Chief Niwot

Chief Niwot or Left Hand(-ed) (c. 1825–1864) was a tribal leader of the Southern Arapaho people and played an important part in the history of Colorado. Chief Niwot and his people lived along the Front Range often wintering in Boulder Valley, site of the future Boulder, Colorado. Despite breaching the borders of Arapaho territory — defined by the Fort Laramie Treaty as the area between the North Platte River and the Arkansas River — early prospectors were welcomed by Niwot in Boulder Valley during the Colorado Gold Rush. Niwot was thought to have died with many of his people at the hands of the Third Colorado Cavalry in the Sand Creek Massacre, which was one of the precipitating events that led to some three decades of Indian Wars throughout the American West. Throughout Boulder County, many places pay tribute to Chief Niwot and the Arapaho Tribe. The census-designated place of Niwot, Colorado, Left Hand Creek, Left Hand Canyon, Niwot Mountain, Niwot High School, Niwot Elementary, Niwot Ridge and the Left Hand Brewing Company are all named for him. Additionally, a main thoroughfare through Boulder is Arapahoe [sic] Avenue.