I grew up exploring Pingree Park near Poudre Canyon in northern Colorado. It’s a beautiful place, and I never thought much about the name “Pingree” even as an adult. I just accepted Pingree Park, Pingree Park Road, and Pingree Hill as fact.
Then in 2015, Colorado State University renamed its Pingree Park Campus to CSU Mountain Campus, and I learned why.
George Washington Pingree, a scout for the U.S. Army, had participated in the November 1864 Sand Creek Massacre — a brutal and methodical eight-hour mass killing of more than 200 Arapaho and Cheyenne women, children, and elders in eastern Colorado. Many of them begged for their lives. After the massacre, participating soldiers, and total pieces of shit like George Pingree, spent the afternoon and next day committing atrocities on the dead. Scalps were taken. Ears and genitals were cut from men and women. And worse.
Explaining the official name change back in 2015, CSU had said it was in response to “Pingree’s self-proclaimed role in the Sand Creek Massacre.” In other words, George Pingree was proud of taking part in the killing and mutilation of innocent indigenous people, including children, and he let people know it.
After CSU scrubbed Pingree’s name from their mountain campus, NOTHING was done to change the names of Pingree Park, Pingree Park Road and Pingree Hill in Larimer County.
Fed up, a group of Fort Collins citizens formed the “No Pingree Park Task Force.” Led by local attorney John Gascoyne, the task force pursued a new process under the Biden administration to remove derogatory names from geographic features on federal lands — a process created by then Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland.
“Racist terms have no place in our vernacular or on our federal lands,” she said in a 2021 press release. “Our nation’s lands and waters should be places to celebrate the outdoors and our shared cultural heritage — not to perpetuate the legacies of oppression.” Haaland also formed a Federal Advisory Committee to accelerate the process by which derogatory names — including those that celebrate perpetrators of racial hate crimes, such as Pingree — are identified and replaced.
The No Pingree Park Task Force submitted their request for a name change in 2023, with support from Arapaho and Cheyenne tribal leaders, and from city and county officials. It was finally approved in March 2026.
"The name Pingree is an affront not only to Native Americans but to those of us who believe it is inappropriate to honor a man responsible for genocidal atrocities enacted during the Indian wars of the 19th Century," Gascoyne stated in a news release.
Captain Silas S. Soule, photo courtesy Denver Public Library
Pingree Park and Pingree Hill will be renamed to Soule Park and Soule Hill, honoring Silas S. Soule (pronounced “sole”) — a Union captain who refused to fire his weapon at Sand Creek, and who ordered his company of soldiers to stand down. Soule and his men were cursed and threatened with death by the blood-lusting troops, and a few members of Soule’s company lost their lives to “friendly” fire.
When I first heard about the name change from Pingree to Soule, I felt conflicted. I was thrilled Pingree was out, but it didn’t feel right that his replacement was yet another white man rather than a restored indigenous name. The more I learned about Soule, however, the more I appreciated the choice.
In the immediate aftermath of the Sand Creek Massacre, Soule had written a horrifyingly graphic letter to his former commanding officer, Major Ned Wynkoop, detailing his firsthand account of the genocide. He named names. Soule was also the first to testify against his commanding officer, Colonel John M. Chivington, during the Army’s investigation not long after the slaughter.
Less than 80 days after his testimony, and shortly after he was married, Soule was murdered by another soldier (or soldiers) on the streets of Denver. Many believe it was in retaliation for the courageous stand he took against the massacre. Silas S. Soule was assassinated at age 26 for consistently doing the right thing, both in the field and the courtroom. His killers were never brought to justice.
The marker honoring Captain Silas Soule at 15th and Arapahoe in Denver
According to the Fort Collins Coloradoan, the names of Soule Park and Soule Hill in the Poudre Canyon area “have been changed in the Geographic Names Information System, and will be reflected on federal maps in the next revision cycle.”
As of October 12, 2026, the physical road signs in Poudre Canyon have not been replaced by state or county. Every time I go to town, I drive past each sign with a scowl and my standard grumble of “Fuck you, Pingree.”
I know government is notoriously slow, but I am so hungry for this one small change. In the meantime, I will vote in the midterms. Use my voice to say, “Things aren’t right. Atrocities are happening. Our country is not okay.”
And when the road signs on Colorado Highway 14 finally change names from the ignorant racist hater to the brave young leader, I’ll drive past with a cautious smile, hoping for bigger changes down the road.
Hopeful this country hasn’t completely lost its soul.