker's his wife Arvilla and daughter Josephine, just graduated from college and working as a teacher and physician. Thornburgh's soldiers (he was killed) were pinned down in the Battle of Milk Creek until October 5. Reinforced by African-American Buffalo Soldiers and 450 additional cavalry, the soldiers advanced to the White River Agency. They found the bodies of Meeker and his men. Meeker is buried at the Linn Grove Cemetery, Greeley, Weld County, Colorado. Legacy and honors Meeker, Colorado was named after him. Mount Meeker, a shorter neighbor to Longs Peak, the tallest mountain in Rocky Mountain National Park, was named for him. The Meeker Home Museum is located at 1324 9th Avenue Greeley, Colorado. It was originally Nathan Meeker's home. In 1970, he was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Notes References Further reading Silbernagel, Robert (2011). Troubled Trails: The Meeker Affair and the Expulsion of the Utes from Colorado. External links "The Last Major Indian Uprising: The Meeker Massacre and the Battle of Milk Creek", White River Museum, Meeker, Colorado Website (http://www.rioblancocounty.org/) "Meeker Home Museum", Greeley, Colorado Website "Meeker Family History", Greeley, Colorado Website 1817 births 1879 deaths People from Euclid, Ohio United States Indian agents People from Colorado Murdered American journalists Deaths by